Kuhn i bio

[James]

Are they a good baler? And could a MF 5713 realistically work with one even on fairly hilly ground?

 

[Waysideman]

@Galcam has one.

 

[icanshootwell]

I think there ok on a stress free season, my concerns would be on a catchy time when your in a rush to get it baled, that waiting for the wrap to go on would would be tedious after a while. If its aimed for farmers more than contractors its very expensive.

 

[wdah/him]

Expensive compared to fusion for output but from wgat I here they have improved alot and suit the hilly ground. Few posters here have them and I don't hear bad reports.

I did look at them once think about 30 bales an hours is doable if all going well. Biggest problem I had was the draw I'd constant oil flow and no tractors having power beyond sort of hydraulics or easy way round it

 

[Inter454]

Good machine, wrapping ring does 50rpm so probably the fastest wrapper around but you can't carry on baling when wrapping which makes it seem slow. Bales are very good shape and weight combined with the ability to put uneven layers of wrap due to the Intelliwrap system.

 

[Boohoo]

Kuhn would've needed to make a lot of improvements, from what I know of previous generations of Bio they weren't a contractors machine and everyone I know who had one now has a Fusion.
The problem with anything that isn't a Fusion is the cost of ownership. If it isn't a Fusion, nobody wants it second hand.

 

[Inter454]

They never were a contractors machine but I think some dealers may have incorrectly sold them as a rival to the Fusion.

 

[hally]

Kuhn would've needed to make a lot of improvements, from what I know of previous generations of Bio they weren't a contractors machine and everyone I know who had one now has a Fusion.
The problem with anything that isn't a Fusion is the cost of ownership. If it isn't a Fusion, nobody wants it second hand.

Your right we had one and they are not a contractors machine, nowhere near a fusion for reliability or output and not a lot cheaper to buy. At a push 100 hp will drive one though.

 

[Finn farmer]

iBio is way too expensive for the output. Is it true that the pto needs to be disengaged for wrapping (atleast on the older models) or is it fake news?

 

[hally]

iBio is way too expensive for the output. Is it true that the pto needs to be disengaged for wrapping (atleast on the older models) or is it fake news?

It used to be but i think you can programme some tractors to disengage at the right time

 

[Galcam]

Well I suppose it all depends on how big a contractor you are? I had two Taarup Bios and still have a Kuhn Bio that sits at the back of the shed and has only 17k bales on it. The Fusion replaced it years ago and even on the worst hill going the Fusion does the work as u can wrap, continue baleing and drop the wrapped bale at the nearest convenient location. With the Bio your caught with a wrapped bale and there’s no more baleing until you get that out of the Baler so u either back around sideways with the top half of the Baler open or reverse back down or up to a level place. That’s where u really loose time. I had two contractor friends doing 10k and 17k bales/year respectively. The 17k guy had two Bios running and it was a profitable affair rather than two tractors, two men and a Baler and wrapper. The downside was the low output 25-35 bales per hour but normally 25. The other downside was reliability and toughness. They were fine in light crops and in good ground but the pickup reel and bearings were always an issue and after you had 15-20k bales on the Taarup bios you just knew they were pass there prime. In comparison I’ve never replaced a tine, chain or bearing on a Fusion. There’s a place for them still but if your contracting there are better solutions out there. Oh yes you must switch off the PTO when the bale is been wrapped and the ECU on the Baler sends a signal to the tractor if you make the necessary mods on solenoids on the tractor to allow that to happen. Unfortunately u must physically switch off and on the PTO again when you start the next bale. Funnily enough my first Bio is owned now by an 84 year old who goes on the country with it, making bales for a few of his loyal clients and its 16 years old.

 

[Galcam]

James I pulled them initially with a TS115 and later a NH 6030 and that was on hilly and wet ground.

 

[James]

I definitely think the concept is good but the price is not. As said it maybe depends on how big a contractor you are. Even though I'm by no means a large contractor it would be heartbreaking to have to wait for each bale wrap without making the next.

 

[hally]

They would be fine at 10k less don’t understand how they need to be so expensive

 

[Galcam]

Hally I think they need to be 30k less. If I were a mechanical engineer I would love to install a McHale Baler chamber on a Bio chassis and a McHale wrapper ring, plastic dispensers with cut and hold on it and then perhaps you would have a tough machine for heavy crops and rough ground. Now why would I want to do that? oh and call it a Fusion Mini!

 

[Chips]

As a one man band I keep toying with the idea of one . But as said the price is the killer , so just think I'm better off with just a baler which means I can get the crop weather proof , i.e in bales as fast as possible and then pay a contractor £1.20 to wrap them , the bill doesn't come to much . Alternatively I could buy a 2nd hand fusion , but on my hills I do wonder how much faster than an I-bio it would be as surely the extra weight to pull ( a couple of ton with an extra bale ?), along with constantly pumping oil would take power away from making a bale resulting probably an extra 20 seconds to make a bale ,which is roughly how long the bio takes to wrap , thus either machine is going to be slow compared to just a straight baler and a lot more complicated .
New baler £25k and wrapper £11k should be around the price mark of a bio after all they don't have to make a 2nd chassis and then they may sell a few , or even a little bit more given it's a twin wrapper so maybe £40k ish tops. The only thing that still tempts me is the film binding but I see Claas have that on straight balers now anyway , do any others ?

 

[Galcam]

Chips, McHales do have film binding. But there is no point comparing a Bio to a Fusion. They are worlds apart from a user and mechanical perspective except on Price! Furthermore the tractor to pull a Fusion will be a lot heavier than is needed for a Bio. The wrapping is a small delay but the reversing crossways or exiting the swarth and going to a flat area is where u really loose time. For example 10 acres with one dangerous hill with Bio is just under 5 hours stressfull work. Fusion is under 3 hours stress free and that’s about 95 bales. If u only do your own then I would say buy one and use it. It’s worth your while to have the experience. Life’s for trying new things and sure if it’s not for u sell it on again. There’s always another victim around the corner?

 

[hally]

As a one man band I keep toying with the idea of one . But as said the price is the killer , so just think I'm better off with just a baler which means I can get the crop weather proof , i.e in bales as fast as possible and then pay a contractor £1.20 to wrap them , the bill doesn't come to much . Alternatively I could buy a 2nd hand fusion , but on my hills I do wonder how much faster than an I-bio it would be as surely the extra weight to pull ( a couple of ton with an extra bale ?), along with constantly pumping oil would take power away from making a bale resulting probably an extra 20 seconds to make a bale ,which is roughly how long the bio takes to wrap , thus either machine is going to be slow compared to just a straight baler and a lot more complicated .
New baler £25k and wrapper £11k should be around the price mark of a bio after all they don't have to make a 2nd chassis and then they may sell a few , or even a little bit more given it's a twin wrapper so maybe £40k ish tops. The only thing that still tempts me is the film binding but I see Claas have that on straight balers now anyway , do any others ?

You should have a go with a fusion, you may be surprised how easy they are to drive.130hp is plenty

 

[Galcam]

Hally, I’m happy I don’t have to work for u.? I wouldn’t risk my life with a 4cyl tractor on a wet hill holding back a Fusion while wrapping and picking! If u can put 6cyl 200hp in front of it do. The first 120/30 hop are expensive but 2 more cylinders and another 50/80hp are cheap. Only my opinion mind.

 

[hally]

Hally, I’m happy I don’t have to work for u.? I wouldn’t risk my life with a 4cyl tractor on a wet hill holding back a Fusion while wrapping and picking! If u can put 6cyl 200hp in front of it do. The first 120/30 hop are expensive but 2 more cylinders and another 50/80hp are cheap. Only my opinion mind.

Risking life!!! Drama queen?
A modern 4 cylinder is as heavy as many six cylinder tractors that used to drive fusions since they were launched such as the 6920S. Nobody queried if they were too small 15 years ago and weight is cheaply added to a tractor. You have got the same disease as a lot of contractors in that bigger is always better, most contractor lads around here find 150 about right for a fusion and there is plenty steep wet land in Cumbria but I get your point?