# Kuhn gmd3550 trail disc mower



## haytalk

I am thinking about buying a Kuhn GMD3550TL. I have a couple of questions to ask some of you more experienced equipment operators.

Is this a well designed cuter bar?

How difficult is getting twine and wire out from under the inner-most turtle? This is the inner most turtle under the vertical drive shaft.

I have been told if a turtle breaks the protecta shaft that the turtle departs the machine out the back without damaging adjacent turtles or the bed of gears in the cutter bar. Also, that the welded cutter bar will not be contaminated by a sheared shaft (turtle bar departure) or a failed turtle bearing. Well, is all this true?

Have any of you used a gmd3550 with the wide angle secondary cv joint? Is it worth the extra money to go around trees and obstacles?

Is the rock guard option to protect the front hood from rocks hitting the front hood and dimpling the hood worth the money to protect the front hood, i.e. does it prevent rock damage to the hood?

What are your thoughts on the dyno gyro or gyro dyno that keeps the pto shaft in line with the tractor longitudinal axis? Is it a good design or a mx nightmare?

What maintenance/financial nightmares might I encounter with this unit?

Will I be happy with this machine?

I thank you all in advance for all of your responses


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## somedevildawg

Haytalk that's more than a couple but I'll try the best I can.....

Kuhn has been building cutter bars for a long time, it is a very well designed unit.

I have no idea about the twine getting wrapped around the unit as my fields are somewhat manicured.

I would say true.....in a perfect situation, sometimes imperfect situations occur in the field.

I would say the secondary cv is very useful especially in fields where obstacles and smaller dimensions dictate tighter turns, eliminates chattering to a large degree.

No idea on the rock guard, we don't do rocks here, maybe others can tell ya...

Once again I'll have to defer to the kuhn quality standards, the designers thought it was a good idea and it certainly seems to be a plausible idea......

Probably very minimal with a operator that gives a damn and fields that are inspected and maintained, if it hits a abandoned wheel or something....who knows

I've always been happy with kuhn products.......

I only own one kuhn product now, a rotary rake but I've had several pieces and always found them to be of utmost quality, especially given the price point...hth


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## NewBerlinBaler

I have a Kuhn GMD3150TL - 10'2" cut versus the 3550's 11'6" cut. I purchased it new in early 2012 and have used it for three seasons. I can only speak to two of your questions.

1) If the tongue is not swung all the way out to the fully-deployed position, there's extreme aft CV joint chatter. You can't use this unit to mow narrow strips like you could if the mower would function directly behind the tractor. I wish I had the wide angle aft CV joint. I didn't know it was available - how much $$ is it?

2) The Gyro Swivel Hitch is wonderful. It's the reason I choose Kuhn over Vermeer. You can make extremely sharp turns in either direction with the blades engaged and there's no driveline chatter.

Gary


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## Lewis Ranch

Have run 2 3550 Kuhns and 2 4050 models, no problems with any of the units. I would recomend them to anyone wanting an affordable machine that will mow lots of hay.


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## haytalk

The secondary "wide angle" cv PTO SHAFT option is $345 when purchased on a new unit from the factory. To put this wide angle option on at a dealer I was told $1345.


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## haytalk

Also I was told by Kuhn factory rep that only about 2-5% of new units are ordered with the secondary cv shaft. It probably has several more grease zeros to grease and if it is anything like the cv joint on my Hesston baler it is very greasy and has 4 or 5 zerks! I mow around trees with my caddy mounted NH 616. It is a 7'10" cut and I circle the tree twice. With the 11'6" mower I should only need to circle the tree once in order cut straight ahead on the next pass. However, it could be very useful to be able to mow with the cutter directly behind the tractor in narrow places.


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## discbinedr

Avoid all unnecessary CV joints. They are very nice but cost $$$ to repair.

The rock guard sounds like a good option if you have rocks.


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## NewBerlinBaler

At $1,345, I'll just continue on without the wide angle aft CV joint. Knowing it's a high-cost-to-repair item provides some consolation.

Gary


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## haytalk

Thx for your responses.

Bob


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## haytalk

Has anyone ordered a Kuhn gmd3550 3150 or 4050 or another Kuhn trail mower with the secondary "wide angle" CV joint who can speak to it's usefulness, ease of lubrication, cleanliness, mx issues, etc.?

I would think that if one used the "wide angle " feature sparingly that the CV joint should not be much of a mx issue since the drive shaft would mainly be operated in a straight line.

Any comments would be most appreciated.

Thx.

Bob


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## red501

I'VE HAD A 3150 FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS. ITS A STUD. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH ONE OF THESE. I DON'T USE IT FULLY RETRACTED BUT I DO USE IT LESS THAN FULLY RETRACTED

AROUND FENCES BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE IN ANOTHER ZIP CODE WHEN TRYING TO CUT

CLOSE TO OBJECTS


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