# Kuhn’s Accumulator questions



## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

I keep going back and forth about a Kuhn’s accumulator, have been for a couple of years. I know I want one, but a question I have for those that own them. Can you dump the accumulator without it being full? I’m sure I could rig something up but I feel I’d like that option at times. Just thinking out loud, it’s a good chunk of change to spend, I want to make sure I’ll be happy with it.


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## OhioHay (Jun 4, 2008)

Yes, you can manually trip them.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

stack em up said:


> Just thinking out loud, it's a good chunk of change to spend, I want to make sure I'll be happy with it.


You will be very happy with the simplicity and consistency of the accumulator. Of course, you must get used to it like most any other piece of machinery, but it has a very short learning curve. Probably the most complex thing about the accumulator is the set-up to fit your baling tractor drawbar to the baler and the baler/accumulator connection. A Kuhns works extremely well with a inline baler. Once your hook-up is dialed in, you are pretty much home free. If you call Kuhns between 8-5 M-F they can answer any question you have and help you through a bump...sometimes they will answer on Saturday....dependant upon if they are out in the field haying themselves. I talked with them in depth about hook-up before my unit arrived and I was well informed once it was here. Once you get it set-up, it becomes very routine....just about like jumping on the mower and mowing the lawn.

Regards, Mike


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## weatherman (Dec 5, 2008)

Recently bought a Kuhn's AE10 and sold my Hoelscher 1000 to a guy who is selling his Kuhn's 1034. After the Hoelscher was properly dialed in, it ran like a champ. The downside to the Hoelscher it depended on tractor hydraulics which did not work too well with my new tractor. The guy who bought the Hoelscher he said the biggest problem he had with the 1034 was running it on irregular fields. It busted bales on sharp turns. The AE10 works pretty good. The one problem that is working itself out is the gate won't open to dump bales. The two levers in the "dump channel" gets stuck, metal on metal. Anyone else have this issue, if so what was your fix.


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## Cobercow (Dec 4, 2015)

yes, you can manually dump kuhns if needed, but then you're left with a partial grab worth of bales...I only do it when done baling for the day!

We have the 18 bale model, and I do find it hard to maneuver in a small field, however I dont have the belted bale chute, (or any chains for that matter) guiding the bales up the chute whilst turning. I just always make wide left turns on headlands.

Don't forget to look at the "whole picture" of going to an accumulator...

-proper storage (drive in shed, easy access, floor condition ie skids ect)

-big enough loader capacity

-flat rack wagons (I highly suggest steel mesh deck that dont twist and loose loads)

-but...no frustration with hired help (might be the best part!)

I'm sure glad we made the switch from thrower racks to the kuhns system!


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## MrLuggs (Dec 14, 2015)

I love my Kuhns accumulator, has reduced the stress of doing small squares compared to our kicker racks and trying to find labor to stack.

One thing to keep in mind is that it really isn't that much faster (at least for me), it still takes ~35 minutes to load a 100 bales on wagon, drive to the barn, and unload it. Naturally, there's not attrition since you're basically just working the tractor and not slinging bales.

I definitely want to improve my workflow by adding more flat racks to my operation, so I can load 6 or 8 racks worth at a time, which I think is one of my biggest issues.


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## HayFarmerBob (Mar 30, 2019)

I bought a used Kuhns Mfg 1036F accumulator and 510F grabber this past winter to try to eliminate the need for extra labor which is difficult for me to round up. If weather is good for a long time i can do my hay myself. But the weather hasnt been good. The main driver of hay production is to get the hay in the barn or under cover before it can get wet. Two weeks ago I was just finishing baling and had 379 bales done. 37 groups of 10 and the odd 9 bales on the ground ready to load onto wagons. Then it poured 2 inches.

Talk about unintended consequences. Now i had heavy wet groups of hay. I had to use the grabber to move 5 bales at a time to place the rhe hay back into rows. Then separate the 5 bales moving 2 further down the row. So i oved all the hay into new rows of 3 then 2 then 3 then 2 bales. I walked the rows, turning over each bale to spread them a little, cut the twine, and on to the next. I then used my tedder at sxtremely slow speed and lowest rpm to spread the heavy wet hay. I couldnt ted it fast as the solid soaked bales would have been like hitting tree stumps. So my plan going forward is to have 2 of us working, one driving the baler pulling the accumulator, the other operating the grabber, either with amother tractor or a skid steer loading the groups onto wagons. If rain come we at least have as much as possible on wagons and can cover with tarps or pull wagons into barn.

So the key point is to get they hay loaded onto the barn or covered on wagons as quickly as possible. Wet accumulated hay is a PITA to deal with.

My accumulator is a 2012 model and has had some operational issues. Bales wouldnt always slide down the accumulator, would sometimes jam on diverter gates, and sometimes the 1st and 5th bales wouldnt "turn" like they are supposed to. The folks at Kuhns Mfg have been great helping me to troubleshoot the issues. Cooking spray on the accumulator surface worked wonders as a temporary solution. My accumulator was built with a table that was built with its pitch too shallow. It is a known problem and Kuhns Mfg just shipped me a "steepening kit" at no cost to me as well as new turning arms. My property is rough in areas and part is along a fairly steep hillside. The diverter gates would bounce or flop open and sometimes jam bales sliding down the chute. Kuhns Mfg offers stiffer springs to address these problems which i purchased. Operation on smooth level fields worked OK. Im installing the steepening kit, turning arms, and stiffer springs this weekend so cant attest to how well they will solve my problems yet, but believe most of the issues will be solved as others with similar property issues have success with this model. I think it is fantastic that Kuhns Mfg stands behind their equipment, even though I'm not the original purchaser.

When everything works right (including my baler) baling hay with the Kuhns Mfg 1036F accumulator is wonderful.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Having the upper slide deck painted in graphite paint would have solved some of your issues. Bales 1 and 6 did not have enough speed to turn efficiently at the bottom of the accumulator. Graphite paint would have aided that for sure and the ability of bales to slide quickly.

Your right, the Kuhns family are great to work with and truly do stand by what they build.

You do need two people operating(baling and grappling) to work at top efficiency. I seldom ever have two people anymore so I try to make sure that I do not bale more than I can gather pretty quickly If the weather is questionable. I have never had the bales rained on in the field, but it has always been my worst nightmare and always in the back of my mind when baling. I keep plastic tarps at some of my buildings to cover the loaded wagons in the field just in case. You never know if they will actually benefit you, but it does give you a little mental security.

Good luck with your accumulator and you will become much more efficient with time.

Regards, Mike


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## LukeS (Feb 24, 2015)

The one thing I see and don't like is when it dumps them they are not a tight bundle, is that a problem or not??


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

LukeS said:


> The one thing I see and don't like is when it dumps them they are not a tight bundle, is that a problem or not??


You can get a grapple that has an arm that slides the bales together. Mine has it and works good.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

LukeS said:


> The one thing I see and don't like is when it dumps them they are not a tight bundle, is that a problem or not??


Not at all. Once you get fully accustomed to your grapple, you can actually work with a forward sweeping motion to tighten the grab of bales up and never stop....just slowing down a bit.

I also have the lower tailgate area deck painted in graphite which aids in the bales coming off of the accumulator faster allowing for a tighter grab.

Regards, Mike


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## Cobercow (Dec 4, 2015)

I found that the pack of bales being "loose" is an advantage....

one year I got caught with a quick shower while picking up bales.....I had a few (18 bale edge) packs pushed tight together and the rest of the field the packs were untouched and "loose"

Had good sun the next day and resumed picking up bales.... the loose packs were flawless, while the ones that were pushed tight with the tractor were damaged and still wet between the bales. lesson learned!

the disadvantage of the system is you can get caught with your pants down....in the rain haha

currently have 2 24' steel flat racks...need another 2 it seems...1080 bales on wheels would be more ideal.

how many loads of hay does one wagon (at $5000) have to save to pay for itself......


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## Beav (Feb 14, 2016)

We have used a Kuhn 1036F for several years very few problems broke a few springs,the big learning curve is using the grapple and sizing your hay racks to fit the maximum number of bales without having to split grabs we have 10 racks 2 25' 7 22' 1 18' the wagons hold 200,170 and 140 bales we have to split grabs on the 18' and 25' to get that many on


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## Dirtboy (Apr 5, 2015)

I just am wrapping up my 1st hay season with a AF10 and a 510F grabber as stated there is definitely a learning curve. The biggest I thought was getting the right bale length which is critical on the tie bales which turns as they slide down the accumulator, gave me a lot of ass aches but I think I got it dialed in. Picking up and loading takes some practice also. As time goes on and my proficiency gets better my productivity will increase. Reflecting on this hay season I would say this system is not quicker but it’s a lot less labor intensive. I’ll probably end up at around 6000 bales which I know is not a tremendous amount but using kicker wagons as I had done it would have been impossible. Next year I will probably add another wagon and buy another grabber for unloading. I learned a lot this season, but have a lot more to go. If I could help anyone let me know I might be able to save you some head scratching. Thank god for YouTube lol especially Bagwell Farms and DLH farms both excellent resources for the Kuhns


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## OhioHay (Jun 4, 2008)

I saw Kenny at the farm science review yesterday. I enjoyed getting to visit. He is a class act all the way! It is awesome to see how a hay farmers vision has grown into quite a company.


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