Cereals 2019: Kuhn returns to zero-tilling with Aurock seeder

Having retired its SD no-till seeder several years ago, Kuhn has been a little short of options in the booming direct drill market.

But the French maker is now back with the Aurock – a disc-only machine that should offer strong competition to the Cross Slot, Sly Boss and others.

It runs two rows of trench-cutting opening discs, with downward pressures of up to 300kg that apparently bite through hard soil and significantly reduce the risk of hairpinning in the slot.

Buyers can spec a cross-cutter ahead of the discs that has adjustable downforce to make sure it slices cleanly through green manures.

There is also the option of a row of press wheels ahead of the coulters, which will be useful for anyone working on min-tilled ground.

See also: Driver’s view: David Bird’s Primewest Cross Slot

The rear coulter bar articulates to follow the slots cut by the front discs, and it carries a row of double-disc seeding assemblies mounted on parallelogram linkages and spaced at either 150mm or 187mm.

Each unit is adjustable, which means it is possible to sow companion crops at different depths in the same pass.

At the back, a bevelled press wheel closes up the slot and a following harrow is optional.

The version on stand at the cereals event – badged the RC – has a twin metering kit (both with variable-rate capacity) and a 5,000-litre hopper that can be split 50:50 or 60:40.

However, the cheaper “R” version runs a single metering system and a 3,500-litre hopper.

The Aurock is only available as a 6m machine and the asking price for the RC is about £150,000. It’ll want a tractor of at least 200hp on the front, says Kuhn.

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