Quick access to parts diagrams and information on dealer stock lists is saving hay, haylage and straw producer Tim Burt hours of time, and considerable money, when he orders spare parts for his two Kuhn machines.
Tim was overhauling his 2002 Kuhn GA 4321 single rotor rake before the 2024 season and started searching online for a parts catalogue. His business produces small square bales for the local equine and domestic markets at Hartcliff Farm, Okeford Fitzpaine, Dorset.
When faults occur, Tim diagnoses and repairs virtually everything himself and admits there isn’t money to buy new kit on a regular basis, so keeping good quality, older machines running is key to the service he provides.
Tim Burt says using MyKUHN saves him significant amounts of time and money when sourcing replacement parts © KUHN
During his search, he quickly found the MyKUHN service, which uses the Kuhn machine’s serial number to provide detailed part diagrams and pdfs of operating manuals. After signing up, Tim added the model number of his rake and was presented with exploded parts diagrams for all components on the machine, which immediately impressed him.
“My rake is 23 years old, but Kuhn still provide operator’s manuals and parts illustrations for me to make informed decisions about repairs. This proved to me that Kuhn take aftersales support and service very seriously and, as I’m small business, it is one of the main reasons I will look for Kuhn machinery again. I think any farm running Kuhn machines and undertaking their own repairs will benefit from the service.”
Although Tim’s rake is over 20 years old, KUHN’s backup supporting its older machinery is impressive © KUHN
Always accessible
Tim says the biggest benefit to MyKUHN was it removed the reliance on a dealer to diagnose faults and order parts. Previously, he would spend several hours on the phone trying to pinpoint the right parts required through conversations with various people. This led to a parts order but invariably meant that he’d missed a vital washer or bolt to finish the project, meaning another hour round trip to his local dealer. He explains how the service has changed this.
“The beauty of MyKUHN is that if I have a breakdown at 10pm one evening, I can search on the laptop to identify the part or parts that have broken. It also shows me if there are adjoining parts that could’ve been affected and if I should replace them at the time of the work.
“One of the best features is the dealer stock indicator, which can save so much time ringing around to find out who has a specific part in stock. Something that isn’t possible after dealers close.”
Tim can locate the parts required, add them to a basket, and then locate which local dealer has them in stock to avoid further phone calls in the morning. He can place the order and, depending on availability, parts may be in stock or need to be shipped from Kuhn’s parts distribution centre at Telford. Parts ordered before 4pm can be express shipped from France to arrive at Telford in 24 hours.
“I have two Kuhn dealers I use, but the closest is an hour round trip, so I like to keep this journey to a minimum. Getting sight of their parts inventory for the items I need is invaluable and means my time isn’t spent on the phone or in a car making long journeys.”
The MyKUHN interface is easy to navigate, and details exploded diagrams for parts identification © KUHN
You can visit the customer portal here.
Value for time
Tim runs a variety of machinery makes and models but says this service offered by Kuhn has now put the manufacturer at the top of his list when it comes to replacing his current models.
“We have another brand of tedder that currently has a rotor issue. I’m about to strip this down to identify the problem but it will be infinitely harder to order parts and take much longer to find what I need. Supporting older machinery models like mine isn’t always a priority for main franchises, so doing it myself saves everyone time.”
Although he could spend additional time searching for cheaper alternatives to the parts sourced directly from Kuhn, Tim says the time required to do so has a cost attached to it and no part he has purchased through the MyKUHN service has been overpriced.
All repairs are carried out by Tim in house and using MyKUHN to identify and order parts makes this process more efficient © KUHN
“I would obviously look around if I felt a part was costly, but I don’t mind paying a sensible price for a quality part. For instance, I needed some more clips to secure the rake’s tine arms onto the body for transport. I did look at alternatives, but the Kuhn options were only 40p dearer, were the exact length, and came with a securing tether so they didn’t get lost. Factoring all this in, even for a 23-year-old machine, I still think it is better to buy OEM parts,” Tim concludes.
