krone vs kuhn vs claas

[Nick m]

I'm going to upgrade rakes. Going for a rotary rake. I've debated the pros and cons and used all different types over the years. This type us by far my favorite. I'm either going new or slightly used. Narrowed it down to these brands. A new krone dealer is 4 miles from me. They seem a touch pricier than the other brands, but seem built very well. Claas has always had a faithful following, but the closest dealer is about 45 miles away. Seem to be built similarly to the krones. Kuhn has the biggest following around here. They don't seem to be as heavy as the other two. About 40 miles for a dealer, but more dealers around than the other 2.

What do you guys run? I'm guessing they've all got good reviews, but if not, I'd like to know.

 

[johnpop1]

We've had a Kuhn for 15 years or so and never had an issue. Therefore, when it came time to get another, we bought another Kuhn.

 

[rrlund]

Might be worth getting your foot in the door at Farm Depot and pay a little more for the convenience.
I bought a new Kuhn way back in 87. Don't use it much anymore,but I can't say it's been a bad rake. They had to replace the axle after a few years because that was built too light back then,but nothing else has been a major problem,except that,like you said,it's build a little light. I've had to replace one bar that runs around the outside,and the other side is welded and would need to be replaced if I was going to use it as much as I used to.

 

[retired farmer]

We got a Claas 350 Liner S if I remember the model correctly. Love it. Have used a couple other brands but they didn't seem to work as good.

 

[Dave Sherburne, NY]

I worked for a fella who had a Kuhn. It covered a lot of acres in a year and had a lot of breakdowns.Seemed to be built to light in places like the other guys said. Said he would never buy another one but he did. Used that one a couple years with worse breakdowns. Now he has a Pottinger.

 

[Brian806]

dad had a international bar rake that grandpa bought brand new when I was growing up dad said it was the longest lasting rake but it tied everything into a rope like all bar rakes! Then we got a new peque rotary did a nice job but always seemed on our steep hills you couldn't run the pto slow enough and the tractor fast enough or you would stall turning up hill even with our 1066 on it so we sold it and dad went and bought a Kuhn wheel rake and he loves it I ran it some and I like it!

 

[Nick m]

I've got an old gehl wheel rake now. Works good, but I've used the other type (rotary) and they definitely fluff the hay up better, especially if you have to flip an existing wind row over.

 

[lfc]

I bought a new Kuhn GA 4220 five seasons ago and have had no issues with it at all. I worry that the side curtain support may fail eventually due to the way they hang out there but other than that I'm very happy with it. One thing to realize is that the Kuhn throws the hay to the right, so if you like to bale in circles you will have to jump a windrow each time around.

 

[1130Leo]

I have an old Kuhn GT300 Rotary I bought used, other than having to replace the parts that were worn out when I bought it, it now works great. I would not hesitate to buy a New Kuhn, other than I am too cheap to buy new. They do a great job and I have had several times I would not have gotten the hay baled had it not been for my Kuhn Rotary rake.

 

[Sparktrician]

Neighboor farm here (sizable operation) has two of those Claas tandem rotary rakes. They do a fine job enough raking from what I see, but the undercarriage the whole thing rides on is kinda hookey. Buddy of mine does welding and fab work, and he has had both front and rear wheel sets off both of them to work on.

 

[cumminspuller]

I'd buy the Krone and not think twice about it. I'm the same way as you though. The Krone dealer is the closest dealer to me. Kuhn is the next closest. There is no Claas dealer within a few hours drive I don't think. Krone has always given very good service to us. There is a lot of Kuhn cutters around but when it comes to rotary rakes they all Krone.