A producer of specialist forage products has invested in a new Kuhn MergeMaxx 1090 for the 2025 season following several key improvements to operations and product quality from their previous machine.
Freddie Barclay, alongside his father Robert, run Fox Feeds in Hertfordshire, and say their outgoing MergeMaxx 1090 proved the merger concept in their system and allowed the harvesting process greater flexibility, improved product quality, and higher output.
“Drying consistency and achieving a low moisture content before chopping, with minimal leaf crumbling and no impurities in the product, are the primary aims when we produce our crop,” says Freddie.
“We had a demo of the MergeMaxx 950 in 2020 and bought it immediately. We’d seen an ROC merger working in Spain a few years earlier and knew the concept could deliver great benefits to our business, but at the time we couldn’t justify it.”
The family upgraded to a 10.95m MergeMaxx 1090 for the 2021 season, which is being replaced by an updated version for 2025. The merger covers 2,500ha/yr, with crops including Italian ryegrass blends, lucerne and sainfoin, all of which are processed for the equine market. The land is spread out over a 15-mile radius from the base near Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, with the company contract growing crops on over 20 farms.
“A rake is still a valuable tool, but the merger does an excellent job at preserving the leaf and limiting stones and debris. We can travel at 15kph in light crops and know these two things are maintained, which we couldn’t do with a rake,” explains Freddie.
Swath flexibility
The timing of all operations is key, which is why everything is handled in-house. One of the reasons the family chose Kuhn over other brands was the flexibility to lay grass centrally or to either side – something that wasn’t possible at the time with other models or a rake. It has become especially useful on headlands for preventing crop damage, as Freddie explains.
“When we start a field, we will merge centrally for the first headland bout and on the second lap we will lay the swath to the side nearest the field edge. This then allows a wider area on the headland to turn and prevents us driving over already merged crop. This preserves the quality of the crop that we need.”
Having the option to lay swaths in different combinations, or move several lighter swaths into one, has also proved a cost saving for the following forager.
“Before the merger we would be running up and down fields collecting small swaths on third cuts, which was inefficient for several reasons. The New Holland FR550 chopper needs to run full, and this wasn’t possible with the rows left by the swather. This meant it took ages to fill trailers, and the fuel and time required to clear light crops was frustrating.”
With the arrival of the MergeMaxx, the team were able to change this and group multiple rows into one large swath that kept the chopper full and lowered hours considerably on the machine. Furthermore, trailers are filled at the usual speed on each cut, so logistics are improved, and fuel and time are saved.
Freddie says there is a bit of balling created in crops after moving multiple times but keeping the chopper full and loading trailers quickly are more important on third cuts.
Logistics improvement
Compared to the farm’s previous system, the MergeMaxx was launched at just the right time. The business relies on a variety of Kuhn machinery, including two 13m GF trailed tedders and a set of 9.3m triple mowers.
“As the business grew, our Macdon swather that we used to cut the lucerne was becoming a logistical issue for us. It required an escort between fields and the header was dropped off before moving. This took considerable time and sometimes meant it tied two people up for most of the day,” says Freddie.
The arrival of the MergeMaxx immediately changed the system, with the Kuhn triple mowers now cutting the crops and the merger following to group the grass into swaths and continue lowering the moisture before the forager.
Instead of needing an escort to every field, the merger can quickly move independently and be ready to work in minutes of arrival. It requires a decent sized tractor on the front to handle the weight of the machine. The output has also been a big advantage over the old system and, in light crops, the MergeMaxx will sail along at 15kph.
“We have increased output compared with the swather system. We use the Forage Expert app from Kuhn to adjust the mowing swath width to be compatible with the tedders and the merger. It is simple but means we can comfortably throw four mower swaths into one row on first cut and avoid missed areas or lumpy rows.”
“I like the simplicity of Kuhn’s machines and they’re well engineered. The back-up from our dealer, Borehams, is also excellent. We had a few issues with our old machine last season and the updates to the new model suggest that Kuhn has listened and improved these areas.”
Updates to the new MergeMaxx 1090 include Isobus operation, hydraulic pressure on the beds to reduce ground compaction and changes to bearing housings on the pickup reel to reduce maintenance requirements and improve longevity.