KUHN has expanded its seeding portfolio with the new APEX trailed direct drill range, introducing the 6 m APEX 6000 RC and 8 m APEX 8000 RC for direct drilling and min-till systems. Both models use a 5,600-litre split pressurised hopper and introduce KUHN’s new ISOFLEX seeding units, available with 16.7 cm or 20 cm row spacing. The APEX adds a dedicated single-disc direct-seeding architecture to KUHN’s existing drill portfolio while retaining the flexibility to operate in cultivated ground.
At the centre of the platform is the ISOFLEX single-disc seeding unit, combining a narrow-angle opener with a large gauge wheel and parallelogram linkage offering 330 mm of vertical travel. Hydraulic coulter pressure can be adjusted through ISOBUS from 80 to 250 kg, while 460 mm of front clearance is designed to improve residue and cover-crop passage. KUHN says operating speeds of up to 12 km/h are possible while maintaining seed placement. The dual-compartment hopper, four distribution heads and two seeding lines also allow different products to be placed on alternate rows, mixed into the same rows or used for wider-spacing configurations.
Strategically, APEX strengthens KUHN’s position in a seeding market increasingly shaped by conservation agriculture and greater diversity in crop-establishment strategies. Rather than designing the machine around one narrowly defined direct-drilling system, KUHN has combined minimal soil disturbance with multi-product capability, fertiliser placement, intercropping and cover-crop applications. That flexibility could become increasingly important as farmers seek machinery capable of supporting different establishment strategies without requiring separate drills for every agronomic system.
Bottom Line
APEX gives KUHN a new direct-drilling platform built around a fundamentally different seeding unit rather than simply extending an existing machine. The combination of ISOFLEX single-disc openers, adjustable hydraulic pressure and a flexible multi-product distribution architecture positions the range between the requirements of strict no-till and broader conservation-agriculture systems.
The strategic significance is therefore wider than the introduction of two new drills. KUHN is expanding the number of crop-establishment strategies that can be addressed from within its own seeding portfolio, as direct drilling, reduced tillage, cover crops and multi-product placement increasingly overlap rather than operate as separate equipment categories.
Source: Kuhn Press Release
