Smart features make it easy to work with mulchers and edge mowers from Duun
When it comes to maintaining areas along roads and in pastures areas, it is essential to have reliable equipment that can withstand the challenges that can arise. With Duun’s mulchers, you not only get reliable performance, but also smart features that make your work more efficient and safer. We have spoken to general manager Morten Kulstad at Kulstad Maskin AS, he has given us his best tips for using mulchers.
Morten Kulstad is a very experienced professional who has worked closely with us at Duun for many years. He is a machinery contractor, and for several years has both operated and sold machinery for agriculture and maintenance.
– It’s good to have practical experience when customers come and wonder which machines and equipment to choose, says Morten.
The fact that he has worked extensively with mulchers gives him a unique competence and knowledge of the subject.
Unplanned things are sure to happen – be prepared
Morten Kulstad emphasizes that one of the most important features you need on a mulchers is how safety is maintained and triggered when the grass is hooked, he explains:
-It’s not a question of if you will hook up, but when it will happen, says Morten.
Therefore, Duun has implemented smart safety functions that secure the machine and prevent damage when hooking occurs. With extra safeguards and a rearward movement that lifts the machine, the risk of damage to the equipment is minimized, making work more seamless and efficient.
No more cleaning stones and gravel from roads
One of the most tedious and timeconsuming tasks that must be completed after work is finished, is cleaning up stone rubble from the roadway. Morten Kulstad says that you can easily minimize stones and debris if you use a rotor that works in the right direction:
– We are required to clean the roadway when we mow edges along the road. Duun’s mulchers are equipped with rotors that rotate in the direction of travel, which reduces stone debris and prevents stones from scattering in unwanted directions. In addition to this, there are extra splash shields, chains and rubber mats that help to reduce splash from the machine and ensure gentler treatment of the area.
Multiple blades provide a gentler treatment of the area you are working on
Another important factor for efficiency and safety is the choice of blades. With a rotor that has more and lighter blades, the risk of damage to the environment is reduced. Morten Kulstad explains:
– Lighter blades will not throw rocks as far as heavier blades, reducing potential damage and ensuring a gentler treatment of the area.
Work efficiently with smart combinations of machines
To ensure you have a winning combo that makes your work easy and efficient, Morten Kulstad recommends using multiple machines at the same time:
– Put mulcher from Duun on the back of the tractor, and a fence mower from Kulstad Maskin AS on the front of the tractor, and you get an unbeatable combination. Then you get a tractor that is working all the time, “front and back”. You save an incredible amount of time, and this will make a big difference in the number of hours that the machine is working, compared to if you only use one of the machines at a time.
"The firewood processors have tremendous capacity" - Firewood producer Bernt Ove tests a new prototype
From fur farm to wood splitting
In a warehouse next to a 240-year-old trønderlån in Sparbu, Trøndelag, wood producer Bernt Ove Opheim is splitting wood. He is testing Duun’s largest firewood processor to date, and is impressed.
When he does the math, he figures he will produce about 300 cubic yards of birch wood this season. That’s about 25 fathoms a week.
«I’m producing a full load of firewood to fill the firewood storage this year and I’m thinking of selling it next winter,” he smiles. »
Bernt Ove is fortunate. By chance, he met Birger Tunset from Duun Industrier at a trade fair last year, and now he is splitting wood at breakneck speed with the brand-new prototype of the VM450 – a fully professional machine with a cutting diameter of 45 cm, specially designed for large logs and good flow in the cutting cycle.
«So far, I have run through 50-70 cubic meters of wood through the machine and it runs like a breeze. There is tremendous capacity», says the farmer.
New work with wood
Trønderlåna and the attached warehouse stand on familiar ground, because the family has owned a farm for six generations. As a wood producer, Bernt Ove is relatively new. He had to rethink when the fur industry was shut down, and last year he set up a brand new production line with a firewood processor, log rack and warehouse.
With new eyes, the farmer took action and changed the entire farm operation at record speed.
«The fur farm was large. I had been running it since 2005 when the government decided to close the entire industry in 2019», he says.
Focus on splitting power and ergonomics
Today, the VM450 firewood processor is located indoors with an electrical connection. This allows the farmer to work comfortably in all kinds of weather. Birger Tunset, marketing employee at Duun, sheds some light on what we can expect from the new machinery.
«It is designed for professional use. The VM450 is larger than previous machines, has more splitting power and can handle larger diameter wood. At the same time, it has some features that make it extra nice to drive. It is both electric and hydraulic for good driving comfort and efficiency, and is controlled with a simple joystick» says Birger.
«For Duun, it is important that there is good ergonomics when operating a firewood processor, since splitting large quantities of wood requires many repetitive movements from it. In addition, the firewood processor must be durable. »
«It depends on the use, of course, but someone who produces up to 3,000 cubic meters of firewood a year should expect to replace their firewood machine about every five years. For a private farmer who is going to split firewood for himself, such a machine will last forever. »
Immediately ready for the market
The goal is for the VM450 wood machine to be released on the market in the fall of 2022. Before Easter, the prototype will be test driven to develop the most optimal machine for its use.
– Our designer at Duun visits Bernt Ove at Sparbu regularly. Eventually we will make a new prototype with improvements we have found from the test run, says Birger.
There is no doubt that Bernt Ove is happy with the test drive and consulting.
– Duun is very good at following up with questions, and the follow-up is phenomenal. They should have that, it’s a great collaboration. Then I was offered the opportunity to test the new machine, and of course I had accept that opportunity.
