Kuhns mfg EGF8 Owner's Manual

Owner’s Manual

EGF8 Grabber

2017

MADE IN THE USA

Read and Understand the manual. This manual provides information and

procedures to safely operate and maintain the Grabber.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.1 Intended Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.2 Operator Orientation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.3 Specifi cations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.4 Serial Number Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.5 Owner/Operator Manual Storage . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.6 Product Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.7 Disposal of Equipment at End of Useful Life . 5

1.8 Unanswered Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2. SAFETY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.1 General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.2 Safety Alert Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

2.3 Safety Icons Nomenclature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.3.1 Personal Protection/Important

Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

2.3.2 Prohibited Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

2.3.3 Hazard Avoidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

2.4 General Operating Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.5 Safety Signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.6 Practice Safe Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.7 Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.8 Hydraulic Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.9 Sign-Off Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.10 Operation Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2.11 Transporting Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2.12 Storage Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2.13 Maintenance Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3. SAFETY SIGNS AND LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.2 Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.3 How to Install Replacement Safety Signs . . 12

3.4 Safety Sign Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.5 Safety Signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

5. OPERATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5.1 User Safety Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5.2 Tractor Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5.2.1 Equipment and Capabilities. . . . . . . 15

5.2.2 Tractor Safety Devices . . . . . . . . . . 15

5.2.3 ROPS and Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

5.3 Pre-Operation Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

5.4 Attaching to Loader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

5.5 Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

5.5.1 Adjustable Crowd Bar . . . . . . . . . . . 17

5.6 Field Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

5.7 Detaching From Loader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

6. TRANSPORTING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

6.1 General Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

6.2 Highway and Transport Operations . . . . . . . 19

6.3 Pre-transport Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

7. STORAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

7.1 Placing in Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

7.2 Removing from Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

8. MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

8.1 Maintenance Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

8.2 Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

8.3 Bolt Torque Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

8.3.1 Standard Torque Values . . . . . . . . . 22

8.4 Welding Repairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

8.5 Service Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

9. PARTS SECTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

9.1 Ordering Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

9.2 Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

9.3 Decals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

9.4 Parts Detail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4. NOMENCLATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

EGF8 Grabber 3 Kuhns Manufacturing (877-296-5851)

1. Introduction

1.3 Specifications

Overall Width 68"

Overall Length 72"

Overall Height 9”

The EGF8 Grabber picks up bales arranged 4 wide
and 2 long on their strings, using 16 hooks mounted
on 4 bars.

Bales that are 36″ long can be cross stacked with
the EGF8 Grabber.

The low weight requirement for the Grabber allows
for the use of a small loader.

Please read the manual carefully to become familiar
with your new Kuhns Grabber. This manual has
been developed through our experience with the
equipment and feedback from our customers.
Ultimately it is our desire that you will be operating
your Grabber as a seasoned professional in no time!

Overall Weight

Bale Capacity

Lift Capacity

Bale Size

Specifications subject to change without notice.

Note: Lift Capacity may be

limited by loader Lift Capacity

415 lb.

8

1150 lb.

14 x 18” or 16 x 18”,

32 to 38” long

1.4 Serial Number Location

The Grabber’s serial number is located on the
upper right corner of the Grabber Frame. Please
use this number when requesting service, seeking
information, or ordering parts. Record the serial
number in the space provided for easy reference
when contacting Kuhns Manufacturing LLC with
questions.

1.1 Intended Usage

Do not use this Grabber for any other purpose than
its intended use of picking up bales that have been
arranged into groups with an Accumulator, and
moving them to wagons or storage facilities.

KN-00058

1.2 Operator Orientation

The directions left, right, front, and rear, as
mentioned throughout this manual, are as seen from
the tractor operator’s seat and facing in the direction
of travel.

Serial Number ______________________________

Date of Purchase ___________________________

1.5 Owner/Operator Manual Storage

Store the Owner/Operator manual and other
operating materials in the document storage tube,
located next to the serial no. decal.

Kuhns Manufacturing (877-296-5851) 4 EGF8 Grabber

1.6 Product Improvements

Because Kuhns Manufacturing LLC maintains
an ongoing program of product improvement, we
reserve the right to make improvements in design
or changes in specifications without incurring any
obligation to install them on units previously sold.

1.7 Disposal of Equipment at End of Useful
Life

The Kuhns Mfg. LLC Grabber has been designed for
the specific purpose of picking up bales that have
been arranged into groups with an Accumulator,
and moving them to wagons or storage facilities.
When this unit is no longer capable of performing its
intended use, it should be dismantled and scrapped.
Do not use any materials or components from this
unit for any other purpose.

1.8 Unanswered Questions

If you have any questions not answered in this
manual, require additional copies, or the manual is
damaged, please contact your dealer or:

Kuhns Manufacturing LLC
4210 Kinsman Road NW
North Bloomfield, OH 44450

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

The manual is also available for download at:
www.kuhnsmfg.com

EGF8 Grabber 5 Kuhns Manufacturing (877-296-5851)

2. Safety

2.1 General

Most work related accidents are caused by failure
to observe basic safety rules or precautions. An
accident can often be avoided by recognizing
potentially hazardous situations before an accident
occurs. As you operate and maintain the Grabber
you must be alert to potential hazards.

Improper operation and/or maintenance of this
unit could cause a dangerous situation that
results in injury or death.

Do not use this unit until you read and
understand the information contained in this
manual. Do not use the Grabber for anything
other than its intended purpose.

WARNING

Do not use the unit until you read and

understand the information contained in
this manual and all related equipment
manuals.

2.2 Safety Alert Symbol

This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to
alert you to potential personal injury
hazards. Obey all safety messages that
follow this symbol to avoid possible injury

or death.

This manual contains WARNINGS, CAUTIONS,
NOTICES, SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS, and NOTES
which must be followed to prevent the possibility
of improper service, damage to the equipment,
personal injury, or death. The following key words
call the readers attention to potential hazards.

Hazards are identified by the “Safety Alert Symbol”
and followed by a signal word such as “WARNING”
or “CAUTION”.

WARNING

Indicates a potentially hazardous situation
which, if not avoided, could result in death or
serious injury.

Safety precautions and warnings are
provided in this manual and on the unit. If

these hazard warnings are not heeded,
bodily injury or death could occur to you or to
other persons.

Kuhns Manufacturing LLC cannot anticipate
every possible circumstance that might
involve a potential hazard. The warnings in
this manual and on the product are, therefore,
not all-inclusive. If a method of operation not
specifically recommended by us is used, you
must satisfy yourself that it is safe for you and
for others. You should also ensure that the unit
will not be damaged or be made unsafe by the
methods that you choose.

The information, specifications, and illustrations in
this manual are based on the information that was
available at the time this material was written and
can change at any time.

CAUTION

Indicates a potentially hazardous situation
which, if not avoided, may result in minor or

moderate injury.

NOTICE

Indicates that equipment or property damage
can result if instructions are not followed.

SAFETY
INSTRUCTIONS

Safety instructions (or equivalent) signs indicate
specific safety-related instructions or
procedures.

Note: Contains additional information important to a

procedure.

Kuhns Manufacturing (877-296-5851) 6 EGF8 Grabber

2.3 Safety Icons Nomenclature

OEM

This manual and the equipment has numerous
safety icons. These safety icons provide important
operating instructions which alert you to potential
personal injury hazards

2.3.1 Personal Protection/Important Information

Read the manual

Maintenance procedure

No riders

No children

No alcohol

No drugs

2.3.3 Hazard Avoidance

Eye protection

Hearing protection

Hand protection

Foot protection

First aid kit

Use proper tools

OEM

Use OEM parts

Use ROPS and seat belt

AR

N

I

NG

Maintain safety signs

Place in park

Crushing hazard

Crushing hazard

Slipping hazard

Tripping hazard

Falling hazard

Hose damage hazard

Explosive separation hazard

Safety alert symbol

Trapped air hazard

High pressure fluid hazard

Remove key

STOP

Stop engine

Visibility

Set parking brake

2.3.2 Prohibited Actions

Do not alter or modify

Do not leave out tools

Do not weld

EGF8 Grabber 7 Kuhns Manufacturing (877-296-5851)

Defective or broken part

Chock wheels

Maintain safe distance

Pinch point hazard

Crush hazard

Rollover hazard

2.4 General Operating Safety

2.5 Safety Signs

WARNING

Read And Understand Manual

To prevent personal injury or even death,

be sure you read and understand all of the
instructions in this manual and other related
OEM equipment manuals! This Grabber (unit)
was designed for a specific application; DO NOT
modify or use this unit for any application other
than that for which it was designed. Units
operated improperly or by untrained personnel
can be dangerous! Inexperienced operators
should receive instruction from someone
familiar with the equipment before being allowed
to operate the unit.

Do Not Operate

Do not use the unit if it is in need

of repair. If you believe the unit
has a defect which could cause injury or
death, you should immediately stop using the
unit.

Fall Hazard

Do not use the unit as a platform. Do not
stand on top of the unit at any time. Do

not ride on the unit or allow others to ride on it.

Pinch Point Hazard

Keep hands and feet away from any
moving parts to prevent them from getting
pinched.

Impaired User Hazard

Do not attempt to operate or

maintain the Grabber under the
influence of drugs or alcohol. Consult your
doctor before using the Grabber while taking
prescription medications.

Falling Hazard

Do not allow riders on the loader or

Grabber at any time. Falling can
result in severe injuries or death.

CAUTION

Legible Safety Signs

AR

N

I

NG

Keep safety signs clean and legible at all

times. Replace any safety sign or
instruction sign that is missing or not legible.
Refer to the Safety Sign Location section for
additional information.

Replacement parts that displayed a safety sign
should also display the current sign.

Replacement safety signs (labels) are available
from your authorized Dealer Parts Department
or the factory at no cost.

2.6 Practice Safe Maintenance

SAFETY
INSTRUCTIONS

Understand service procedures before
doing any work. Keep the work area clean
and dry.

Keep all parts in good working
condition and properly installed.
Replace worn or broken parts
immediately.

Do not modify the unit or its safety
devices. Do not weld on the unit.
Unauthorized modifications may impair its
function and safety.

2.7 Training

Anyone who will be using and/or maintaining the
Grabber must read, clearly understand, and follow
ALL safety, operation, and maintenance information
presented in this manual, other related OEM
manuals, and the safety signs

If you do not understand any information in this
manual, see your dealer or contact Kuhns Mfg. LLC
before proceeding.

Do not use or allow anyone else to use this Grabber
until all information has been reviewed. Annually
review this manual before the season start-up.

Make periodic reviews of SAFETY and OPERATION
a standard practice. An untrained operator is not
qualified to use this Grabber.

Kuhns Manufacturing (877-296-5851) 8 EGF8 Grabber

2.8 Hydraulic Safety

2.9 Sign-Off Form

WARNING

High-Pressure Fluid Hazard

Hydraulic fl uid escaping under pressure

can penetrate the skin. Openings in the
skin and minor cuts are susceptible to infection
from hydraulic fl uid. If injured by a concentrated
high-pressure stream of hydraulic fl uid, seek
medical attention immediately. Without
immediate medical treatment, serious infection
or toxic reaction can develop if hydraulic fl uid
penetrates the surface of the skin.

Before applying pressure to the system,

make sure all components are tight and

that the hydraulic lines, hoses, and
couplings are not damaged. Replace any worn,
cut, abraded, fl attened, or crimped hoses.

Wear proper hand and eye
protection when searching for

a high-pressure hydraulic leak.
Use a piece of wood or cardboard as a backstop
instead of hands to identify and isolate a leak.

Kuhns Mfg LLC follows the general Safety
Standards specified by the Farm Equipment
Manufacturers Association (FEMA), and the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Anyone who will be using and/or maintaining the
Grabber must read and clearly understand ALL
safety, operation and maintenance information
presented in this manual.

Do not use or allow anyone else to use this
equipment until all information has been reviewed.
Annually review this manual before the season start­up.

Make periodic reviews of SAFETY and OPERATION
of the Grabber a standard practice. An untrained
operator is not qualified to use this Grabber.

This sign-off sheet is provided for your records to
show that all personnel who will be working with
the equipment have read and understand the
information in this Operation and Parts Manual
and have been instructed in the operation of the
equipment.

Trapped Air Hazard

When installing, replacing, or repairing

hydraulic system cylinders or parts, make
sure that the entire system is charged and free
of air before resuming operations. Failure to
bleed the system of all air can result in improper
machine operation, causing severe injury.

Explosive Separation Hazard

Do not make any temporary repairs to the

hydraulic lines, fi ttings, or hoses using
tape, clamps, or adhesives. The hydraulic
system operates under extremely high pressure
and temporary repairs may fail suddenly and
create a hazardous/dangerous situation.

NOTICE

Make sure components in the hydraulic system
are kept clean and in good working condition.

The most common reason for hydraulic component
failure is contamination of the oil. Keep all hydraulic
access areas completely clean, such as around the
hydraulic oil fi ller cap, fi lter, and connection points.
Repair any fi ttings, hoses, or other components
where leakage is observed. Clean up any spilled
hydraulic oil.

EGF8 Grabber 9 Kuhns Manufacturing (877-296-5851)