The 7760-cotton picker has given ginners new power to reduce strain during harvest. But it’s also important to keep up with maintenance.
Fire on a cotton picker can quickly turn into a catastrophic loss of machine and harvested crop. Fuel, oil, and lint easily ignite when they mix with hot weather and high winds.
Improved Efficiency
The most obvious benefit of an upgraded cotton picker cleaning system is improved picking efficiency. Cotton picked in a clean machine produces more lint than cotton picked manually, so increased efficiency pays for itself in less time.
Many factors affect picking efficiency. A major factor is the relative humidity of the cotton or lint moisture level. To get maximum efficiency from a picker, lint should be dried as much as possible before harvesting. For this reason, growers should not operate pickers in conditions where rain or dew will rewet the lint, such as heavy morning dews.
Another way to improve efficiency is to keep the cotton-picking machine itself in good condition. A properly maintained cotton picker will not only pick more cotton but will also produce fewer fire hazards.
Regularly cleaning and servicing your picker can prevent damage from dust, debris, and insects and ensure that all safety features work correctly. The farm machinery dealer offers a wide selection of equipment to meet the needs of agricultural operations. For example, the newest pickers should have guards to prevent injuries from spinning shafts. Moreover, the newer equipment should also have a system that turns off all power shafts when the operator steps out of the seat.
Upgrading the cotton picker cleaning system can also improve picking efficiency by preventing spindle overheating and wear. CPS Wash, a green emulsifiable detergent in the liquid form intended to remove sap buildup on spindles, is one product that can help. Adding to the water tank can prevent spindle overheating and reduce wear by providing fine lubrication.
Optimum spindle cleaning is a function of both the moistener flow rate and the cleaner concentration. A relatively wet, sap-laden crop requires a higher, cleaner concentration than a dry crop, and the relative humidity of the crop can change dramatically over short periods of time. For this reason, it is desirable for the cleaner concentration to be able to be adjusted independently of the moistener flow rate. The adjustment can be made manually, automatically, or by a combination of both. The cleaner injection system described here provides this capability. The cleaner supply tank 144 is connected to the distribution manifold, and a controller can be controlled to vary the cleaner concentration on a row unit-by-row basis.
Less Debris
A mechanical cotton picker is a large machine with many parts that generate a lot of debris. It is important to clean the machine thoroughly before greasing and adding fluids each morning or night. This will prevent fire and reduce the risk of injury to the machine operator.
When the spindles in a cotton picker are clogged with lint and other debris, it is difficult to maintain high levels of suction pressure. This reduced suction pressure can lead to a loss of picking efficiency.
To avoid this, a cleaning system should be used to keep the clean and lint-free spindles. These systems can be built into the cotton picker or can be separate units attached to the machine. A cotton picker cleaner, such as the Cotton Picker Spindle Wash (CPS wash) is the best solution. This green emulsifiable detergent in the liquid form eliminates sap build-up on the spindles and provides delicate lubrication to help prevent overheating and wear in the machine.
In addition, the cotton picker should not be operated until all the free moisture from dew and rain has dried out of the lint. This will maximize the picking efficiency of the machine. If this is not possible, then the harvest should be delayed until conditions improve.
Increased Safety
Cotton pickers and other cotton harvesting equipment, like combines that harvest corn or soybeans, can be fire hazards due to their size and dry plant material. Each year there are more than $20 million in losses from these fires, which do not include the loss of the crop itself.
Upgrading the cotton picker cleaning system can significantly reduce this risk. This system uses a large air compressor that blows a stream of high-pressure clean air into the machine. This air is directed to all surfaces of the cotton picker where dirt accumulates. This keeps the machine cleaner and less likely to catch fire, which can happen when the fabric and dust come into contact with hot parts of the engine or the heat from a fire inside the cotton box.
Another way to decrease the risk of fire in the cotton picker is to properly clean the equipment each night and morning. Following the equipment manufacturer’s recommended procedure for cleaning, greasing, and adding fuel, coolant, engine oil, and spindle cleaner solution is important. This will help to keep the picker running more efficiently and prevent fire damage throughout the day.
When cleaning the cotton picker, it is a good idea to wear thick gloves so that the pointy tips of the bolls do not injure the hands. In addition, it is a good idea to always be on the ladder when climbing up and down. This ensures that the person does not fall off the ladder, causing a dangerous fall.
Using a cotton picker can reduce the amount of time it takes to harvest crops by as much as 40%, making it more efficient than manual picking. It can also increase yields, improve fiber quality, and reduce the cost of harvesting, transportation to the gin, and processing. However, a poor cleaning system can increase costs and reduce the ability of the cotton picker to meet production goals. Producers can maximize the benefits of this highly valuable piece of farm machinery by upgrading the cotton picker cleaning system. By doing so, they can achieve the greatest return on investment and the most profitability in their operations.
Reduced Maintenance
As with any machine, proper maintenance is a key component of owning cotton picker equipment. Regular cleaning and inspections will prevent fire hazards and ensure optimal performance throughout harvest. It is always best to perform a thorough, top-to-bottom cleaning of the chassis each night or morning before greasing, adding fluids, or inspecting and repairing your cotton picker. This will minimize the risk of fires and also help keep your workers safe by keeping the ground dry, reducing mud and slip-and-fall injuries.
Upgrading your cotton picker with a fire suppression system is a wise decision. It will protect your investment from costly damage and save you time and money in the long run by allowing you to harvest more pounds of cotton each hour.
The most common type of cotton-picking equipment is the “picker” or “spindle” picker. This harvesting device utilizes rows of barbed spindles to pluck open bolls from the plant without damaging unopened bolls or other parts of the plant. Depending on the manufacturer, either electrical or pneumatic power is used to operate this machinery.
Other types of pickers include the “stripper” and “comber” type machines. These machines use belting fingers or prongs to pull open bolls, combs, or electric brushes to separate lint from plant matter. The stripper and comber types of equipment are capable of separating lint from much heavier material (including plant matter, berries, or unopened bolls).
In addition to the mechanical features of these machines, there are a number of safety features designed to prevent injuries and deaths in the field. These include protective cages around rotating shafts and systems that shut off all machinery when a worker steps out of the seat. Unfortunately, these safety devices were not in place on the mechanical cotton picker involved in this fatal accident.
When a fire does occur, it is important to act quickly and decisively. If you notice any sign of smoke or a burning or smoldering mass, it is critical to stop the picker immediately, turn off all fans, and get off the chassis. This will prevent hydraulic lines or fuel lines from rupturing, adding more fuel to the fire.
