COTTON PICKER

The cotton picker performs the work of the hand picker in that only the locks of seed cotton are removed from the plant.

Types of Pickers
There are four ways of classifying cotton-picking machines:
1. By the method of mounting 3. By the height of the picking drums
2. By the number of rows harvested 4. By the type of spindle used
Cotton-picking units may be mounted on a tractor as a tractor attachment, or the machine may be built as a self-contained, self-propelled unit. There
are single-row and two-row machines of both the tractor-mounted and the self-propelled types. The two-row self-propelled picker is the most popular type.
The self-propelled picker shown in Fig.1 is a high-drum picker, as it has 20 rows of spindles on each drum. It is suitable for picking cotton from tall
plants. The low-drum machine has only 14 rows of spindles and is suitable for low-growing plants.
There are two general types of spindles. The tapered-tooth spindle is equipped with three or four rows of machine-cut teeth (Fig.2) designed to catch
and hold the cotton fiber while the complete lock is wrapped around the spindle. These spindles are moistened, mainly to keep them free of gum, dirt, and
lint.

Fig.1: A two-row self-propelled cotton picker. Fig.2: Types of cotton-picking spindles.

The straight spindle may be only slightly roughened, or it may have a row of machine-cut teeth (Fig.2). Both types of spindles are moistened to aid
the cotton fiber to adhere to the spindle so that the lock can be wrapped around the spindle as it is removed from the boll.

Methods of Mounting Spindles

There are two general arrangements used for mounting and operating cotton-picker spindles, namely, the drum and the chain-belt.
(1) Drum spindle arrangement: It is so called because the spindles are arranged in a cylindrical manner, or like a drum set on its end (Fig.3). The
spindles are mounted on a bar, the top end of which has a crank arm and a bearing (Fig.4) that travels in a cam track. The cam-actuated picker bars
swing the bars around so that the rows of spindles are about 1½” (3.8 cm) apart as they enter the cotton plants. As the spindles are spaced 1½” (3.8
cm) on the bars both vertically and horizontally. The spindle drums are operated in pairs, one drum on each side of the row, but not directly
opposite, as shown in Fig.3. The drum of picking bars and spindles rotates at about the same rate of speed as the tractor as it moves along the row.
The spindles can be operated at two speeds to synchronize with the first and second gear speeds of the tractor. The rotation of the spindles ranges
from about 2000 RPM for the first tractor gear to about 2700 RPM for the second tractor gear. The complete front drum of one machine rotates at
about 60 RPM, and the rear drum rotates at about 79 RPM. Some machines are equipped with spindle bars having 20 spindles per bar, while other
machines may have only 12 or 14 spindles per bar. These are termed high- and low-drum models. The number of spindle bars per drum ranges
from 12 to 16.
(2) Chain-belt spindle arrangement: It is so called because the spindle bars are attached to an endless-chain belt (Fig.5). The belt consists of 80
spindle bars or slats each containing 16 almost smooth spindles. The belt is geared to travel at about 3 mi/h (4.8 km/h), which is also the row travel.
Generally, the spindles project into the row of plants only from one side. If two belts of spindles are arranged in tandem on opposite sides of the
plant row, spindles project into the plants from each side of the plant row. The straight spindle is friction-driven, while the tapered-tooth spindle is
gear-driven.
A moistening agent is used for all types of spindles. Tests have shown that a moistening agent such as textile oil will increase machine efficiency 2 or
3% over plain water. The moistening of the spindles makes the cotton adhere to the spindle, keeps the spindle clear of gum, and aids in doffing the cotton
from the spindle.

Fig.3: Top view of the operational action of cotton-picker spindles picking Fig.4: Picker bar complete with spindles. Gearshaft removed, showing drive gears, Fig.5: Overhead plan view of cotton-picking spindles mounted on
from each side of the row. a complete picker bar, and various parts of a spindle. a chain belt.

Doffing of the Cotton from Spindles

When the tapered-tooth spindles are withdrawn from the cotton plant with cotton wrapped around them, they rotate about 180° and come in contact with a
cylinder of rotating rubber-faced disc doffers which remove the cotton from the spindles. The cotton is dropped at the entrance of the air conveyor system
(Fig.6). The straight spindles are withdrawn from the plants and carried around by the chain belt to the opposite side, where they pass between stripper
bars that remove the cotton from the spindles. The cotton is conveyed away either by air or by mechanical elevators.

Elevating or Conveying Systems

All cotton pickers use air for conveying the cotton from the doffing point to a mounted basket. One make has a fan, mounted above and behind the picker
units, that sucks the cotton from the doffing point and blows it into the basket (Fig.6). The fan has a tangential bypass which permits the cotton to pass
through the fan housing. The fan blades do not come in contact with the cotton, and the seeds are not damaged. At the exhaust point, the air stream is
directed against a grid which deflects the cotton into the basket but allows the air to exhaust through the grid. Much dirt and trash are carried out with the
exhausting air. Fig.7 shows another air conveying system. A fan produces a jet of air in the conveyor duct, and this in turn creates a suction to remove the
cotton from the doffing area.

Cotton Baskets: As cotton-picking machines are usually turned almost about-face, it is not feasible to attach trailers to them. Therefore, large baskets are
mounted above the picking and power units (Fig.1). The capacity of the baskets ranges from about 500 to 1200 lb (226.8 to 544.3 kg) of seed cotton. When
full, the baskets are usually emptied into a wide-bed trailer by tilting the basket with hydraulic power cylinders.

Fig.6: The flow of cotton from the picking spindles to the basket. Fig.7: A jet air conveying system for cotton picker.

How a Cotton Picker Works

A better understanding of how a cotton picker works can be obtained if the flow of cotton is traced through the machine, as shown in Fig.6.
1) The plants are folded into the throat of the machine by rounded members, and low limbs and bolls are lifted up by limb-lifting fingers.
2) The revolving drum or belt of rotating spindles passes under moistening pads, and the spindles are thoroughly wetted.
3) The spindles then are projected in among the limbs and bolls to engage the cotton. The plants are pressed against and around the spindles by
spring-loaded pressure plates.
4) The spindles rotate and come in contact with the rotating rubber doffers or the stripper-bar doffers.
5) The cotton drops into the air or mechanical conveying system, which conveys the cotton to the basket.
6) Air, dirt, and trash are exhausted through grates which deflect the cotton into the basket.
7) Hydraulic cylinders tilt the basket and dump the cotton into a trailer.

Factors Affecting the Performance of Cotton Pickers

These factors include plant characteristics, mechanical factors, cultural practices, and miscellaneous factors.
Plant Characteristics: Cotton-picking machines perform best when the cotton plants are of medium size. Medium-sized plants flow through the machine
and permit the spindles to engage the cotton better than large plants with many long limbs. As with the stripper, the picker performs better when the lowest
limbs are at least 4” (10.2 cm) above the ground. Cotton-picking machines require a well-opened boll with locks that are fluffy and fiber that is long
enough to wrap around the spindle, be held, and be pulled from among the compressed mass of plant limbs.
Defoliation: The collection of green-leaf particles by mechanical cotton harvesters has been the cause of the loss in quality and grade of mechanically
harvested cotton ever since the machines were in the experimental and development stage. Many attempts were made to develop mechanical devices to
remove green-leaf particles from mechanically harvested cotton. These were not satisfactory, largely because of the fine hairs on the leaf particles that
caught and hung onto the cotton fiber. Dry-leaf particles were easier to remove, as the hairs became brittle and broke to release the leaf particles.
Weed-killing chemicals were tried, but they were not satisfactory because the foliage was killed quickly. This did not give the plant sufficient time to
form abscissa cells between the limb and the leaf stem and cause the leaf to fall from the plant. Then, too, excessive amounts of dry-leaf particles were
collected by the mechanical harvester. In some areas this type of chemical is used as a desiccant before stripping.
The chemical defoliation of cotton fields is generally a pre-harvest operation. Liquid and dust chemical defoliants can be applied by either ground or
aircraft equipment.
Bolls of cotton less than 36 days old at the time of defoliation may suffer loss in weight of fiber and seed and in quality of products. The early-set
bottom bolls mature and open before the late-set top bolls are 36 days old. A delay in harvesting the early open cotton will result in atmospheric damage to
the exposed cotton fiber.
Bottom Defoliation: Early mechanical picking of these bottom bolls without collecting many green-leaf particles can be done if the bottom parts of the
cotton plants are defoliated. Liquid defoliants are applied with high-clearance ground sprayers having long drops with the sprayer nozzles low enough to
spray only the bottom part of the plant. The picking spindles must operate in the defoliated area of the plant. If a high-drum 20-spindle machine is used,
only the bottom 12 or 14 rows of spindles can be used. The top eight to six rows must be removed.
Mechanical Factors: The performance of a cotton picker is greatly affected by the care taken in keeping it properly adjusted and operated. The right
amount of water must be kept flowing to the moistener pads to keep the spindles moist and clean. The pressure plates must be adjusted to suit plant
conditions. The doffers must be carefully adjusted to the spindles to remove the cotton properly. The condition of spindles, both toothed and smooth, must
be frequently checked. Worn-out and damaged spindles should be replaced. The elevating systems should be carefully watched to prevent plugging,
stoppages, and loss of cotton.
Cultural Practices: A slight elevation of the soil at the base of the plants and weed-free fields are as essential for good picker performance as for stripper
performance. The row spacing should suit the multiple-row machines. Fairly thick and uniformly spaced plants aid the performance of the mechanical
cotton picker.
Cotton-salvaging Machine: It has been observed that the amount of cotton either left by the mechanical picker on the plant or dropped on the ground varies
with the variety of cotton. Some of the cotton on the ground may be the result of natural shedding, and some may be blown out by winds. Under some
conditions the amount of cotton on the ground after the mechanical harvester has been used may be sufficient to justify salvaging. One machine uses a
series of slitted belts that are run in contact with the ground to pick up loose cotton lying on the ground. The slits in the belt open and close as the belt
passes around the pulley. The loose cotton is caught in the closing slits and held until the slits open and release the cotton as the belt passes around the
upper pulley. Most of the foreign matter picked up with the cotton is removed as the cotton is passed to a second belt.
Miscellaneous Factors: A well-trained and careful operator is essential to obtain the best performance from a cotton-picking machine. The operator
should carefully study the instructions in the operator’s manual and learn the functions and adjustments of the various parts of the machine. Custom outfits
generally have a trained serviceman to take care of machine adjustments, but the operator must handle the machine properly to obtain the best
performance.