Your Cotton Picker Fan Needs to Be Working!

The cotton picker fan is one of your picker’s most important parts. If it stops working, your harvest will lose efficiency, at least, or fail completely in the worst-case scenario. When you find shortcomings in picking or moistening, it is likely time to act quickly to replace a fan. If you fail to take that step, here are the four essential functions your harvester will miss out on until you install a new fan:

  • Preventing choke problems: Chokes or missed spots occur most frequently early in the morning, when there is still dew. If this is the case with your chokes, you likely need to plan picking for a later time of day. There will be times this happens no matter the time of day, and you may find you are spending extra time going over rows multiple times. If you consistently have this problem, your air delivery is lacking, and that decreases the functioning of your harvester. Checking your fans when there is a consistent choke problem, and replacing them when needed, can reduce the frequency of this.
  • Moistening spindles: The spindle moistening system is fan-powered. If your water supply is topped off and the spray nozzle works fine, chances are, the fans that power the whole apparatus are likely falling short. This is fortunately a quick problem to diagnose and address when the other causes are easily eliminated. Inadequate moisture means more seeds and a higher chance of fires, so you definitely want fans working well in this area, too.
  • Air volume delivery: Fans are also connected to the cotton conveyer duct. This is the seed removing system that depends heavily on airflow. If the fan is not delivering the air, this system will not function. The problem can also be attributed to engine throttle problems and other issues, including picking cotton too early, so you will want to inspect all parts thoroughly before spending money on a new cotton picker fan.
  • Engine airflow: Just as with any vehicle, your harvester also requires airflow to prevent overheating. That is another essential function that goes neglected when fans are either inefficient or stop working altogether. There is a caveat, though—if you suspect a fire is imminent, the fan will only make the problem worse. So be sure to learn the warning signs of fire, so you can turn it off before the situation becomes serious.

Fans are usually replaced after 600 hours of use. Chances are, if you have not replaced a fan on your picker for a while, it is likely time to buy a new one before you face a complete harvester breakdown. If you are replacing spindles or any other parts around it, you may want to replace the fan at the same time so those parts are all on the same schedule.

If it is time to replace a cotton picker fan, contact Certi-Pik, USA today. We offer a comprehensive catalog of parts so your harvester can perform reliably for a long time.