Important Tips to Help You Maintain Your Cotton Picker Spindle

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Just like any other large piece of machinery, your cotton picker spindle needs a little bit of love every now and then to keep functioning properly. Regular maintenance can help the equipment last long into the future, allowing it to continue handling even large capacity loads. For some cotton farmers who have scores of acres of cotton to harvest during their peak seasons, the importance of this long-lasting reliability cannot be understated.

For this reason, when you’re not in the peak growing season, you must make sure you are keeping up with your cotton picker spindle maintenance so that you are able to preserve the functionality and integrity of the part long into the future, and so that it’s in tip-top working shape before you put it back to use during the season. Here are a few important tips to keep in mind as you move into the offseason and start thinking about making any necessary repairs:

  • Keep the row balanced: Carefully analyze the cotton picker spindle and make sure that the height and tilt of all row units is precise. It should not look uneven or out of balance. By keeping the row uniform, you can help to encourage maximum efficiency during cotton picking and lessen the potential for complications to arise from tilted or crooked row units. This also helps to create a faster cleaning of debris that would otherwise wear down the system and the cabinets.
  • Keep your spindle and bushings sharp: If needed, sharpen the spindle and its bushings. Over time, these parts can dull out, which makes the entire unit less efficient. Take your time making these inspections. It’s typically the bottom half of the spindle that begins to wear down first. Also, keep an eye out for any rusting that has occurred since you last put the picker into use. Remove any spindles that simply do not work or rotate, as they could bog down the entire system. You might need to disassemble the bar before you are able to complete this task.
  • Clean off residue: Residue tends to build up over time on the spindle moistening system. If this is the case with your cotton picker spindle, make sure to clean it off. This helps the moistening system operate more efficiently without diluting the system.
  • Replace any parts that have worn down: Replacing parts as they wear out is an absolute must while you’re in the offseason. Perform a full, thorough inspection of the machine and keep an eye out for any damage that may have been done to any part of the system. Usually you are able to get about 600 hours of use out of your cotton picker spindle and bushings before you need to replace parts, so that can factor into your decision as to whether you need replacements or not.

These are just a few tips to help you keep your cotton picker spindle in great shape. For more information, contact us at Certi-Pik, USA.