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.
The best asset for a successful cotton harvest is a good operator. Your harvester definitely ranks high in this area, too, but it can only do so much if you or the operator you hire lacks certain knowledge and skills. Fortunately, teaching people is always possible and learning more about your own harvester is a good investment of time, which makes this a simple problem to solve. Here is what you (or your hired hand) need to do or know to guarantee efficient operation of your harvester:
Read the manual: No, it is not a riveting novel, but it is necessary to read the harvester’s manual and understand the contents. This is especially true if you purchased a new harvester or started using a new model, since they can have their idiosyncrasies. There may be some truly technical content that you may not comprehend, but overall, you will learn cleaning, maintenance, and troubleshooting that can prove essential later—even if you lack the engineering degree to understand the technical specs. You will also learn about the quirks of your machine and how to handle them. You would not enjoy discovering those on accident in the middle of a cotton field.
Know lint quality: This bit of expertise will help you determine the best harvesting time. Many people make the mistake of picking cotton when it is too green or when weather interferes. Wet weather after the boil opens often means waiting until the field dries out. Freezing weather can also compromise them, and the best course of action is to wait for a thaw and let things dry out. The best quality is after the boil opens and enough time passes to let it dry. Check the condition of the boils and the weather report before getting your harvester to work.
Learn how to make adjustments: How you adjust your harvester will determine quality and yield. Many of these adjustments are explained in your manual, but as you use your harvester, you will get some on-the-job training, too. If you deviate from the manual due to particular circumstances, make small adjustments so you can return them to default settings more easily. You do not want to adjust for one situation that never happens again, only to forget what worked every other time.
Center your rows: Badly centered rows lead to poor tracking and inconsistent picking. This is a common operator error that often arises from being in a hurry or having a lack of knowledge related to maneuvering the harvester. It is likely not a great idea to start picking one hour before a storm starts unless you are very skilled at keeping your harvester steady. If you decide to hire someone for this task, devise a “driving test” type of exercise to see if they can center rows well.
Once you become the ideal operator or you decide to hire one instead, be sure to know where you can buy the best cotton picker parts when it comes time to repair or maintain your harvester. Contact Certi-Pik, USA today to see our catalog.
If you are knew to the world of cotton picking, or are just looking to maximize your efficiency and get the best yield possible, then there is one crucial question you ought to be asking: When in the season, and on a day-to-day basis, should I start picking my cotton crop?
As any experienced cotton picker knows, the answer to this question often hinges on the balance between getting the most cotton possible without needing to stop to clean or care for your equipment. To that end, here are a few tips on when to start picking cotton, from your cotton picker parts specialist.
Seeing green
One crucial factor to consider when picking cotton is the amount of green leaves you see on your cotton stalks. While green leaves signify a fresh crop, they can also add a good amount of moisture to your cotton crop. This might sound like a positive thing to an outsider, but cotton growers know that moisture can clog up your cotton picking equipment, necessitating more breaks from picking and slowing down the entire process.
However, waiting for the green leaves to disappear completely is not an option, as this will result in a lower crop yield. Experts tend to agree that picking cotton once somewhere between 85 and 90 percent of the field is open makes for the highest yield and the most efficient picking process. By keeping an eye on your cotton fields every day, you should be able to determine this best picking time for you and your plants.
Measuring humidity
Another major factor to be considered when picking cotton is humidity in the air. For many crops, farmers try to get up as early as possible and start picking, so that they can be done before the harsh heat sets in for the day.
But with cotton, picking too early in the morning might not be ideal, because humidity levels are often at their highest in the morning. In fact, it is not uncommon to see humidity levels at 90 percent each morning in cotton country. As mentioned above, too much moisture can be bad both for the plant and for the overall picking process.
Nighttime also sees high humidity levels, again as high as 90 percent. This leaves us with midday, when humidity levels can drop to somewhere between 30 and 40 percent. This is generally considered prime time for cotton pickers everywhere.
Buying the best
If you want to have the best possible yield without sacrificing efficiency, you need to be thinking about more than just timing. While taking steps to avoid high moisture and humidity levels is important, picking the right gear is just as crucial, and perhaps even more so. After all, quality equipment will inherently be more efficient and make for a better picking experience.
If you are looking for the best cotton pickers and cotton picker parts on the market, it is time for you to get in touch with Certi-Pik, USA. We look forward to helping you find the right equipment for your cotton business.
If you have spent even a little bit of time in the cotton picking business, then you know how ubiquitous and highly respected the John Deere name is in this industry. Wherever folks grow cotton, chances are there are John Deere cotton harvester parts nearby, as well as many people willing to sing the praises of this historic and widely reputed brand.
But what specifically makes John Deere such an important name in the cotton industry? If you have ever wondered about this, read on to learn more about the history, the values and the general quality of John Deere cotton harvester parts.
Strong history
Today, John Deere has a secure space on the Fortune 500 rankings, and is known throughout the world for its products. But the company’s beginnings were much more humble. In fact, John Deere founded his company in Vermont in 1804 for the primary purpose of avoiding bankruptcy. An accomplished blacksmith at the time, Deere teamed up with partner Leonard Andrus in 1842, and by 1869, the team had won a silver medal for “Best and Greatest Display of Plows in Variety” at the Illinois State Fair.
John Deere kept growing and advancing through the 19th and 20th centuries, eventually becoming synonymous with high quality farming equipment of all varieties. Few businesses in the industry today have that kind of strong back-story.
Excellent products
John Deere might have a colorful history, but the real reason customers love this company is because of its highly dependable, reasonably priced and very efficient products. John Deere sells tractors and a wide range of other farming products, but its cotton harvester parts are among its most popular items.
The CS690, one of John Deere’s newest models of cotton harvesters, is known for combining the manpower of 10 harvesters into one machine. Similarly, CP690, while about half the size of its counterpart, also offers tons of efficiency and speed. You can even use the wide selection of John Deere cotton harvester parts to build your very own machine, something our customers love doing.
Brand values
John Deere might be known for its stellar products, but its backbone of core values is what has helped the company stay successful throughout decades and even centuries of existence. The founder’s core values, which the business still operates on to this day, include diversity, integrity, quality, inclusiveness and innovation.
Anyone who has ever used a John Deere cotton harvester can tell you that these ideals are not simply something the company puts on its website to look good. In fact, they are inherent to each and every product the company manufactures and sells.
Buying John Deere products
If you are looking to purchase some John Deere cotton harvester parts, but are not sure where to find a quality selection in your area, you need look no further than Certi-Pik, USA. Since 1988, we have been selling quality cotton harvesting products from John Deere and other top brands across the country.
Get in touch with the team at Certi-Pik, USA today for more information. We look forward to finding the very best brands and products to suit your needs.
Across cotton fields, bales of freshly picked cotton are a common sight—it’s simply a natural step in the harvest. What might take some farmers by surprise, however, is seeing groupings of rounded cotton bales in place of the traditional square bales that have dominated the landscape for years and years.
Where are these round bails coming from and why are farmers straying from the traditional square bale staple? Moreover, is there any benefit to rounded bales versus their squared counterparts? To get to the bottom of things, we need to look past the bales themselves: to the cotton pickers creating them and the machinery that’s powering these pickers.
The Cotton Baling Process
Square versus rounded cotton bales comes down to a question of equipment. Consider this: to create traditional square bales, a picker needs to harvest the cotton and a hay baler needs to form the bales themselves. This is a two machine job, but is often not problematic, since farmers ideally have both machines on their property anyway.
Round bales are the product of a shift in farming towards more economical approaches to harvesting, wherein less is more. Case in point, less machinery is needed to make rounded bales: combination harvesters are now available that will do this inclusively, without the need for a hay baler! This allows farmers to not only cut down on the time and equipment needed to produce bales, it also expedites total harvest time!
The drawbacks
Now, while the benefits of rounded bales stem from the inclusive equipment that’s used to create them, this is also where the largest inherent drawback is. That drawback is the cost of investment. Farm equipment isn’t cheap and a combination picker and baler isn’t going to be cheap at all! And, while you might already have a baler on hand, making the investment might not always be a savvy decision.
For new farmers and those just starting out with cotton, however, a lasting investment can be made in combination equipment and thus, rounded bales become an appealing prospect. Remember, it’s all about return on investment, so expedited picking schedules and efficiency in baling are going to contribute more to a return on investment in the long run.
Compartmentalization
There are a few more trump cards that play to the strengths of both round and square bales, making them both viable options for harvesters. For example, spoilage tends to favor square bales—they’re easier to stack and store, meaning more of a chance to preserve the harvest. On the flip side, round bales have the time advantage going for them, which means quicker harvest-to-storage or shipment.
At the end of the day, the square versus round bale debate falls on the preference of the farmer. Farmers with the right equipment or the right processes on their farm may favor one versus the other, while some might simply choose the option that is easiest for them to comprehend. Either way, when it comes right down to it, baled cotton is baled cotton.
