In general terms, cotton costs about 75 cents per pound, or $360 for a standard sized bale. Prices do fluctuate, so for “an exact price right this minute” you’ll need to check with a commodities broker. This isn’t a clickbait article, that’s a direct answer for students or anyone with a passing curiosity about the price of cotton. For farmers, investors, or anyone else interested in knowing such a thing, the rest of this article will explain how and why cotton is valued as it is.
Standard Sizing
In the United States, a “bale” is defined by volume rather than weight. A bale is 33 inches wide at its bulge, the ties holding the bale together are a bit smaller. The length is about 4-1/2 feet, 54 inches. On average, such volume is going to weigh about 500 pounds, it’s going to require machinery rather than physical labor to effectively move and transport bales as they go from the farm to the manufacturer and eventually to the store as a t-shirt, nice dress, or whatever other end product the cotton is used for.
That is, of course, American standards. There may be some exceptions for the material being exported. American measurements are considered the global standard, but some countries do have local nuances to sizing.
Quality Considerations
It’s important to remember not all cotton is the same quality. Different strains grow well in different climates, so material that is grown in the Caribbean is going to be different from what is grown in Florida, which in turn is different from what is grown in Georgia or South Carolina. It’s important to note how, greenhouses and indoor grow technology, cotton can be grown as far north as Maine, but such plants are typically going to be specialty breeds with a specific purpose rather than what comes from mass production farming.
Quality comes into play when considering the multitude of products made with cotton. Fabrics made with blends don’t require the same type as high end 100% cotton clothing, whereas certain fabrics used for curtains and rugs are made of different quality material. In addition to the standard clothing fabrics, most people associate with the material, it’s also used in bookbinding, certain types of paper, coffee filters, and even car tires. For every 100 pounds of fiber produced there is roughly 155 pounds of seeds, which produces oils that can be used in cooking and food products, or as an eco-friendly substitute for petroleum products.
Value and Purchasing
Another consideration about pricing is how the law of supply and demand comes into play with each year’s harvest. Demand may not change much, but growing conditions and weather can certainly change the amount of supply. Government actions such as farm subsidies can come into play, as can individual farm decisions concerning crop rotations and predictions as to which crops may be more profitable in any given season.
Cotton Harvesting Equipment
Modern cotton production on an industrial scale requires specialty equipment, as do producers on smaller farms which may grow cotton as a side crop. One of the best-known producers of cotton picker equipment replacement parts is Cert-Pik, USA with aftermarket equipment parts which will fit on John Deere and Case/ IH equipment. Our parts are top quality. You can rely on Certi-Pik parts to fulfill the demanding requirements you encounter during your farming operation. Being nestled in a farming community, we realize your need to be able to rely on your equipment and the need to get back to harvesting or maintaining your harvester.
John Deere Cotton Picker 9996 Frequently Asked Questions
The John Deere Cotton Picker 9996 is a popular, efficient agricultural machine. The 9996 is a durable, powerful machine with a thoughtfully designed build that places the engine in a position to provide more traction to the wheels and more horsepower to move those wheels up hills.
How Much HP does the Engine Have?
The 8.1-liter engine creates 350 horsepower. Its engine is a PowerTech diesel and comes equipped with an electric governor designed to provide consistent power in conditions such as rain and traversing hilly sections. The 350-horsepower provided makes this machine incredibly powerful and able to keep moving forward. There is also an optional powered rear axle available to help in areas that require more power to get over hills and extremely muddy terrain.
How is the Dual Hydrostatic Drive Set Up?
The 9996 comes equipped with a dual hydrostatic drive. It has an inner pump to drive the transmission and an external pump for the row units. The hydraulic reservoir is located in the pump housing and feeds the entire system.
What is the Capacity of the Basket?
With 1,400 cubic feet capacity, the PRO-LIFT basket has a low center of gravity to give a solid, stable base. The John Deere 9996 comes complete with a monitoring system to manage loads and a fan that improves the conveying and distribution efficiency within the basket.
What is the Row-Trak™ Controller?
The John Deere 9996 offers the Row-Trak controller system. It monitors the rows and keeps the machine running in a straight line. With this feature, the operator can maximize the harvest speed, and the 9996 will adjust steering as needed. With the Row-Trak engaged, it’s good to know the cab is comfortable. It features a standard heater and air conditioner and an optional air suspension seat, and a pre-wired radio setup.
What Size are the Picking Rows?
The Pro-Series row units offer multiple front bar options. The Pro-12 has a 12-bar front and a 12-bar rear. The Pro-16 has a 16-bar front and a 12-bar rear. The Pro-16 enhances the efficiency of picking taller, high-yield cotton plants. The Pro-12 VRS gives the operator the option of choosing between 15 to 40-inch rows. Fields with narrow rows and those with conventional row fields will benefit from the range offered.
How Large is the Fuel Tank?
Having to stop for fuel while in the middle of the field is a time-consuming setback that can slow down a productive day. The John Deere 9996 has a tank that can hold up to 200 gallons. That should be enough to keep the operator in the field longer, without having to stop for refills as often. Time spent harvesting instead of refueling is time well spent.
How Large is the Water Tank?
A 345-gallon tank will hold enough water to keep the harvest going without having to refill as often, leading to more efficient harvests.
What Tires are Available?
Dual drive tires are equipped to provide improved floatation and reduce ground compacting effects. There are cleat tires available to order as well.
High-Quality Aftermarket Parts
The John Deere CP9996 is an extremely versatile and durable picking machine, but you will eventually need to replace certain components in order to maintain the unit’s performance and reliability. Whenever you require John Deere replacement parts, contact us at Certi-Pik, USA to place an order for our aftermarket parts, or to speak with a member of staff to identify the part your cotton picker needs.
There’s no doubt cotton is one of the great contributions America has made to global society, or that cotton production was and is an integral part of the American economy which led to becoming an international superpower. Without cotton, clothing would be made of expensive silk, heavy wool, or coarse uncomfortable flax linen. Cotton is used in other items as well, including coffee filters, paper currency, book bindings, and even tires. One aspect of the cotton product is to harvest the crop, typically “picking,” in order to provide the raw material for the end product.
The First Cotton Pickers: Manual Labor
Traditionally, cotton had to be picked by hand because of the nature of the plant. The boll is a protective shell which blooms into the usable fiber for making what the consumer recognizes as cotton fabric. Harvesting the entire plant makes no more sense than chopping down an apple tree in order to gather the fruit. Picking is extremely hard work, as it grows in tropical (or near tropical) humid hot climates, and the plant itself is sticky and dirty to work with. Manual labor worked historically when Native Americans and Asian peoples grew the crop for personal use or were able to sell the product for fair compensation compared to the amount of work. During colonial times in America, the atrocity of slave labor was required to meet European quotas for production at a valid price point.
Early Machines for Picking Cotton
In the 1850’s, American innovators began designing machines to speed harvesting, but they were impractical to use because of how they wound up getting jammed as the sticky raw material was run through them. It was more a matter of the Victorian Age industrial revolution than an actual attempt to solve a problem. A further issue was that at the time, the plant itself had not been engineered to bloom at once, but the machines were unable to determine which bolls were ready to be picked and which needed to wait until the next week’s harvest. Hand labor was the better solution.
After the American Civil War and the end of slavery as an institution, the need for industrialized farming became more apparent. In the late 1920’s, the Rust brothers, John Daniel and Mack, began working toward a practical solution. In 1933, John Rust received his first patent on a working cotton picker machine. There were some problems with the machine, it still required a fair amount of manual labor to clean and maintain it while running, but the basic design was valid and led to improvements which eventually provided a more useful and practical picking machine.
Other companies began to see the need and spend toward research and develop of a more practical picker which didn’t rely on Rust’s patents, unfortunately, their efforts were slowed by the demands on manufacturing toward military needs during World War II. Eventually, the International Harvester Company developed a working picker in 1944 which has changed the nature of production ever since.
Picker Machines versus Stripper Machinery
Modern Machine Types
Today’s pickers include machinery designs based on earlier inventions and newer styles based on modern technology. There are multiple solutions which fall under six general styles of pickers:
Picker style machines remove the blooms without damaging the unopened bolls, allowing for multiple runs for maximum harvest efficiency.
Thresher style pickers use a multi-stage system to harvest the entire plant and then remove the fibers from the stalk.
Pneumatic pickers use pressurized air to force the cotton off the plant rather than manually removing it.
Electrically charged pickers use a weak current to attach to the static electricity which naturally occurs in these fibers, then draw the cotton magnetically to a belt or rod.
Chemical sprays can target the harvestable portion of the plant and make it easier to pick, whether with a following pass using a machine or for laborers to harvest by hand.
Cotton strippers are actually a different type of machine which fulfills the same end goal. The stripper tends to be used in places where the climate doesn’t allow for multiple harvests, and simply “strips” off every bloom and boll regardless of whether it is valid toward making cloth as the end product.
Finding Parts for Repairs on Today’s Cotton Pickers
Picking cotton is a heavy job, even for a machine. As such, these pickers need replacement parts on a regular basis, such as provided by Certi-Pik, USA. Contact us for information on how to get your machine up and running again when you need repair parts.
When you start searching for high-quality, used John Deere cotton picker parts, you will quickly find that they are almost impossible to find in some cases. At Certi-Pik, USA, our team of cotton picker part specialists is here to help you find the right part for the right price. Are you wondering if used parts are worth the time?
When you compare the pricing across a new part from the manufacturer, a used part from online markets, or a new aftermarket part from us, you will almost always be spending less on products not coming directly from the OEM manufacturer. Take a look at the items we have in our inventory and see for yourself that working with Certi-Pik, USA, will save you time and money.
Maintaining your cotton harvester requires that you inspect several components. When signs of deterioration are showing, you know it is time to replace the parts. Other signs of wear and tear are decreased efficiency and mechanical problems. If you are leaving a lot of cotton behind, something is wrong. Let’s take a closer look at some common issues:
Leaving cotton behind: This generally indicates a problem with a component. Make some adjustments to the amount of pressure the pressure doors are applying to the plants and if that does not resolve the issue, take a closer look at some individual parts such as worn spindles, doffers, or moistener pads. If you use scrapping plates on your front or rear doors, check them also for wear or consider adding them. Picking conditions such as wetness of the plant could also affect your harvesters’ ability to pick well. On many occasions those who have switched from OEM style doors to our CTX line of pressure doors have experienced drastic improvement in the amount of cotton going in the basket and less left out in the field.
Maintenance issues: Maintain your machines. Don’t just park them and expect them to work efficiently next season.
Mechanical problems: Oil, dust, dirt, and debris can clog up your machinery. Keep everything as clear as possible and inspect your machine every day to ensure proper functionality. Be sure to pay special attention the to the doffing, moistener pad cleaning, and general suction areas to ensure your cotton has an open unobstructed path to get into your harvesters’ cotton containment area. We’ve made a few product improvements that are also worth considering such as our Anti-Plug Rear Pro16 service door and an Anti-Plug Clean out door used on the suction door. These can be used in place of the OEM designs, with no other alterations to your picking unit, to improve the volume of cotton flowing through your picking units’ suction area thus reducing plugging and increasing picking speed. Also consider checking your cotton blower fans: keeping lint off the blades will help keep the fan in balance and running smoothly.
What are the Downsides of Used Parts?
Used parts have an obvious downside from the get-go. They are used. When comparing a used part to a new part, you will almost always be able to see the difference. However, keep in mind that used parts tend to cost less than their new versions. Are you running an older machine? Instead of having replacement parts machined or special ordered, used parts may be available to keep you going. Deciding between new and used can also come down to how much you use your cotton picker. The more you use it, the higher-quality part you will want to use.
Components on cotton pickers encounter extraordinary wear and tear. This can make used parts questionable due to the fact that they have an unknown life expectancy, an unknown structural stability, and most likely do not come with a warranty at all. If they are warrantied, it may be for a short period of time. Used parts can be a risky investment. Other options provide excellent cost-saving benefits while still delivering high-end quality and durability.
How do Aftermarket Parts Compare?
Aftermarket parts give farmers an excellent option to replace worn-out components without having to spend the money on new factory parts. Certi-Pik, USA, is here to provide our customers with as many affordable options as possible. We have been working directly with cotton farmers for over 30 years and are proud of the work we do. We strive to be your trusted source for cotton picker replacement parts.
Using aftermarket parts is a fantastic way to save cash and keep your cotton picker going for another season or two. Cotton pickers have several parts that need to be inspected at the beginning of each season. If you do find a part that needs replaced, reach out to us, and we can get it to you quickly. At Certi-Pik, our priority is to get you exactly what you need as fast as possible.
For many years, cotton picking has been done by using hands due to the lack of appropriate equipment to do the harvesting. But since the world has evolved, cotton harvesting has also evolved, and harvesting has now become more comfortable and faster.
Cotton farmers have now embraced the cotton picker machine to maximize their production. The farmers are, however, experiencing mechanical problems with the picker while harvesting. Therefore, they are left wondering where they can purchase the cotton picker parts to repair their picker.
Luckily, you will get these replacement parts when you visit Certi-Pik, one of the aftermarket manufacturers. They always have your best interest in mind. They have many of the parts that a farmer needs for his or her cotton picker. Here are some of the most common harvester parts that customers frequently require:
Spindles
Doffers
Cam Rollers
Cam Tracks
Belts
How do Cotton-Picking Parts Fail?
Cotton picker machines are also prone to fail, just like any other machine. Since the device is made up of different components, failure is expected to happen. Here are various reasons as to how the cotton-picking parts may fail:
Taking Too Long Before Servicing and Maintaining Them
The service intervals between lubrication and maintenance are too far between. The picker must be serviced and maintained regularly. This will ensure they work efficiently throughout the picking season while eliminating any premature wear and breakage.
Inexperienced Manufacturing of Parts
Cotton picker components are in a very stressful environment, and therefore, they must be manufactured of high quality and with the highest amount of precision as possible. If this is not done, then the components are prone to fail within a short period of time.
Misusing the Cotton-Picker Parts
This can be using parts from other machines that were not designed for your Cotton Harvester or were substandard quality to begin with. If you utilize components from other harvesters in your picker, you may be making the machine fail since the components may not have been produced for that application, or model.
To avoid all these cotton picker parts’ failures, you should ensure that you regularly clean, maintain, and service your harvester so it continues to work efficiently. You can also hire professionals to ensure that your picker parts work at their peak capacity by lubricating the moistener pads and spindles. The professionals can also inspect your machine to let you know when your picker parts require replacement.
Which Parts Need to be Replaced More Often?
1. Spindles and Spindle Bushings
These are the most frequently replaced picker components that farmers and rebuilders need to replace. This is because during operation they are rotating at high speeds. Spindles will be required to be replaced if they are rusted, dull, or broke.
2. Doffers and Moistener pads
These parts come into contact with the spindles while they are rotating at high-speeds, and as a result, they wear and decrease in thickness, thus requiring replacement at the correct service intervals.
3. Cam Rollers
They are required to be maintained and replaced regularly to ensure that they run without any vibration and correctly guide the spindles in the bar assembly, which run at close tolerances, to prevent picker bar breakage.
4. Cam Track
This part is responsible for ensuring that the spindles, drums, doffers, and the moistener pads work together optimally in the picking system by maintaining the speed and running angle. They should therefore be replaced at the appropriate intervals to avoid unnecessary fires erupting in the picker.
5. Belts
Some responsibilities of the Belts are: turning the engine fans, water pumps, A/C compressor, and the fan rotor. Therefore, they should be regularly checked or replaced to ensure the cotton picker machine does not fail.
What Standard Tools are Required to Replace Parts?
A Cotton picker is a crucial machine, and its parts are not just replaced anyhow using all types of tools. The parts or components are usually replaced using specific professional tools that may come with the machine itself.
The professional tools are each specific to every part of the cotton picker. For example, the spindle has its specific tool which you can use to replace it.
Which Specialty Tools are Needed & Why?
The professional tools that are used are designed for each application, as each part has its replacement tool. Some of the unique tools needed for the repair are Bar Leveling Gauges, Cam track timing Gauges, and Spindle Nut Sockets. These tools are specifically designed to enhance the overall performance of the picker. The picker cannot work without these tools as they help maintain the various components in the picker.
A cotton harvester is a complex mechanical machine that every Cotton farmer must possess as it maximizes the yield potential, and the time it takes to harvest, unlike when you are using hands to pick the cotton. A farmer should not be worried if the parts fail as Certi-Pik, USA has a large variety of the required components that you will need for your repair.
