You may have always wondered what path cotton took to make it from a cotton field to your wardrobe. Let’s chronicle cotton’s journey from a small seed to being extracted with cotton picker parts in order to become a mainstay in your closet:
The plant: It may be hard to believe that your shirt was once a plant that went through the germination and photosynthesis processes, just like any other plant. Starting as a seed that is planted in moist and favorable soil, leaves begin to grow within a week. As the plant continues to grow, these initial leaves will fall off, exposing the cotton boll, which contains the seeds that will mature into the cotton fibers that are eventually used to create lint.
Harvesting and picking: The removal of cotton from the field is typically done using a mechanical cotton picker, although cotton is still handpicked in some areas of the world. If a mechanical picker is used, the machine grabs the plant from the field and then begins the process of removing the cotton from the rest of the plant in the picker head. The cotton seeds and fibers are separated from the rest of the plant when the rotating spindles on the picking bar grab and pull them off with the aid of a rotating drum. The drum then carries the locks that contain the cotton fibers to the doffer, which takes the fibers off of the spindles. The fibers that are removed during the doffing process travel to the picker door, where they are blown into a basket, ready to be collected and transported to the cotton gin.
Ginning: There are two different types of ginning done to separate the cotton fibers and seeds. For shorter cotton fibers, saw gins are typically used. In this process, circular saws pull the cotton seeds and fibers through narrow slots. Since the slots are so narrow, the cotton seeds cannot pass through, and only the fibers remain. The other type of ginning that is done to extract longer cotton fibers is executed with the roller gin. Once the long fibers are attached to a coarse roller, the roller is pulled under a rotating bar that doesn’t allow enough room for the seeds to pass through, and the long fibers are extracted.
Production for public consumption: The raw fibers (or lint) are transported to textile mills where they are turned into the fabrics that we encounter in our daily lives. At these mills, the cotton is processed through several stages that condense the fibers into a web, which is purified, spun and turned into yarn. The yarn is woven and loomed, and cloth is formed. Depending on what the cloth will be used for, the fabric will go on to be treated and colored to create various consumer products.
Cotton harvesting and production takes place all over the world, so a distributer who can fill orders both locally and globally is valuable. Certi-Pik, USA is one of the premier distributers of cotton picker parts all over the world, so if you have been having trouble with any of your machine’s parts, be sure to give us a call so you can get your picker up and running right away.
Rust is one of those things that forms when metal is left exposed to the elements for a prolonged period of time, particularly moisture like rain, snow and dew. You’ll notice that a moist metal surface will oxidize before corrosion shows itself as discolored and peeling, flaky patches—this is rust. Or course, the best way to prevent rust is to protect metal surfaces from the rain, but this is not always possible. For instance, you may have a lack of adequate storage space, or your machinery may have broken down out in the field just before a rainy period.
So what should you do if you encounter rust? It’s easy enough to order a ton of commercially produced rust remover solution, but if you’re in the agricultural industry, you need to be cautious about how you remove rust from farm machinery and equipment, because you want to avoid contaminating your field crop with poisonous, toxic products. Here are a few natural ways to remove rust from cotton picker parts without using harsh chemicals:
Use abrasive tools: Since there’s rust somewhere on your machinery, thin flakes of chafing metal are likely to be present, as well as a classic reddish-brown substance. Whether the metal is rusted deep or the rust is only just forming, these flakes should be rubbed off prior to cleaning. Simply take a rough tool—like steel wool, a lump of tin foil, sandpaper or a rust-free wire brush—and scrub the rust away.
Use a baking soda paste: Many homeowners are familiar with the cleaning power of baking soda, but not everyone knows that it’s also great for eliminating rust. Mix baking soda with water to create a paste mixture thick enough to adhere to the rusted surface. Apply to the problem area and let it sit for several minutes. Now, use one of the aforementioned abrasive tools and scrub. Wipe off any remaining paste to see if you need to repeat the process.
Use white vinegar: Your cotton picker parts may benefit from a cleansing white vinegar bath to remove rust. Like baking soda, pure white vinegar is a common household cleaning product that’s both cheap and natural, in that it does not contain toxic chemicals. To use, pour over spots of rust on metal surfaces or screws, bolts or joints and make sure to rinse well with water. Note that since vinegar is acidic enough to dissolve rust, that also means it’s strong enough to damage metal, so you must rinse thoroughly.
Use a potato slice: Here’s one you might not know about: you can actually use a slice of potato to remove rust from your farm equipment. This method is better for smaller rust spots or hard to reach spaces—like in between close joints—and it’s even good for preventing small areas of rust from spreading. Although the potato’s oxalic acid is enough to help dissolve rust, you can boost its efficiency by sprinkling a little salt or baking soda onto the slice, and then rubbing it all over the rusted spot.
If you are in the market for replacement cotton picker parts or parts for a cotton harvester rebuild, or if you need tips about maintaining your equipment, contact the team at Certi-Pik, USA before looking anywhere else.
Modern cotton picker parts and innovative picker models have come a long way in a short time. If you’ve been growing cotton for more than a few decades, you know that even as recently as the 1970s and 1980s, cotton harvester equipment was wildly inefficient—it’s only through today’s modern technologies that we’ve been able to raise the total yield rates of fields as high as 95-97%!
But, today’s high crop yields are more than just a product of great cotton picker parts—they’re also the result of better cropping techniques and a forethought to increasing total yield. Sure, cotton croppers were able to get 95% yield rates even 40-50 years ago, but that was often due to a practice called “scrapping.”
Scrapping is essentially the act of harvesting a field twice, going back after an initial harvest to clean up any leftover bolls in order to drive the best yield rates possible. The problem with scrapping, however, is that it’s a wildly inefficient way of driving up your yield. Take a look at four reasons you should avoid scrapping:
First and foremost, scrapping is wildly inefficient in terms of fuel. Going through your fields a second time is going to use twice as much fuel… however you’re going to get a minuscule fraction of the harvest in return. Save your fuel and don’t scrap: you’ll end up costing yourself more in the long run.
After your initial harvest, going back through your field to scrap can have very serious ramifications on soil impaction. Especially if you have drainage tile or in-ground irrigation in place, you could be putting unnecessary strain on these features with a second run-through of your field.
Scrapping puts excess wear on your cotton picker parts, even if they’re not being actively engaged in the capacity they were during the first harvest. Spindles can still break, doffers can still become compounded with debris, etc. Putting excess wear on your cotton picker parts is a good way to cost yourself more money than you’re making scrapping.
Scrapping is time consuming! Going back and essentially re-harvesting sections of your fields takes a lot of time, which could be better spent elsewhere. Time absolutely equals money, so every spare hour you’re scrapping is money down the drain, which isn’t likely to be recouped by your secondary harvest.
Scrapping for yield might seem like a great idea in theory, but in practice it falls far short of its intended benefits. Instead, take a look at a few ways you can ensure superior yield through your first harvest, eliminating the need for scrapping:
Observe your crop development and plan for a single harvest at peak maturation.
Keep your harvester and its equipment in top working order.
Have a harvest plan and path in place that maximizes picking.
Use proper picking and baling techniques that minimize crop loss.
Gone are the days of mandatory scrapping to get every last little bit of your yield! Instead, give some of the above tips some thought and work to maximize your yield on the first and only harvest you’ll need this year.
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.
