Today, the cotton industry is powered by lumbering machines running on ingenious cotton harvester parts. When the cotton industry first sprang to life, however, the process of picking and cleaning cotton was unbelievably difficult. From the moment it was discovered, more than 500 years before the Common Era, all the way through the 18th century, cotton was picked plant by plant and then cleared of its seeds by hand. In fact, in the early 1790s, a worker could be expected to pick and clean a pound of cotton every day.
Eli Whitney’s new machine
That all changed in 1794, however, when a young inventor named Eli Whitney visited his friend Catherine Greene. There, observing the workers she hired to pick her cotton, Whitney was struck with inspiration. Over the course of several weeks, he constructed a machine designed to clear the seed from the picked cotton lint at a lightning-quick pace.
Eli Whitney’s first hand-cranked cotton gin—gin was supposed to be a play on “engine”—as brilliant, but still simple. After picking cotton, the seed-filled lint was fed into a wooden barrel that had been outfitted with a series of small hooks. The hooks caught the cotton lint and pulled it through a mesh too fine for the seeds to fall through.
A new way to harvest cotton
Almost as soon as Whitney filed his patent, the cotton gin began to transform the domestic cotton industry. Soon, several different variations on Whitney’s cotton gin began to show up throughout the country. Smaller ones remained hand-cranked, while larger gins could be operated by a horse.
Even using Eli Whitney’s smaller, hand-cranked design, a worker could expect to de-seed approximately 50 pounds of cotton in a single day. This led to a considerable expansion of the industry, as more cotton could be picked and processed during a workday.
It’s interesting to note that a large portion of the cotton gins employed throughout the American South were actually pirated versions of Eli Whitney’s original design. As a result, Whitney himself failed to make much money off the cotton gin, even after years of litigation. However, he remains among history’s most well-known inventors, familiar to schoolchildren all over the country thanks to his contributions.
The modern world of cotton
Fortunately, in the 21st century, those labor-intensive methods of cotton picking have been exchanged in favor of state-of-the-art machines. As one of the global leaders in the manufacture of replacement cotton harvester parts, Certi-Pik, USA is proud to be a part of that technological revolution.
When you need first-rate replacements for your malfunctioning cotton harvester parts, our team of knowledgeable professionals is ready to help. From blown drumheads to cracked spindle nuts, you can rely on Certi-Pik, USA to make things right.
No matter where you are in the world, we’re ready and waiting to do business. Contact us today to receive up to 50 percent savings on quality replacement parts for your John Deere or Case IH Cotton Harvesters. We look forward to assisting you soon!
Whether you’re a commercial cotton grower or just trying your hand at this crop, at some point you’ll need to harvest it. The best way to do so for most operations is to bring in a mechanical harvester. This will quickly and inexpensively harvest your cotton crop. After all, harvesting cotton by hand is back-breaking work, typically involving hauling up to 70-lb bags in the blazing hot sun. However, like all machines, harvesters will need regular maintenance and repairs.
Knowing something about cotton harvester parts is a good first step. Or, you may choose to go the old-fashioned route and pick the cotton by hand. Read on to find out how to best prepare for the next cotton harvest:
Harvest time: The season begins in July in the south and extends all the way to November in the north. It becomes clear that the cotton should be harvested when the bolls open up, exposing the fluffy white cotton beneath. Harvest time lasts for about six weeks. If you choose to harvest by hand, you’re going to need thick gloves to protect your hands from the razor-sharp bolls, which can cause serious injury.
How to pick the cotton: Grasp the cotton ball at the base and twist and remove it from the boll and drop it in a bag. Not all the cotton will be ready to harvest at the same time, so leave immature plants for another day.
Separating by hand: Now you can spread all the cotton out in a cool, dark area. Make sure it’s also well ventilated so that the cotton can dry. Once this process is complete, the cotton’s ready to use.
Of course, picking cotton by hand is laborious and inadvisable. Instead, consider purchasing or renting a cotton harvester. These machines include a wide range of parts and components to function, including:
Row unit: This claw-like fixture sticks out of the front and includes spindles that are used to snatch the cotton plants. They typically come in six or 10 row units.
Doffers: These are used to remove the picked cotton from the spindle. They rotate very quickly, removing cotton and debris from the slower-rotating spindles.
Moistening system: This is used to facilitate cleaning the cotton. It’s essential for the cotton to be moistened and cleaned so that the machine doesn’t become clogged with debris and grime.
Are you looking for a reliable provider of cotton harvester parts? Then you’ve come to the right place. At Certi-Pik, USA, we fabricate replacement parts for picking units and offer a broad list of specialty items and sheet metal parts for rebuilding units, including cam tracks, drumheads, spindles and spindle nuts, picker and grid bars, slip clutches, lubrication hoses, stalk lifters, idler gears, CTX scrapping plates, CTX pressure doors and more!
Find out why we’re the leader in a wide range of farming equipment. Contact Certi-Pik, USA today to receive up to 50 percent savings on quality replacement parts for your John Deere or Case IH Cotton Harvesters!
With all of the action that skip row planters get each planting season, it is expected that issues will come up from time to time, with older planters being particularly vulnerable to any number of various operational malfunctions. Fortunately, your local cotton harvester parts company is here with a guide to some of the most common maintenance issues, large and small, to be on the lookout for, so that you are able to keep your skip row planter in optimal condition:
Drill shaft bearings: Special attention must be paid to the drill shaft bearings, as they can quietly cause a whole host of problems. If the drill shaft has become stiff, it will jerk excessively, causing sporadic and uneven seed distribution in the rows. If the shaft is frozen or locked up, the seed meter will likely stop working altogether.
Row cleaners: The row cleaner is another area of the planter that can eventually fall prey to the effects of heavy usage. The coulter blade will become dull over time, reducing both the effectiveness and diameter of the part. Alternatively, the tine on tined row cleaners can either become too short or too thin, directly affecting your planter’s ability to efficiently clear the row. When the tine wears short, there is less space between the tips and the hubs, which can lead to difficulty clearing solid objects such as rocks or root bulbs. When the tine becomes thin, it bends easily and won’t form the mesh needed to correctly collect and drag the dirt.
Check the connections: While you are making sure that all of the larger components are in good shape, don’t forget to check on some of the smaller items that are just as important to the operation of your machine. For example, there may be either zip ties or electrical tape that keep the wires away from all of the planter’s moving parts. Over time, these connections can either loosen or become brittle, freeing up the wires to potentially get pinched or snapped while the machine is in motion. With the positioning of the wiring disrupted, the sensor’s readings may be off, affecting the planting of an individual row or multiple rows.
Suction doors: In addition to sustaining a significant amount of wear as the doors open and close, the rubber seals on a closed vacuum meter door can create grooves in the seed plates. This can lead to problems with both the door and the seed disk.
To avoid downtime that could be damaging to your operations and ultimately your bottom line, you will need to make sure that all of the necessary maintenance is tended to regularly, especially if your planter is more than 10 years old. Fortunately, Certi-Pik, USA has exactly what you need to keep your planter going all season long. We specialize in high-quality replacement parts that have been put through a rigorous quality control process. To browse our extensive inventory of reliable skip row planter parts, make sure you give us a call today.
Do you need to rebuild your harvester? If you want reliability and efficiency, John Deere cotton harvester parts are the way to go. Not sure what they have to offer? As an industry leader, John Deere is a trusted brand that can provide the solutions you need to rebuild your harvester.
If you’re considering options for your next rebuild, keep this top resource in mind. You’ll find everything you need to create a reliable harvester. John Deere cotton harvester parts include:
Spindles and bushings: These two parts are crucial to the cotton-picking process. They work together to grab the cotton, separate it from the plant and put it into the harvester. The spindles stick out from the bushings as the bushings rotate to gather the cotton. Rebuilt spindles and bushings are typically stripped, straightened, inspected and reinstalled to provide a like-new product for harvesters.
Row units: The row units are the claw-like structures at the front of the cotton harvester. They collect cotton plants and push them through the rest of the harvester’s parts, where the cotton is separated.
Picker ribs: Within the row units are picker ribs. These are used for clearing leaves and other debris from the spindles. They separate the spindles as they spin during the harvest.
Plant lifters: Located at the bottom of the row units, plant lifters funnel cotton plants into the row units. Situated just one inch off the ground, these John Deere cotton harvester parts are designed to grab the cotton plant and feed it into the harvester.
Doffers: These parts spin at a rate three times faster than the spindles. As they rotate, they remove the cotton from the spindles. As the spindles are emptied, they are able to move on to collect more cotton. Before modern machines were invented, this term was used to describe the person who removed the full spindles from a spinning frame and replaced them with fresh ones.
Quality Parts
As you look for John Deere cotton harvester parts for your rebuild, be sure to partner with a trusted source. Look for a company that has a track record of success and extensive experience in the industry. Parts must be carefully processed to ensure they deliver quality solutions for your machinery. Before you partner with a part provider, ask about their process of preparing John Deere cotton harvester parts for rebuilding.
Quality Service
A company worthy of your business offers superior service. Look for a company that is knowledgeable about John Deere cotton harvester parts and is willing to share that knowledge with you. They should be willing to answer questions and educate you about the parts so you can make informed decisions about rebuilding harvesters.
Find It All Here
Where can you find quality products and superior service for harvester rebuilding? Certi-Pik, USA is a premier source for John Deere cotton harvester parts. We fabricate replacement parts for picking units and offer a broad list of specialty items and sheet metal parts for rebuilding units. Contact our experts today to see what solutions we can provide for you!
The cotton industry has played a major part in the history of the United States. This crop has influenced the economy, war, migration and more. As cotton harvesting and cotton harvester parts changed over the decades, cotton helped shape the nation.
Are you familiar with this history? Following is a brief overview of the development of cotton harvester parts and how these inventions affected the industry as a whole.
The Challenge
In the early 1900s, the U.S. was producing more than 16 million bales of raw cotton each year. These were processed and used to create products such as clothing. The challenge with this high level of production was the difficulty in harvesting the plant.
Removing the cotton from the mature boll (the protective case) is a difficult task. Before modern machinery was invented, cotton was picked by hand. Because the plants matured at different rates, this hand-picking had to occur several times each harvest season.
Pickers did not have cotton harvester parts and the combines of today. They simply walked through the fields, removing the mature cotton fibers by hand and placing them in large sacks which they dragged behind them. This was difficult work, as the bags could weigh up to 100 pounds when full, and the sharp spikes on the plants left their fingers bloody and sore.
The Attempts
To improve on this labor-intensive process, harvesters started working on cotton harvester parts to introduce to the industry. Early efforts included a variety of solutions. Between 1850 and 1950, over 1,800 patents were issued for cotton harvesting parts. None were successful until International Harvester’s Model H-10-H in 1942.
Before this model was introduced, inventors tried pneumatic mechanisms to vacuum up the cotton. Other inventions included adaptations of grain threshing machines. Still others tried to use static electricity to collect the cotton. Using mechanical fingers to pluck the cotton seemed like a promising idea, but it too failed. None of these solutions harvested enough of the cotton to be worthwhile, and most damaged the crops, making further harvesting impossible.
The Success
The successful prototype was a spindle-style mechanism. A series of moistened spindles turned at high speed and, when encountering an open boll, the fibers wrapped around the spindles. A doffer (roller) then removed the fibers for transport to a hopper.
Around the time that these cotton harvester parts were introduced, the industry saw three other critical advances. Cotton breeders developed hybrid plants that produced bolls higher off the ground and that ripened uniformly. This made harvesting by combine easier and more efficient. Additionally, herbicides were introduced that could cause the plants to drop their leaves, so the harvest would be cleaner. This combination of new techniques dramatically improved cotton production and changed the industry forever.
Learn More
Would you like to discover more about cotton harvesting and cotton harvester parts? The professionals at Certi-Pik, USA are your go-to source. We fabricate replacement parts for picking units and offer a broad list of specialty items and sheet metal parts for rebuilding units. Contact us today!
