2021年1月23日发(作者：coker)
COTTON PICKER MANAGEMENT AND
HARVESTING EFFICIENCY
With
good
crop
and
machinery
management,
favorable
weather
conditions,
and
good
ginning
practices,
most
cotton
from
the
first
picking
should
grade
very
good
—
strict low middling or better. Under these favorable conditions, a spindle-type
cotton picker should put 95 percent or more of the open cotton into the basket in good
condition. However, this is not always the case.
Total value of the crop can be affected by picker management. The difference
between expert and average-to-poor picker management can mean as much as $$900
per day for a two-row machine.
Through
proper
cotton
picker
management
and
efficient
harvesting
practices,
cotton producers can consistently keep their field losses below 5 percent. Often, losses
as high as 20 percent are tolerated, and 10 percent losses are considered normal. There
is
no better way
to
increase net
profits
at
harvest
time than to
reduce these harvest
losses.
Field Conditions

The condition of the cotton in the field greatly affects harvesting efficiency and
the
grade
of
the
crop.
Good
defoliation
is
essential
for
efficient
harvesting
and
top- graded cotton. Field preparation is also important.
Turnrows should be 30 feet wide. They should be firm, smooth, and free of tall
grass. Grassy turnrows can cause grassy samples even if the field is clean. Field losses
increase when turnrows are not wide enough to allow the machine to be lined up and
operated at the correct speed as it enters the row.
It
is
usually better to
mow turnrows
than disk
them. Disking makes turnrows
soft after a rain
and leaves a furrow that will cause the picker drum to
bobble as it
enters the row.
Picker Condition
A successful harvest requires a cotton picker that is in good condition. Even an
old picker will do a good job if it is in good mechanical condition.
Before the harvest season begins, pickers should be checked for damaged or
worn spindles, moistener pads, doffers, bearings, and bushings. If they are damaged
or worn excessively, they should be replaced. The cam track should be checked for
excessive
wear.
A
worn
cam
track
may
lead
to
premature
failure
of


other
picker
parts. Replacing the cam track is a major operation and, unless you have a specially
equipped hop, should be done by your dealer or by a picker specialty shop. Keeping
the machine properly lubricated and adjusted will go a long way in

extending picker
life and improved harvesting efficiency. Read the owner’s manual for information on
lubrication and adjustments you can make.
Adjustments

1
The
alignment
and
adjustments
of
spindles
to
moistener
pads
and
doffers
can
make the difference between a poor job and a good one. Study the operator’s manual
carefully before making adjustments or repairs.
The
moistener
pad
should
wipe
the
spindle
thoroughly
with
each
turn
of
the
picker drum, Figure 1. Each spindle should ripple the pad slightly through its entire
length
but
should
not
dig
into
it.
A
wetted
spindle
prevents
the
build
up
of
plant
juices.
Precise
adjustment
of
the
spindle
to
the
doffer
is
necessary
to
remove
cotton
from the spindle with each turn. Each doffer lug should run as close as possible to the
spindle without touching, Figure 2. For field use, a dollar bill has been the standard
gauge
for
measuring
the
spindle-doffer
clearance
for

main
purpose
for
maintaining the clearance is to prevent contamination of the lint with minute doffer
particles and to minimize wear of the doffer pads.

Spindle Bars






The vertical adjustment of each spindle bar should be checked. One bar out of
adjustment can do serious damage to the doffer and cause the picker to do a poor job
of harvesting. Check the clearance between the spindles and the doffer assembly for
each picker bar to ensure that each bar is working in the same plane.


Field Operation


Adjust the stalk lifter fingers on the cotton picker so that low bolls are lifted into
the picking zone. Bolls should enter the unit higher than the second row of spindles.
Tilt
the
drum
so
the
back
is
1
inch
higher
than
the
front.
This
will
increase
the
exposure of the spindle to cotton and reduce dirt buildup inside the unit.
、

The drum speed and the ground speed should be synchronized so that the only
motion between the spindle and the cotton boll is spindle rotation, Figure 3.





As the picker approaches a cotton stalk, the plant lifter should raise the bolls on
the


lower limbs into the picking zone. The pressure plates force the plant into the
picking zone and hold the bolls so that the spindles can come in contact with the lint.
When
there
are
green
bolls,
tension
should
be
light
to
medium
with
additional
clearance to
keep from
stripping off the bolls.

For last picking, the tension
on the
pressure plates should be increased to remove all the lint from the stalk.
The spindles should be regularly checked for wear, especially the ones near the
ground.

Worn
spindles
should
be
replaced,
Figure
4.
You
can
easily
check
for
excessive wear by sliding the blade of a pocket knife, perpendicular to the centerline,
along
the
machined
kerf
of
spindle,Figure
5.
If
the
blade
catches
on
the
barbs,
the
spindle is okay. However, if the blade does not catch on the barbs, the spindle should
be replaced. The doffer assembly, stalk guides, grid bars, and pressure plates should
also be checked.



Spindles should be kept clean to prevent plant juices from collecting on them and
causing incomplete doffing and spindle twist. The first picking is most critical since
plants
are
es
can
gum
up
enough
in
1
hour
to
lower
harvesting
efficiency
by
as
much
as
5
percent.
This
also
creates
severe
problems
with
spindle

2