CP690 Cotton Picker
CP690 Cotton Picker in transportThe CP690 continues the legacy of exclusive non-stop harvesting technology for increased productivity. Unlike traditional basket pickers, the CP690 provides its own onboard module building system, eliminating boll buggy drivers, module builder operators, and all the supporting equipment traditionally needed during cotton harvest.
Operators who harvest cotton with the CP690 enjoy the fact they never have to wait in the field. A cotton harvesting veteran in the Louisiana Delta said, "Driving a standard basket picker when you are in good cotton, which is the time you really want to move faster, you have to wait on a boll buggy. The operator has to travel all the way back to the module builder, dump that load, and then try to find you again. That whole time you are sitting in the field doing nothing. You are not productive. With the onboard module builder, you are constantly productive. You never have to stop. You keep going and going, and this saves you so much time throughout the day."
Increased productivity
The nonstop harvesting of cotton is achieved through the use of a high-volume accumulator, round module builder, and round module handler. The accumulator collects cotton while a formed round module is wrapped with a protective film and ejected onto the machine's rear handler. The handler allows a completed round module to be carried to the end of the row.
Since round modules are formed, ejected, and can be off-loaded while the CP690 is still harvesting, the operator can remain on the row instead of unloading or waiting to unload cotton into boll buggies or module builders.
Reduction of labor
It can be difficult acquiring good labor to be able to keep multiple cotton pickers, boll buggies, and module builders up and running. With the CP690, harvesting cotton simply requires one operator per machine, and one tractor operator to stage modules for transport. Additionally, since each round module is wrapped with a protective film, they do not require the application of a module tarp for field storage protection. The CP690 helps reduce the risks associated with finding labor, enabling producers to have more efficient and less labor-intensive harvesting operations.
One Louisiana Delta producer was excited about the labor savings the on-board round module building system would bring to his operation. He was able to take his existing picking fleet down from six machines to four machines and significantly reduce the support staff that goes along with them. With a traditional fleet, he was running 22 to 24 people on any given day, but could likely reduce that number to about seven.
Reduction of support equipment
Typically each basket-style stripper requires a fleet of support equipment to achieve maximum harvest productivity:
- Boll buggy
- Boll buggy tractor
- Module builder
- Module builder tractor
The CP690 requires only two pieces of support equipment:
- Frontier™ CM1100 Cotton Module Handler (or equivalent)
- 8000 Series (or equivalent) Row-Crop Tractor
These two pieces of equipment are used to stage round modules end-to-end in groups of four, so they may be picked up by a module truck. Producers and ginners also have the flexibility to haul the round modules on flatbed trailers, providing the opportunity to haul more pounds per load for reduced transport costs. Since modules can be staged any time, day or night, one tractor and CM1100 Cotton Module Handler can support multiple CP690 Cotton Pickers.
This reduction in support equipment means less equipment and traffic in the field and less fuel consumption. The CP690 not only creates a simplified harvest scheme, it helps reduce frustration that producers face while having to contend with traffic on increasingly busy roads.