Vintage cotton picking

[Southern]

This is how they used to pick cotton. The picker was mounted on a tractor. The tractor was modified for the picker. The gears in the transmission was set for more reverse speeds. And controls was made to hook up the the tractor. To operate it. Later as cotton pickers got more into demand, and through development. The SP picker came out and took over. As it used its own frame like a combine does.

This is a IH 501 picker, it used a Farmall 504 for the tractor. Back in this day, the largest was 2 rows.


Even the doffers and spindle design hadn't changed much. Still the same set up even today.


Pickin time.







Unloading.





Drivers area. Very simple compared to today's "Space Ship" controls.

[Quinton DeDecker]

thats awesome, thanks for shareing

[AGrall]

Never ever seen one before awesome!

[magnum 7240]

know that would be some thing i take on a side hill and great picks never seen any thing like it

[tmatzen]

Very neat machine!

[steelin81]

I'm a long way from cotton country but that looks like neat equiptment. Did they all come on narrow front ends, it seems like that much weight up high would make for a tippy machine. Is there a way to pick what is missed or is it not worth the hassle.

[Southern]

Dec 8, 2011 23:41:23 GMT -5 steelin81 said:

I'm a long way from cotton country but that looks like neat equiptment. Did they all come on narrow front ends, it seems like that much weight up high would make for a tippy machine. Is there a way to pick what is missed or is it not worth the hassle.

They are kinda unstable on hills. So you have to watch them. Mainly due to the height/weight of them. Which is why later one they got rid of the single rear wheel design. Plus with newer pickers they are heavier. So that got rid of that feature as well.

It really isn't much what is missed. So its not really worth the hassle to get up. Only picker that can really clean it. Is the stripper type cotton picker. But those are more common out west where a different type of cotton is grown. Like out in Texas.

[evk]

AHH! For the good ole' days! For many years, IH pickers were mounted on Farmall H's, & M's, & a very few on Super C's. Southern was correct, with picker drums on both sides of the stalks, there really wasn't much left on the ground or the stalks.

[G&G farms]

thats a cool ol machine