Fuel Consumption in Spindle Picker Cotton Harvesting Systems Herb Willcutt MSUES Ag Engineering & Ed Barnes Cotton Incorporated 1/ 11/08

Objective Determine the fuel requirements of spindle pickers and support equipment for the mid south.

Methods Eight producers logged five or more days of data: fuel usage per machine hours of picker operation acres harvested bales harvested allow time-in-motion data to be collected Fuel meters installed and calibrated

Table 1: Season Long Fuel Consumption for One Cotton Harvesting Operation; 2007 # Days Machine Fuel/engine hr Fuel/acre Fuel/bale 4 JD 9976 Picker 9.62 1.85 0.83 3 11.33 2.06 0.86 5 9.78 2.09 0.82 10.57 1.89 0.98 Weighted Avg. 10.23 1.97 0.93 JD 4640, KBH Auto MB 2.30 0.25 0.11 2.19 0.17 0.07 2.05 0.42 0.16 2.00 0.40 0.21 2.13 0.32 0.14 JD 4650 KBH BB 1.57 0.31 2.77 0.38 JD 8300 6R KBH BB 3.35 1.55 2.35 0.37 Total System 14.70 2.67 1.24

Table 2: Fuel Consumption for Eight Systems Operation Picker(s) Boll Buggy Module Builder Total/hr Total/ac Total/bale 1 10.23 2.35 2.13 14.70 2.67 1.24 2 10.22 2.16 2.06 14.34 2.43 1.43 3 10.29 1.60 1.65 13.56 2.65 1.41 4 1.72 13.60 5 9.99 2.45 2.36 14.80 6 10.24 1.99 14.59 7 11.40 1.82 1.54 14.76 8 11.67 2.87 1.64 16.18   Average 10.53 2.12 1.92 14.57 2.60 1.37

Figure 1: Harvest System Fuel Consumption

Table 3: Harvest System Field Efficiencies at Seven Locations Percentages Location Clock hrs On Row Turn Dump Down Wait Travel Approx. Yield 1 6:08:13 69.7 10.5 9.5 10.2 1187 2 3:43:06 70 17.1 5.8 7.2 1413 3 4:58:15 74.6 12.5 6.4 6.2 4 10:38:15 49.4 8.6 8.5 21.7** 11.9 5 8:04:37 66.5 6.1 6.3 19.4** 1.6 6 6:08:49 66.4 17.5 5.1 7 4:23:58 76 9.9 4.6 7.9   Average 6:17:53 67.51 11.74 6.60 2.59 Less loc. 4 & 5 5:34:30 70.53 14.22 7.38 8.34 ** Included lunch

Conclusions Fuel consumption ranged from 1.75 gallons/ac (gasoline, one row) in 1942-44 to 2.44 gallons/ac (diesel, two row), to 1.83 gallons/ac (diesel 6 row). Fuel consumption of the boll buggy was 0.38 gallons/ ac and 0.174 gallons/ bale Fuel consumption of the module builder was 0.34 gallons/ ac and 0.155 gallons/ bale Fuel consumption was lower per bale as yields increased