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

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

3. 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

10. 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 R KBH BB
3.35
1.55
2.35
0.37
Total System
14.70
2.67
1.24

11. 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

12. Figure 1: Harvest System Fuel Consumption

13. 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

14. Conclusions
Fuel consumption ranged from 1.75 gallons/ac (gasoline, one row) in 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 gallons/ bale
Fuel consumption of the module builder was 0.34 gallons/ ac and gallons/ bale
Fuel consumption was lower per bale as yields increased