Machinerylink

John Deere has launched a pair of new cotton-harvesting machines with greater productivity, a large cab packed with its best technologies and powered by Deere's highly efficient 13.6-liter engines.

Deere says the cotton machines, CP770 cotton picker and CS770 cotton stripper are the most productive and efficient it has ever built.

The CP770 cotton picker packs 8% more seed cotton into the module, reducing wrap and hauling costs.

Deere's 13.6-liter PowerTech engine and hydraulic power module improve fuel efficiency by up to 20% in the CP770 (555 hp) and up to 15% for the CS770 (515 hp) compared to their predecessors, according to the company.

LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER

"We spent a lot of time in the field working with our customers understanding their needs, whether it was sitting in the cab of their machine, traveling with them in the pickup truck, getting to hear what their needs are," says Christopher Murray, cotton product manager, in an interview with Progressive Farmer. "We want to make sure that we're not only meeting but exceeding their needs."

Deere has been developing the picker and stripper for four years. Produced at Deere's Des Moines Works (Iowa), it will be sold into all major cotton markets -- Australia, Brazil, China, South Africa -- and of course, cotton-growing areas of the U.S.

The new CP770 picker and CS770 stripper are about 75% brand new. "We've had great machines that revolutionized the cotton-harvesting industry," Murray says. "But, our customers want more productivity, more technology, lower cost of harvests and more profitability. These are not upgraded [690s]."

The machines are built on a new mainframe. Deere also increased the size of the new round module builders on the picker and stripper.

Deere says the CP770 is 5% more productive than the CP690. That means harvesting 4.4 more acres per 10-hour day.

"You're protecting that cotton quality," Murray says. "You're getting out of the field quicker, protecting it from rain or tropical storms, hurricanes."

DENSER MODULES

The CP770's round module builder is capable of making modules 2% larger and 5% more dense. Once the cotton is collected, the CP770 wraps and ejects the module in just over 30 seconds. Compared to the CP690, the CP770 can reduce harvesting costs by up to $1.50 per bale through reduced wrap, fuel, labor and hauling costs. Some of picker's productivity, Deere says, is attributed to the new PRO16 HS Row Unit fitted with high-speed stalk lifters and ultrafast cotton-grabbing spindles.

The CS770 cotton stripper sports a new 12-row folding header compared to eight rows on the CS690. The bigger head makes the machine up to 48% more productive. The cotton stripper provides a two-point increase in turnout with its new field cleaner and packs up to 5% more cotton into a module while harvesting up to 100 more acres per 10-hour day compared to the 690.

"[Customers told Deere] they needed a wider header, because they were maxed out on speed, they could harvest up to 9 mph. But, they really wanted a wider header to be able to cover more acreage," Murray says.

The cab is 30% larger. It's the same cab found on Deere's X9 combine. Operators have improved visibility with new camera placements, mirrors and lighting. The cabs have more storage and electronics outlets, and new operator and instructional seats. Cab upgrades include leather seats with heat, cooling and massage functions.

"The CommandARM controls are consistent [with other Deere machinery], whether you have an 8R tractor, sprayer or [now the] cotton harvester," Murray explains. "We wanted what we call 'walk up easy.' If you're going from one machine to the next, we want to make sure that the learning curve is very short."

To capture harvesting data, Deere has installed in the new machines Generation 4 Displays with JDLink connectivity.

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For More Information:

-- Visit johndeere.com

-- Follow Dan on Twitter @DMillerPF

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