Farmall Cotton Picker

I"ve seen a few of the old cotton pickers built on the H"s and M"s before and I"d just like to know a little about them. I"d like to get one someday and I"d like to know what something like that would probably go for. Also, how rare is something like that? I live in central Texas, right in the middle of cotton country, so I"m sure there had to have been some around here, but I just don"t know how easy it"ll be to find one.

Also, does anyone have any pictures of them?

Thanks, Clint.

One row cotton pickers were almost as plentiful as tractors in our area but most are long gone.
They were M's ran backwards with axle drops to make them high crop.When I started farming on my own I had two of them they ran on propane. Last summer I found a fresh barn find that picked its last crop in 1978 and had been parked in barn since.I made an offer and it got sold to the next highest offer I did not have a chance to up the bid I was sick that I lost it. I'll post pictures of it and of my friends'pickers that they display at the Calif.Antique show. Tony

Clint N

Depends on your area what might be available. Lower Brazos area and LRGV would be more likely to find a picker. If you are in a stripper area, there may be few one row pickers in that area. Age of the machine would be important to price to some degree, but circumstances and condition more important. I have bought machines from $126 (20 years ago)for a 1946 M-11-H and up. A John Deere picker on a Model 60 with wide steering axle sold on Ebay in the last week for about $3600 (more collectable tractor?)

The first five photos Tony posted of California machines are pre 1947 models and less than a 100 total before the Memphis Operations was put into production in mid to late 1947 (plant dedicated April 1948). Note the rounded corners of the basket. The later is an M-12-H built between 1947 and about 1952-3. The You-Tube video is mis-labeled and probably is a 1953 or later low drum machine. Email if you have questions.

Clint,

Go to Amazon and search for "cotton picker" also Wisconsin Historical Society for IH Archives and search for "cotton picker" or just Google "IH cotton picker" for photos.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right about where to likely find them. The ones I've seen were in the Brazos Valley, near College Station.

rustcollector, you seem to be very knowledgable on this subject. I have a 1951 Farmall M that was originally a cotton picker. It has since been reversed and labeled as an MV...

Anyway, what would have been the original model of picker that would have been on my tractor? I have been curious to know as I would like to get more information on that specific model.

I have know idea where the tractor came from...in Central IA now. Thanks!

There's a H Cotton Picker sitting in the back field of my Dad's farm right now in Tennessee. Been there several years now, not sure exactly how long. I think it originally came out of north Alabama.

There is a lot of mis-information out there about the letter series cotton pickers, like that they had reversed transmissions and such, (not all did), the ones on the taller Vegetable tractor drop hubs did have an internal difference from the V models in that they were gear driven at the axle ends to accomplish the reversing and the V models used a chain drive there instead. There are two M's and one Super M cotton pickers just down the road from me here in Tennessee right now that are for sale, but I don't know how much or how complete they are. Guy makes a living dismantling tractors and selling the parts, so they may be all there and they may not be, but from the road they still look fairly complete. Be glad to get you a phone number if you're interested.

CoopertownBob,

I would be interested in knowing more about the pickers in your neighborhood of W TN and a phone number if Clint N is not interested in more than one. Please reply to my email.

IATractorkid,

Tractor serial number would tell you if the tractor was built and picker mounted at the factory. It would have a "CH" on the end. Otherwise the tractor may have been modified to a high clearance picker tractor at some time through the 1950's by a dealer or farmer and it would be impossible to know the exact model that was sold for the tractor. I have a spreadsheet of IH and Deere picker models and years of production that I can give you better information, but an M-12-H was built and sold 1947 into 1953 (150 units carried over from 1952). The M-120 first appeared in 1952 as a production of 1 (prototype)and had 784 in 1953 and produced with variations until 1960 when a 320 model number came out.

For some reason, I can't seem to make the email work right now, but the name/number you need is Story Tractor, located just off US 231, just south of Murfreesboro, TN (middle TN), and the number is 931-895-3041, let it ring a bit. He has a huge tractor junkyard with all makes available, but he also asks top dollar for everything as well.

Well, I'd definitely be interested if they were a little closer to me. I'm in college now, so I couldn't make a trip that far for one unless I went in the summer.

Thanks, Clint.

Iw kid ,
more then likely it was a m-12-h if your tractor is 47 or back; then perhaps a m-11-h
H stands for high crop .If your tractor does not have flanges on end of rear axles then it was a low head picker.
Later they made a dual blower model. I don't recall model number now ,however you can tell by the two blower pipes. Tony

Although some of the IH one row cotton pickers were built for the smaller frame Farmall tractors such as the B, the vast majority were built to mount on the Farmall H frame size tractors (H thru 460)and the Farmall M frame size tractors (M thru 560). These pickers were built in high drum models which were 20 spindles high, and low drum models which were 14 spindles high. When operational the tractor portion of the cotton picker operated in the oposite direction to a normal tractor. The normal tractor drive wheels were now the front wheels of the cotton picker and the guide wheel was at the rear of the machine. For a low drum picker to reverse the operation of the tractor, one removed the transmission top and flipped the differential and installed a reversed set of shift forks in the special transmission top which was machined on both sides for shift rails. This reversed the operation of the tractor portion. The drive tires were reversed so the tread would be facing the right direction and a single guide wheel was installed, or turned so the caster would be trailing if the tractor already had a single front wheel. For a high drum picker bull gear drop housings were bolted to the flange type rear axle housings of the tractor. These bull gears reversed the tractor without having to go inside the rear end and also raised the tractor for more crop clearence. The drive tires were turned so the tread faced correctly and mounted on the bull gear stub axles, and a single 750 x 20 guide wheel was installed. With the seat and steering wheel removed, both high or low drum, the tractor was then ready to mount under the cotton picker. The picking unit was powered by a gear box that mounted where the tractor belt pulley normally mounted and had a drive shaft to the header and a pulley to drive the fan or fans depending on model. When mounted all of the controls were on the high mounted operator platform with rods connecting the pedels to the original tractor pedels. Shields protected the plants from damage as the cotton was normally picked twice whereas now the cotton has been bred to mature all at once and modern cotton pickers only pick the cotton once, four to six rows at the time. In the Mississippi Delta most all of the cotton pickers were high drums because of the large size and yield of the cotton grown there. After the two row picker were introduced in 1957 sales of new one row pickers practiclly stopped in the Delta, and always went to the next biggest model when one came out, ie; one row, two row, four row, and six row, with the older models being sold to smaller acreage users in the used market.

Harold H

M-10, M-11, and M-12 were high drum single fan pickers. M-14 was a low drum single fan picker. 114 and 114A were dual fan low drum pickers and 120 and 120A were high drum dual fan pickers. There were numerous other models and several newer models after the 114A/120A series but those were the last new one row pickers sold in the Delta.

Harold H

This is a basic visual identification guide to the one row full size pickers thru the mid 1960's. The idenity may not be positive as over the years, baskets, fans, and headers have often been swapped between the different models. These are main visual features as built. M-10, rounded basket corners, large single fabricated fan, 20 spindle high head (high drum) with cast aluminum header top. M-11, square basket corners, large single fabricated fan, 20 spindle high head (high drum) with cast aluminum header top. M-12 (most number built) square basket corners, pressed steel housing single fan, 20 spindle high head (high drum) with cast aluminum header top. M-14, square basket corners, pressed steel housing single fan, 14 spindle high head (low drum) with cast aluminum header top. 114 and 120, square basket corners, high mounted dual fans (single fan was a seldom ordered option on 114) 14 spindle high (low drum) on 114 and 20 spindle high (high drum) on 120 with fabricated steel header top. 114A and 120A, square basket corners, tri-clean on basket and head, high nounted dual fans, 14 spindles high (low drum) on 114A and 20 spindles high (high drum) on 120A with fabricated steel header top, oil flush oil system. A large precentage of 114 and 120 pickers had tri-clean and oil flush added as a field package after the 114A and 120A were introduced making these 114 and 120 models basicly the same as the 114A and 120A after upgrade. Remember, a lot of these idenifying features may have been swapped around over the years.

Harold H

Harold H,

There were 28 H-10-H built 1941-1943 rounded basket corners and cast iron header top with Madison Kipp oiler and mounted on an H Farmall. There were 41 M-10-H pickers that were the same as H-10-H built from 1943 & 1944 except on an M. The M-11-H was built (65) in 1946 and was basically the same as the M-10-H and still had a cast iron cover over the header and rounded corner basket. Other than a few experimental row units the aluminum cast cover began with the M-12-H(first aluminum cast cover built in 1943 and tested at Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale, then removed and replaced with a cast iron cover). This picker was the first with angle iron corners in the basket and the first with an oil tank for lubrication without the Madison Kipp oiler.

IH made the first one row cotton picker and mounted it on an H. I think the original prototype is still on display at the Smithsonian (I saw it there in 1967 and again in about 1987). The first was built in the late 1930's but did not see wide acceptance until the late 1950's. Reason for the delay in certain areas was the limitations of the gins. Picker cotton was trashy and had to be cleaned prior to ginning. Old gins built for hand picked cotton did not have the cleaning combs needed for picker picked cotton. All the new gins built after the 1940's did include cleaners if the owner was worth his salt. I am sure some of the old gins were retrofit with cleaners. Of the 4 gins in my home town in the 50's and 60's one old gin did not have cleaners and was taken out of service by the mid 60's. At the last it was used to gin the small amount of hand picked cotton from small operations.

All of the cast top headers I have ever seen were cast aluminum. I have never seen a production cast top header made of cast iron.

Harold H

Lmack,

Although it is true that picker picked cotton is not quite as clean as most hand picked cotton, gins only had to add minimal cleaning equipment to handle cotton picker picked cotton. However in areas that use cotton strippers rather than cotton pickers, gins have to have much more cleaning equipment to handle the stripper picked cotton because the stripper pulls the bolls and everything from the stalk whereas the picker only picks the cotton from the bolls and leaves everything else on the stalk.

Harold H

Main full size models over years one & two rows (1R=one row picker, LD=low drum & HD=high drum):
M-10 1R HD; M-11 1R HD; M-12 1R HD; M-14 1R LD; 114 1R LD; 214 2R LD; 120 1R HD; 220 2R HD; 114A 1R LD; 214A 2R LD; 120A 1R LD; 220A 2R HD; 314 1R LD; 414 2R LD; 320 1R HD; 420 2R HD; 316 1R LD; 416 2R LD; 322 1R HD; 422 2R HD; 5?? 1R LD; 616 2R LD; 5?? 1R HD; 622 2R HD; 782 2R LD, & 782 2R HD.
I have never seen a one row in the Delta newer than a 120, but one row production did continue through the late 60's or early 70's.

Harold H

Harold,

Well get your magnet and come look at my M-11-H or the M-10-H in the Ag Museum in Jackson, MS or the H-10-H in the Smithsonian. Then do some reading of the engineering and production reports at WHS IH Archives and CTP-1, CTP-1A and CTP-1B parts books.

I learn something new almost every day. I alsays assumed that all of the cast cotton picker heads I have seen were cast aluminum, but of course I never carried a magnet in my pocket.

Harold H

Here is a picture of one of the reversing top plates used on the low drum models, this particular one being off a Super M. Note the lack of holes for bolting on a steering pedestal, but that there still is a brake lock on it.



And here is a shot of the top plate as installed on a Super M that has had most of the rest of the cotton picker removed.



Note how the PTO take-off comes from the usual position for the belt, not from the back of the tractor. This means the PTO speed was much faster for the mounted picker and had to be delt with accordingly in the design.

The M(H)-11 still had rounded basket corners like the 10 rather than square like were on the 11. Also the M(H)-11 introduced the pressed steel housing fan. The header tops on most M-10 and M-11 pickers were cast iron rather than cast aluminum, but looked almost identical to the cast aluminum header tops used on the 12 & 14 series pickers.

Harold H

Lmack,

As a point of providing correct information, the H-10-H picker at the Smithsonian is serial number 525 or the 25th machine built and sold by IH. It was sold in California, a 1943 model and one of the last H-10-H pickers made. H-10-H sn# 501 was built in 1941 and sold to Hopson Plantation, Clarksdale, MS in 1942. In 1946 after the harvest was complete Hopson sold the picker without tractor to John Deere. After John Deere reverse engineered for their picker, including using the cast top for a mold for the JD #1 and #8 row units, H-10-H sn# 501 was scrapped. #'s H-10-H produced by year were 12 in 1942 and 16 in 1943. These numbers include as many as 3 engineering machines that were later re numbered and sold, so there is some confusion as to the exact number of machines of that model that existed. The number would be between 25 and 28 total. IH produced one M-10-H in 1943 and 40 in 1944, all on M tractors. No pickers were produced in 1945. In 1946, 65 model M-11-H pickers on M tractors were produced. The M-12-H picker actually began in 1947 with about 175 pickers being produced that year in Memphis.

The mechanical spindle type cotton picker development goes back to as early as 1850. Angus Campbell patented his first picker in 1889 and had 10 units in the field in 1910. IH bought his patents in 1924 and had plans and began to collect parts to produce a commercial run in 1929. These would have been similar to Campbell's machine except mounted on tractors and some improvements including a spindle water flush system (not continuous moistening)to remove plant gums from the spindles. There were at least five different inventors from 1880 until 1920 that worked on a spindle type harvester and received patents, all located in the Central Texas area.

During the 1930's, IH engineers recognized the need for cleaning and drying machinery in the gin in order to get the best lint quality possible. This was generally recognized as one color grade and trash level lower than hand picked cotton. Gins were quick to add machinery after WWII to handle machine picked cotton, as pickers were introduced.

Lmack,

As a point of providing correct information, the H-10-H picker at the Smithsonian is serial number 525 or the 25th machine built and sold by IH. It was sold in California, a 1943 model and one of the last H-10-H pickers made. H-10-H sn# 501 was built in 1941 and sold to Hopson Plantation, Clarksdale, MS in 1942. In 1946 after the harvest was complete Hopson sold the picker without tractor to John Deere. After John Deere reverse engineered for their picker, including using the cast top for a mold for the JD #1 and #8 row units, H-10-H sn# 501 was scrapped. #'s H-10-H produced by year were 12 in 1942 and 16 in 1943. IH produced one M-10-H in 1943 and 40 in 1944, all on M tractors. No pickers were produced in 1945. In 1946, 65 model M-11-H pickers on M tractors were produced. The M-12-H picker actually began in 1947 with about 175 pickers being produced that year in Memphis.

The mechanical spindle type cotton picker development goes back to as early as 1850. Angus Campbell patented his first picker in 1889 and had 10 units in the field in 1910. IH bought his patents in 1924 and had plans and began to collect parts to produce a commercial run in 1929. These would have been similar to Campbell's machine except mounted on tractors and some improvements including a spindle water flush system (not continuous moistening)to remove plant gums from the spindles.

During the 1930's, IH engineers recognized the need for cleaning and drying machinery in the gin in order to get the best lint quality possible. This was generally recognized as one color grade and trash level lower than hand picked cotton. Gins were quick to add machinery after WWII to handle machine picked cotton, as pickers were introduced.

Now THAT was a LOT of "Cotton Pickin" information to read!(HAD to be said! lol) I feel more educated!

(quoted from post at 15:00:26 01/12/12) Now THAT was a LOT of "Cotton Pickin" information to read!(HAD to be said! lol) I feel more educated!

Click to expand...

And you were just the man to say it! :lol:

This video is pretty cool to!


Cut and paste this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2p6ZgmzvXU&NR=1&feature=endscreen