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Texas | John Deere is about to introduce a stripper bailer in the next year or so on a limited basis. It has been stated that they will discontinue production of a basket stripper in 2015 or 2016. This situation brings a lot of questions to the table for those of us in stripper country.
A few points about the stripper bailer.
1. Deere is trying to make the numbers show that one 8 row stripper bailer will replace two 8 row strippers and support equipment.
2. 35.00 per round bale for wrapping.
3. Devaluation of support equipment such as module builders and boll buggies.
I currently have two 8 row cotton strippers and all support equipment necessary. With the price of the stripper bailer and the amount of high yielding cotton I have, I am thinking of replacing one stripper with a picker. In studies done by Texas agrilife, a stripper nearly always beats a picker when being compared. While the picker produces higher grades the stripper nearly always wins because the stripper harvests more cotton per acre than the picker.
Now, with that said, I don't necessarily agree with the studies. First of all, the study is done with varieties that May factor as ripper. Secondly, the cotton is defoliated for a stripper and not a picker. Finally, I don't believe the spindles are rotated on the bottom of the rows as much as they should. I have had cotton picked on my farm for research. The research pickers always seem to have worn spindles on the bottom. This year was the best picking on research plots I have ever seen. Yield environments from 3/4 bale all the way to 2000 lbs.
With all of that, I am interested in knowing how often bottom spindles are rotated. How much can I expect to spend on maintenance per thousand bales or per year for header repairs?? How many bales per hour can you pick with a 4 bale machine?? Is deere or case going to quit producing basket??
I know there are some here that have done both, how much difference in grades or loan price?? How much less can you spend on defoliation? How much difference in gin turnouts do you see??
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Cotton stripper versus cotton picker
