Harvest Helper

New Stripper/Baler Saves Time

The CS690 makes plastic-wrapped modules on the go. (Progressive Farmer photo by Karl Wolfshohl)

John Deere's new CS690 is the right machine at the right time for Steven Beakley, Ellis County, Texas.

In 2013, Beakley used a prototype of the CS690 to harvest his cotton. Technicians were present to take measurements and make adjustments on the premarket machine, so he had plenty of stops and starts. Even so, the harvest happened fast.

"I covered 150 acres in one day by myself with one machine, and it was nearly 300 bales of cotton," says Beakley, based near Bardwell. "When I was through for the day, I turned off the machine, got in my pickup and went home. There wasn't any picking up loose cotton or anything else."

HARVEST HELPER. Fast-forward to September 2014, when yields were considerably higher than even last season's bountiful crop. This year, Beakley drove his new CS690 through cotton that averaged more than 950 pounds per acre across all his acres.

The machine rolled cotton into round modules and wrapped them on the move. Then, Beakley could carry a finished bale and deposit it at a convenient pickup spot on a field edge while continuing to harvest. Meanwhile, bales gathered on field edges were being loaded onto flatbed trailers and transported to the Avalon Co-Op gin.

Deere claims the new stripper/baler cuts labor costs as much as 78% over its traditional 7460 stripper,

and Beakley wouldn't argue the point.

"I had watched the [Deere 7760] picker-balers run, like pretty well everybody else in Texas, and have been on pins and needles about the stripper," says Beakley, who farms with his dad, Bob. "You think you know what it would be like, but until you operate one, it's hard to describe what they're capable of doing," Beakley adds.

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For years, Beakley ran three strippers and two module builders, and never used a boll buggy.

He traded two of the older strippers on the CS690.

"One of these new machines with an eight-row [608SH] header will replace two six-row traditional strippers," he says. "There's still one of the old machines in the barn, and I may get rid of it, too. Trying to maintain about 2,500 acres of cotton annually, I think

I can get it all out with one machine. I may have to trim my acres a little so I can get by with one."

He also may eventually share a second machine with friends in other locations who harvest at different times. However, they aren't sure whether splitting the cost would be worth wearing out the strippers faster.

Dollars and Cents. In a straight dollar-for-dollar comparison, Beakley says the CS690 is more expensive than his traditional system for getting cotton to the gin. The CS690 carries a hefty list price of $637,521, and the eight-row 608SH header is listed at $82,715.

Then there's the continuing cost of bale wraps.

Even though he didn't pay full list price for the machines, their cost is an issue. However, the new system wins in opportunity cost.

"It's allowed me to get my other farm work done faster," he says. "Traditionally, we had to pull everybody off of everything and put them on the harvest crew. We ran two of the new machines (including one being tested by Deere) this year, and it took two men instead of five or six. So it gives you the ability to get your other fieldwork done—land prep or wheat planting, or oats for the cattle."

Beakley's other observations after a full season of owning his CS690:

--The tightly wrapped bales are handy in foul weather. "We were in the field one Saturday, and all of a sudden, the rain came straight down. We just kicked out a bale and went to the house. There was no scrambling to put a tarp over the bale," he says.

--There's a bit more preparation and cleanup with the new model, but that's only half the story. "You don't have to get tractors and module builders ready," he says. "There's probably as much prep time for two of the new machines as there was for three of the old ones because there's more attention to detail. Are belts snagged? Are they running straight? There are more corners to collect trash. There's a little more greasing. There's a little more cleanup time. But you don't have that other equipment in the field."

--It should shorten his harvest season. "It will in a normal cotton-production year," he observes. "With our above-average crop in 2014, the sheer volume slowed us down a little. Even though we ran slower than previous years, it's a time savings over the basket machines because of how often they have to stop and unload," he adds.

--Most people move the round modules from field to gin in traditional module trucks. Beakley transports bales to his nearby gin on modified flatbed trailers. "Unless the [module] truck has had modifications, you can't build your round bales quite as big so they'll fit, and you can only haul four at a time," he says. He wraps his bales when they reach a full 94 inches across, gathering between 4,400 and 4,600 pounds of cotton, and making the most of each synthetic wrap. Workers use a rented, spear-equipped loader to place round modules on a flatbed. Five bales are placed side-by-side, with the front one lodged against a rack mounted on the front of the trailer. The sixth and final bale is placed the long way, strapped down to hold the load steady. The Beakleys added extensions to 42-foot trailers to accommodate the row of bales.

--This new machine has only boosted Beakley's love for harvest. "I've always run a stripper," he notes.

"I don't get to spend much time on equipment, but since I was a kid, I've always enjoyed the cotton harvest. As long as there's any way possible, this is where I'm going to be."

(BAS)

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