Kim Woods•18 May 2018

REVIEW

Machine spotlight: John Deere 7760 cotton picker

Name: Machine spotlight: John Deere 7760 cotton picker
Brand: John Deere

With cotton harvest in full swing, machines like John Deere’s 7760 cotton picker which harvests and bales in one pass are gaining plenty of ground

To help growers make the most of their machines, John Deere dealership Hutcheon & Pearce recently held a series of refresher workshops on the 7760 picker in the southern NSW region.

Hutcheon & Pearce field service foreman, Simon Soligo, took growers on a comprehensive service walk-round at four workshops at Griffith and Coleambally.

“There are now around 60 John Deere 7760 pickers operating in the Riverina, with positive feedback,” he said.

READ: John Deere unveils updated R4045 sprayer

“The refresher days were designed to help clients and new drivers from Hay, Hillston, Griffith and Carathool.

“The 7760 pickers do seem to be a flawless, productive and low-breakdown machine. Daily maintenance is the key with six hour greases and head check, and you will have a hassle free pick.”

Advanced picking

The 7760 was equipped with six row units.

The 7760 is powered by a 560hp, 13.5-litre John Deere Power Tech Plus engine, turbocharged and air-to-air intercooled.

The rear module handler has enough wrap for 120 bales with a maximum bale weight of around 2.4 tonnes.

The 7760 can be equipped with either PRO-16 or PRO-12 VariRow system picking units.

Inside each row unit is 560 spindles pulling in the cotton.

According to Matt Sanders from Hutcheon & Pearce’s product optimisation team in Griffith, the PRO-16 picking unit features a redesigned cam track allowing the unit to run faster than previous models.

“Electronic unit synchronisation enables the heads to synchronise ground speed up to 6.8 km/h, up from 6.4 km/h,” Sanders said.

“The hydrostatic picking unit means less noise and maintenance, and reduces the number of moving parts."

Hutcheon & Pearce's field service foreman, Simon Soligo, checks the solution pump.

He added the twin cotton fan assembly has been updated to reduce the risk of plugging, resulting in more balanced airflow.

In the accumulator, upper and lower infra-red sensors monitor the capacity. Four metering rolls in the bottom of the accumulator and two at the back are driven by hydraulic motors and operate at different speeds to create an even flow on to the feeder belt.

“The front roller will spin at about 10rpm, number two at 13rpm, number three at 18rpm and the rear at 25rpm,” Soligo said.

“The variation in speed is accomplished by different sized drive gears. The feeder belt is directly under the beater rollers and that transitions the cotton out to the RMB (round module builder) at 275rpm during module formation.

“When the module formation process is completed, the RMB will speed up from 120 to 210rpm. Once the module is wrapped, the wrap brake is applied.”

In the cab

The pressurised cab of the 7760 is equipped with ClimaTrak automatic temperature control, a ComfortCommand air-suspended seat, and CommandCentre display serving as the primary interface.

Hot key navigation takes the operator through screens displaying settings, alarms and diagnostic information.

The Hydro handle and CommandTouch console provide control over machine speed, row units, module builder, Row-Trak guidance, row unit height, row unit engagement, and the lubrication system.

The hydro handle and CommandTouch console offer control over machine speed, row units, module builder, Row-Trak guidance and row unit height.

The CommandTouch corner post monitor displays engine RPM, fuel, harvest information, and module builder status.

The GS3 2630 full colour touch screen monitor, with the HarvestDoc Cotton system, handles yield monitoring and mapping functions.

The monitor provides information on total hectares harvested, average yield, harvest hours, load weight and distance covered. The monitor and StarFire 3000 receiver can be moved to the tractor, sprayer or header.

For observation and monitoring purposes, cameras can be mounted inside the module builder and on the rear of the machine.

The 7760 features four operating modes - harvest, transport, gate and cradle, and wrap load.

The 7760 comes standard with the Row-Trak guidance system when equipped with the PRO-16 units.

A standard remote allows the operator to put the machine into and out of transport and harvest modes.

Sanders said the drive train system has four speed ranges - two for field and two for transport – and three levels for engine RPM.

The operator can engage the drive axle differential lock on the go.

Grease ‘em up

Remote tethers control the row unit lubrication, with Quick-Fill connections allowing fast filling of the water tank and on-board lubrication system.

The hydro module cover gives easy access to the remote oil fill and there is enough capacity to keep a six-row machine greased for a week.

During the service walk-round, Soligo comprehensively covered crop feed and potential blockages in the row units.

“If you have a dead spindle on any bar, nine times out of 10 it won’t be the spindle itself but the gear on the shaft,” Soligo said.

“The shaft needs to be disassembled and the gear changed.

“Ensure the shim is in the same spot, otherwise spindles will be out of alignment.”

A tethered row unit lube system is standard on the picker.

Soligo said the operator would be alerted in-cab every six hours to grease the machine.

“Check for spindle wrap or dead spindles – this relates to either the moisture system or doffer adjustment,” he said.

“Make sure at least three of the top six spindles have grease coming out of the collar indicating the machine is well greased. If one head is not showing any signs of grease, it may have a blockage.”

When removing or replacing spindle bars, Soligo advised to check on a small black plastic bung which is the grease port. If it is damaged, it can cause the machine not to grease.

“During the six hour grease, it is advisable to wipe off any cotton build up to keep the spindle clean,” Soligo said.

He also advised hitting the flush button to dose the moisture tower at the end of every row if picking is ‘sticky’.

“This will make sure the spindles stay clean,” he said.

“Once a spindle becomes sticky, the cotton will wrap on and the doffer will not clean it off.”

Some useful tips…

Electronic height sensing is standard on the 7760 and allows the operator to adjust both height and sensitivity on the go from the cab.

“Drive into the crop and hit down, go about 100m and then stop, get out and have a look at where the row units are sitting to ensure you are picking those bottom bolls,” Soligo said.

“Once the clean down has been done in the morning, a good practice is to have the heads kicked in while running down to the paddock. That warms up the grease in the head and reduces the chance of blockages.

There is easy access to unit drive motors and auxiliary pump, bale motor and hydrostat.

“At the same time, have your foot on the de-accelerator to warm the hydraulic oils for the baler movement.”

Soligo added if there is a blockage in the machine, going back and forward with the lever won’t unblock it, instead operators will have to physically get out and unblock.

“The first bale of the day should be trickle fed – don’t just hit auto. Calibrate the rock shaft at the start of the season to result in nicely formed bales.

“Also calibrate the RMB motors to synchronise the meter, beater, feeder and baler speeds.”

Soligo also advised to check on the hose clamps on the air chutes on a weekly basis using an 8mm socket to ensure they are tight.

The 7760 is equipped with dual high efficiency cotton conveying fans to maintain picking speed in high yielding cotton.

Dual air fans allow the machine to maintain optimum ground speed and provide increased airflow in the engine compartment.

The cotton fans, rotary screen drive belt, air filter, grease pump, solution pump and transmission oil sight glass are easily accessed on the side.

A little bit of care goes a long way

“The 7760 has a dual belt drive for the wrap clutch so ensure the belts are nice and tight to give the wrap every opportunity,” Soligo said.

“A lot of the miswraps or double wraps are one-off problems – keep the rollers as free from nicks as possible and use an old towel once a day to apply talcum powder over them to prevent sticking.

“It is really about maintenance and ensuring the rollers are clean to prevent cotton build-up stopping the wrap feed.”

Soligo added operators should look around when ejecting a bale to make sure the picker is not under any power lines as the module chamber lifts up very high.