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| John
Deere Cotton Pickers 1983-2003
by Gordy
Schultz
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| Winter
has set in here in Wisconsin. I am long done with big baling hay and
straw and back in the shop building 1/64 toys. I hope you enjoy some of
my special 1/64 projects in this months "Collectors
Workmanship" segment of The Toy Tractor Times. I have been building
toys for 20 years and in recent years have expanded my interest to farm
equipment literature collecting and sales. Looking at the pictures in
brochures often gives me building ideas.
I think that one of the most interesting pieces of farm equipment
is the cotton picker. For many years I drove FMC pea harvesters and
Byron Sweet Corn pickers. For this reason I enjoy collecting harvesting
equipment literature. Living in Wisconsin I do not have any
opportunities to see cotton pickers. I do hope to travel down South some
day to see these massive harvesters in person. Until I can enjoy these
pickers through the literature offered by the equipment makers who build
or built pickers. This month we will look at about 20 years worth of
John Deere picker literature dating from 1983-2003. International and
now CaseIH also offers cotton pickers and ofcourse literature. I will
share some of the red picker literature I have in a future issue of TTT.
Allis-Chalmers also offered a Cotton harvester in the 1970's that could
interchange between a picker and stripper head. I do not have any AC
cotton literature but would be very interested in finding some.
1976 John Deere Historical
Highlights
From toy collectors that I have talked to in Texas, Georgia, Alabama,
Mississippi and Missouri it seems that John Deere has a strong following
across the south with it cotton pickers. John Deere first offered cotton
picking machines in the 1930's. There is a great piece of literature
Deere & Company offered in for the Bi-Centennial that highlights the
brands achievements in mechanizing farming from pioneer days to modern
times. This piece shows the early Deere nhorse drawn cotton
picker.
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| Toy collectors first became familiar
with John Deere’s cotton picker in 1983 when Ertl introduced a 1/80
replica of the yellow top Titan cab picker. This toy picker does not
have a decal but it represents the 4 row 9940 picker. In 1983 John Deere
was proud to introduce the 9940 picker. The brochure shows the 9940
running head to head with two 1970's two row pickers. The 9940 was
America’s first 4 row picker. This 27 hp machine was billed to harvest
85 to 95% more cotton than any two row picker. With a basket that could
hold up to 1,004 cubic feet of cotton the 9940 can harvest up to 3.82
acres per hour, or 7 ½ bales. That is 3 ½ bales more than any two row
picker available in 1983. |
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| Time marches on an in 1987 the John
Deere Company turned 150 years old. In the same year the 9940 was
replaced by the 9950. The 9950 over specs remained the same with a 207
hp engine and 1004 bu. basket The Soundgard cab roof changed from yellow
to green as it had on the Titan combines the year before. This same year
the two row 9920 picker became the 9930. The 9920 and 9930 were smaller
pickers with a single tire rear axle, 135 hp engine and 608 cu. ft
basket. |
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| John Deere has never been a company
to rest on its laurels. Ten years after the big 4 row 9940 picker was
introduced the 9965 with a five row picking capacity was introduced. The
1993 John Deere cotton picker brochure highlights the two row 9930
picker and the all new 4 or 5 row 9965 picker. The 9965 was the worlds
first 5 row picker, with row spacings to fit 36, 38 and wide 40 inch
rows. The 9965 was built to harvest 7 acres an hour more than doubling
the 9940's achievements in 1983. Fully extended the 9965 offers a 1,173
cu. ft. basket and is powered by a 250 hp engine. |
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| In August of 1997 introduced the
"radically advanced" Pro-Series pickers. The literature touts
John Deere’s newest and largest pickers to date. Based on an all new
design the John Deere 9976 set a new standard in picking. The 300 hp
picker offered 4, 5 and 6 row picking. The big machine with a full
height basket of 1,200 cu. ft could harvest cotton a 4 mph, even in a
bumper crop yielding 3 bales to an acre. Once again Deere improved
picking by 90 to 95% over its previous machine. The 6 row unit was built
to harvest 75 acres per day where the new 4 row 9970 could cover 45
acres today. The 9976 was so much larger it was built with dual wheels. |
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2003 brought another new Cotton picker from the John
Deere. Deere always seems to lead the way with a big pickers. The 9986
is a 325 hp machine with an available 4 or 6 row picker. It bin has
expanded to 1,400 cu. ft. Twenty years ago the 9940 was billed as the
machine to replace two 2 row pickers. Today’s big 9986 can out work a
fleet of 9940's. It is an impressive and modern machine using the same
cab found on John Deere’s 60 series combines. This is the first picker
not to use the Titan Soundgard cab.
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| Through out this article
it seems that John Deere has introduced new and larger machines on years
ending in three and seven. Could the year 2007 bring an 8 row picker?
All of the John Deere brochures from 1983-2003 offer hours of
interesting reading and picture viewing. I am not sure of their values
but similar Titan Combine brochures from the 80s range from $20 to $10.
Maximizer brochures from the 90's are in the $5-$8 range. I would
imagine the cotton brochures would follow suite in price. The 2003 9986
brochure is available at www.deere.com. |
TTT
December2003 Page 11