Cotton Picker Turned Into Self-Propelled Backhoe

Cotton Picker Turned Into Self-Propelled Backhoe TILLAGE EUIPMENT Miscellaneous 22-6-34 I converted an old cotton picker into a self-propelled backhoe. It worked so well that I also built a front-end loader for it that can be equipped with either bale forks or a bucket. I started with a Deere 99 cotton picker. I re-moved the heads and basket and moved the control platform to the rear. I mounted a home-built 3-pt. hitch on the picker's main wheel housing and use the basket cylinders to raise or lower the backhoe and loader. The hitch is raised or lowered by a hydrualic pump. I used 2 by 4 box steel to make the loader arms and 3-in. sq. box steel to make a frame for the bale forks and bucket, which are pinned onto the arms. A hydraulic cylinder mounted be-hind the frame is used to move the bale up or down and to tilt the bucket. I removed the original 16 by 28 tires and replaced them with Deere 4400 combine wheels equipped with rice and cane tires that are the same size as the old ones. However, the new wheels are narrower which reduces tread width by 18 in., allowing the rig to maneuver in tight spaces. I mounted a passenger seat next to the driver's seat. The brake, clutch, and gear shift levers are mounted in front of the driver's seat, but a 2-spool valve that controls the backhoe and loader cylinders is mounted in front of the passenger seat. I can lift two small round bales or one large one and stack 5-ft. bales three high in my barn. (Bill Woods, 12135 Hwy. 8 W., Grenada, Miss. 38901 ph 601 227-9096 or 601 647-2456)

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