Module Builder

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A module builder

A module builder or cotton module builder is an agricultural device for compressing machine-harvested cotton , usually in the form of a trailer . In this way, the cotton can be transported in a space-saving manner and with little loss, and it can be stored in the field without any loss of quality or quantity.

Overloading the cotton in the module builder. Further modules can be seen in the background.

history

The Cotton Module Builder was developed in the USA to close the logistical bottleneck between the cotton harvest and transport to further processing . In 1971, the development of the first prototypes began by Texas A&M University under the direction of Professor Lambert Wilkes. This project was supported by Cotton Incorporated, an organization of American cotton producers.

Module-Builders have been in use since 1972; in the USA today, more than 90% of the cotton harvested is compacted in Module-Builders. The module builders have also established themselves in other countries where cotton is harvested mechanically.

A cotton module in the field

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers ( ASABE ) , the umbrella organization for agricultural engineers in the USA, has recognized the module builder as one of the three most important innovations in the mechanization of cotton cultivation.

Removal of the cotton

function

A module builder is a large trailer that is moved and powered by a tractor but is used stationary. The wheels are pulled in hydraulically when the device is in operation. A module builder is about nine meters long, four meters high and three meters wide. It basically works on the principle of a garbage compactor. The cotton harvesters tip the loose raw cotton into the trailer, which is open at the top, trying to achieve as even distribution as possible. After unloading, a hydraulic ram is moved up and down at high pressure, which moves back and forth along the side walls to evenly compress the cotton. This process is repeated after each loading process until a module is ready and unloaded through the rear door. The module builder is moved with the tractor in order to produce a new module elsewhere. The weight of one module is around 10 tons.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Archived copy ( Memento from August 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) The Module Builder
  2. ↑ http://www.cotton.org/tech/quality/just-build-it.cfm Just Build It: Seed-Cotton Storage & Handling in Modules
  3. ^ Archived copy ( Memento from August 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) The Module Builder
  4. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of July 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Bud Force: COTTON MODULE BUILDER TO BE DEDICATED AS HISTORICAL LANDMARK

Web links

Commons : Cotton module builders  - Collection of images, videos and audio files