Patent ID: 7836673

Claim:
A combination of an on-board rectangular cotton module builder and module transporter for a self-propelled cotton harvesting machine, comprising: a cotton module builder including a generally horizontal, flat floor and a wall structure extending upwardly from peripheral portions of the floor, and a door enclosing a rear opening, defining a rectangular module building chamber, a roof structure disposed over the module building chamber, the roof structure having at least one forward inlet opening through which harvested cotton is received from the harvesting machine, and an accumulating cavity into which the cotton is received, and cotton compacting apparatus disposed in an upper region of the module building chamber and having a first mode which is a non-operating state, a second mode wherein the apparatus is operable for conveying and distributing the cotton from the accumulating cavity into the module building chamber, and a third mode for movement downwardly into the chamber against the cotton distributed therein for compacting the cotton into a cohesive rectangular cotton module, the door being openable to allow passage of the cotton module through the rear opening; a module transporter mounted on the harvesting machine rearwardly of and adjacent to the rear opening, the transporter being configured so as to be foldably compactable in a stored position adjacent to the door of the module builder, and unfoldable into a generally horizontal deployed position extending rearwardly and outwardly from the rear opening in substantially coplanar relation to the floor, the transporter being adapted for receiving and supporting a cotton module from the module builder, the transporter being configured to be pivotable from the generally horizontal deployed position to a tilted position extending downwardly from the module builder to a surface disposed therebelow, and a wheel assembly mounted on the transporter and configurable in a transport mode for supporting the transporter in the horizontal deployed position with a cotton module thereon for travel over a field as the machine harvests cotton therefrom, and in an unload mode supporting the transporter in the tilted position with a cotton module thereon for travel over a field as the machine harvests cotton; and at least one driver operable for moving a cotton module from the floor of the module builder through the rear opening and onto the transporter.