Patent ID: 6969315

Claim:
In a cotton harvester having a basket including an interior for receiving and holding cotton harvested by the harvester and apparatus for compacting the harvested cotton into a compacted body, the basket including an open side connecting with the interior and a door having a proximal end connected adjacent to a floor of the basket for pivotal movement between a closed position in closing relation to the open side and an open position extending sidewardly from the floor in generally parallel relation thereto, the door having a distal end opposite the proximal end and a cotton conveying surface which faces the interior when the door is in the closed position and which faces upwardly when the door is in the open position, the cotton conveying surface including elements movable for conveying the compacted cotton from the interior sidewardly to the distal end of the door, the improvement comprising: a door extension supported adjacent to the distal end of the door for pivotal movement between a stored position in overlaying relation to the distal end of the door such that the extension is positioned within the interior of the basket, and a deployed position extending sidewardly therefrom, the door extension including a free end which when the door is open and the extension is in the deployed position is spaced sidewardly and a predetermined distance below the distal end of the door, the door extension including an upper surface which extends from the distal end of the door to the free end and over which the cotton will be conveyed sidewardly and downwardly from the door, at least the free end of the extension being located at an elevation lower than an adjacent end of the conveying surface of the door when the door is in the open position and the extension is in the deployed position such that a portion of a compacted body of cotton supported on the extension will extend in a downward direction relative to a portion of the compacted body supported on the door.