Quick checks before you begin
- Stop, isolate and prevent restart. Wait for all movement to stop and secure raised units with the prescribed mechanical supports before access.
- Record the picking unit, row, front/rear position and recent repair or impact before moving parts.
- Collect photographs only under the applicable safe-access procedure. Do not run the unit to reproduce suspected contact or insert a gauge into moving machinery.
Start with the location of the damage
Photograph the full cotton path and then the affected bar or plate. Record the row, front/rear position, height and whether the mark repeats at several spindle positions. Keep photographs taken before cleaning if they can be obtained safely; clean surfaces may remove useful contact evidence.
A grid bar and a pressure plate are not interchangeable names. TM2109 checks grid bars for straightness and damage, then treats pressure-plate position and its spring-loaded shaft separately. Changing one setting without identifying the contact can leave the actual problem unresolved.
| Finding | Check next | Avoid this shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Bent, loose or damaged grid bar | Bar condition, mounting and the path of the passing spindle nuts | Replacing spindles without addressing the damaged obstruction |
| Marks near a pressure plate | Plate condition, front/rear location and spindle-tip relationship | Calling every cotton-path clearance a grid-bar gap |
| Left-side white streak of cotton | Document the field pattern and check plate position under the applicable procedure | Assuming the streak alone proves a plate fault |
| Damage that repeats on one picker bar | Bar, follower and installed geometry assessment | Moving the pressure plate to hide another component problem |
Grid bars: inspect straightness and even passage
The Section 30 grid-bar check calls for straight, undamaged bars. During the specified installation check, the upper and lower spacing is kept equal as the spindle nuts pass between the bars. This is not a numeric spindle-tip-to-pressure-plate setting.
Record distorted sections, missing or loose hardware and matching contact marks. A technician should decide whether straightening or replacement is appropriate using the prescribed repair method. Do not force a bar into position, bend it in a running unit or use repeated operation as a clearance test.
- Keep front and rear locations distinct when parts are removed.
- Photograph the mounting ends and hardware as well as the long profile.
- Preserve the removed reference number when readable; do not infer it from the illustrated figure number.
- After repair, complete the applicable clearance and fastening checks before return to service.
Pressure-plate position is a separate check
For the arrangements described in Section 30, TM2109 specifies a 3–6 mm (1/8–1/4 in.) relationship between the pressure plate and spindle tips. Treat this as a configuration-specific reference for a qualified check, not a universal field setting or an instruction to place hands near spindles.
The manual associates a gap over 6 mm with a possible white streak of cotton along the left side of the row. That observation helps choose the next inspection; it does not establish the cause of every harvest-loss pattern. Record operating context and inspect the relevant picking components rather than adjusting from the symptom alone.
Front and rear pressure-plate illustrations show different hardware positions. Record which assembly is installed before comparing mounting details or requesting a plate, shaft or spring.
Pressure-plate removal and spring work can release stored energy. This guide does not provide a spring-release sequence, tension setting or shaft-removal procedure. Have qualified personnel use the applicable manual and tooling.
Do not guess spring settings or washer stacks
The reviewed section describes spring-pin, support and shaft-cap relationships. The specification label and the explanatory text use different reference descriptions for a small maximum gap. This guide therefore does not turn that value into a simplified measurement instruction or washer-count recommendation.
Record the existing arrangement and any previous spring or shaft work. Ask the workshop to verify the measurement points and procedure for that assembly. An existing washer stack is useful evidence, not a setting to copy to another unit.
Send enough detail to identify the replacement
For a grid bar or pressure-plate inquiry, send the removed reference if available, picking-unit identification, front/rear location and photos of the mounting points. Include the quantity required and whether the request is for a single part or related hardware.
YUCHENG HARVEST can review these details for a parts inquiry. Where a specific reference or fitment has not been verified, use the category or contact route instead of treating a similar catalog image as a confirmed replacement.
- Browse picker-bar and related parts
Start with a category review. This link does not confirm a matching grid bar, pressure plate or cam track is stocked or fits your unit.
- Separate bar straightness from installed leveling
Do not use bar-height adjustments to compensate for an unassessed cabinet or track.
- Check cam-track wear and cabinet alignment
Track wear, roller wear and cabinet alignment require different checks.
- Ask about part identification
Share the installed location and reference so the requested supply can be reviewed.
Technical basis for this article
The article paraphrases and organizes the sources below. It does not copy a service manual, and it does not replace the current documentation for the exact machine.
- TM2109 — PRO-12, PRO-12 VRS and PRO-16 Picking Unit Repair (20 July 2020), Sections 30 and 90, Group 05John Deere Des Moines Works | repair manual
Text, specification tables and illustrations reviewed: printed pages 30-05-1–6 and 90-05-1–5. Bibliographic reference only; the purchased manual is not hosted here. Verify the current procedure for the installed configuration.
Questions buyers and technicians ask
Are grid-bar spacing and pressure-plate clearance the same?
No. The grid-bar check concerns even passage between bars as spindle nuts pass. The pressure-plate check concerns the plate’s relationship to spindle tips. Use the separate procedure for each.
Does a white streak prove I need a new pressure plate?
No. The manual identifies a possible relationship to plate position in the described arrangement. Record the pattern and inspect before deciding whether adjustment, repair or replacement is needed.
Can I identify a grid bar from the machine model alone?
No. Confirm the installed picking unit, front/rear position, removed reference and mounting details. A whole-machine designation does not establish a part match.