The drying continues as the warm air moves the seed cotton to the cylinder cleaner, which consists of six or seven revolving spiked cylinders that rotate at 400-500 rpm. These cylinders scrub the cotton over a series of grid rods or screens, agitate the cotton, and allow fine foreign materials, such as leaves, trash, and dirt, to pass through the openings for disposal. Cylinder cleaners break up large wads and generally condition the cotton for additional cleaning and drying. Processing rates of about two bales per hour per foot of cylinder length are common.

Picture