Prototype Cotton Picker

In the same time frame as the "super stripper" (prototype stripper 2x the size of an 880) that was being developed at AC back in the 70s/80s, there was also a big new 4 row picker in prototype form. The new picker included numerous features, and was easy to maintain, and low maintenance (unlike any other picker, both back then and today) The spindles that rotated and picked the cotton were mounted on a rotating drum (think of a Gleaner feeder beater, mounted on end, but with many more fingers). Just like on a combine, the spindles/fingers on this revolutionary new picker retracted into the drum. The spindles emerged, picked the cotton, then retracted, dropping the cotton into an air stream that carried it to the basket. Every other picker had a doffer to remove the cotton on each row unit, and that's more parts, more maintenance. 

The new picker picker was ready for production, but Allis was also ready to introduce the rotary Gleaners. Allis didn't want to push too many new products at once, so the new picker was put on the back burner in favor of the rotary Gleaners, since the Allis bean counters didn't like the cotton harvesters in general. Later, when Allis' farm equipment division was going bankrupt, they sold the new picker design to John Deere. I'm not sure what Deere turned the Allis design into, but I'd guess either the 9950 or 9960. I'm not familiar with pickers, though, so I really don't know.