Frequently Asked Questions

#1 Are R.M. King parts good quality?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 01:00:36 -0800

R.M. King Company was first established as an overhauler of cotton harvesters. Over the years, Reiny began to see that he could make the same quality part at a cheaper price. This would lower the cost of the complete overhaul and give him a competitive edge. The same holds true today. Our number one goal is to provide excellent overhauls. Every part sold is also being used in our R.M. King Company overhauls. We pride ourselves on providing the same or higher quality parts than the original equipment manufacturer.

#2 I live in California and want an overhaul. What do I do?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:59:20 -0800

California customers who want more information about overhauls can speak with any of our office staff or asked to be contacted by the appropriate sale representative (559-266-0258). There are two sales representatives covering the California cotton growing region. When a California customer decides to get an R.M. King overhaul, the salesman picks up the units from the customer’s farm. It is necessary for the customer to dismount the heads beforehand. Each salesman is equipped with a specialized trailer which will pick the units off the ground and load them onto the trailer. No equipment is required by the customer to load the units.

#3 I live outside of California and want an overhaul. What do I do?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:58:25 -0800

Customers outside California should speak with one of our office staff to get details about overhauls. Often Drake King, or his son Jordan, coordinate with out of state customers in regard to preparation of the units, transportation and all other services. There are no additional costs of the transportation for the units. These expenses are already included in the Overhaul Rate.

#4 What is this ‘Overhaul Rate’ charge on my invoice?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:57:39 -0800

In an effort to simplify the charges of an overhaul for our customers, R.M. King Company now offers a flat “Overhaul Rate”. The Overhaul Rate is one flat rate that covers all the expenses of an overhaul, less parts. These expenses include all labor charges, transportation, pickup and delivery, cleaning, hazardous waste, certificates (to cross state borders) and more. Now customers can know in advanced what their overhaul invoice will include; the Overhaul Rate charge, and parts. For more information on the parts used in an overhaul please read here. A customer’s Overhaul Rate charge is determined by the state the cotton picker head is being picked up from and the model number of the cotton picker. For more information please visit our overhauls page or contact us.

#5 What are these items on my overhaul invoice?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:56:21 -0800

The philosophy of our founder Reiny King was to only replace the parts that you can provide sufficient support for why you replaced it. He would often say, “Act like the customer is looking on over your shoulder and asking, ‘what is wrong with that’ every time a part is replaced.” Reiny knew that the secret to a superior overhaul shop was to provide good service at a great value. These fundamental philosophies are still used today. With every overhaul, a customer is given the option to have the old parts returned back to him. This allows the customer to personally review each part that was replaced. If there is ever a question as to the reason for its replacement, the customer is welcome to question its validity for a refund on that product. If the overhaul bill is high, we are always open to go over the bill with our customers and provide explanations for each charge. Thanks to the Overhaul Rate charge, a customer knows in advance what the invoice will look like: the flat rate and parts.

#6 What is the advantage of an R.M. King Company Overhaul compared to other overhaul shops?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:55:52 -0800

R.M. King Company has been repairing cotton pickers since 1953. In fact, the cotton picker is the only piece of equipment worked on in our shop. This means that our shop layout, tools and equipment are set to do one thing, efficiently repair cotton picker units. However, the most valued asset of the company is in the employees. Many of our lead mechanics have been with us for more than 20 years. To top things off, R.M. King Company is the manufacturer of the most complete line of cotton picker head parts. This means that the parts sold in an overhaul are coming directly from the manufacturer. Mechanic’s experience, shop efficiency and R.M. King brand parts all work together to give R.M. King Company a competitive edge.

#7 I live out of state. How can R.M. King Company stay competitive with transportation costs?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:54:18 -0800

Our customers do not pay transportation costs on their overhauls. The expense of transportation is already included in the flat Overhaul Rate. For more information about the Overhaul Rate, please see here. For our customers who are purchasing parts rather than having service work done, the freight charge is added to the total bill. We ship through a number of different freight and parcel companies to ensure the best possible price. We compare freight quotes on every shipment and give our customers the cheapest freight available. In addition, we pass the exact shipping price on to the customer, we to not add a handling charge for any of our packing.

#8 How often do I need a complete overhaul? What maintenance options are available when I do not want a complete overhaul?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:53:03 -0800

The customer knows their machine the best. There are no set standards for how often an overhaul is needed. However, over the years, we have noticed that most customers prefer a complete overhaul after picking 750 acres per head. This translates to a 4 row machine picking 3,000 acres, or second picking 1,500 acres, before a complete overhaul is needed. A large factor in a picker’s wear is the picking conditions. The decision of when an overhaul is needed is up to the customer.

When a complete overhaul is not needed, there are several partial overhaul options available. These maintenance options are for customers who want work done on particular areas of the machine. Some of these include:
• Complete bar repair (spindle assemblies, drive shafts and bar)
• Doffer check and grind
• Doffer pads replace and grind
• Moistener Column alignment and repair
• Spindle replacement
• Spindle assemblies repair
• Bar repair
• Gearbox repair
• Water Pump repair

#9 Who makes the R.M. King brand parts?

Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:52:27 -0800

R.M. King Company manufactures its own parts at the same location as the overhaul shop. The machine shop is run and operated by R.M. King Company employees. As much of the manufacturing process as possible is done in the machine shop to maintain quality control. We have suppliers in all different industries for the items that cannot be manufactured at our location. Either way, we stand behind our parts and ensure top quality of very part.