Mechanized Pruning Tools Growing on More Tree Fruit Producers
January 18, 2021 The need for mechanized pruning and trimming tools will continue to increase in light of rising labor costs and a diminishing workforce, according to equipment distributors across the U.S.
“The biggest challenge will still be labor,” OESCO Salesperson Sukie Kindwall says. The remedy, she notes, is equipment that “takes the peaks and valleys out of necessary labor.”
One of those valleys for fruit growers is rising labor costs, David Chase, President of Peach Ridge Orchard Supply, says. To remain profitable, he says growers “need mechanized solutions for labor-intensive jobs such as pruning.”
Along the same lines, as the agricultural workforce continues to shrink, “mechanization will become more pressing in labor-intensive areas such as pruning and harvesting,” Butch Rhoton, President of Brewt Power Systems, says. “Manual farming functions will need to be mechanized.”
POWER TRIP
Battery-powered pruners are highly recommended by distributors.
Peach Richard Orchard Supply sells and services the Infaco line, which “makes pruning easier and workers more productive,” Chase says.
“Actual grower trials have demonstrated productivity increases of 30% or more using them,” Chase says. “The feedback from customers tells us this is the best pruner on the market. They like the cutting power; every cut is easy. They like the ergonomics; it is the lightest shear available for its cutting capacity and is shaped to fit one’s hand. They also like the quality; it is a high-tech tool built for millions of cuts.”
Infaco has manufactured high-quality battery powered pruners since 1984 and, according to Chase, has continually improved upon on each model. The current model boasts a 48-volt lithium-ion battery that is lightweight and long lived.
“With the pull of a trigger, the medium cutting blade can cut limbs up to 1¾ inches in diameter,” Chase says. “Extension poles are available and can easily be attached to the pruner in minutes.”
OESCO offers Felcotronic Lithium battery-operated pruners and Campagnola pneumatic pruners. Both brands are available as hand-held and extension pruners.
“We also sell high-quality European anvil pruners, which are becoming increasingly popular, as well as the old industry standard pruning tools,” Kindwall says.
Brewt Power Systems provides the Campagnola line of equipment, both pneumatic and electronic powered.
“Our mechanized pruning tools and systems provide growers labor-saving alternatives to manual pruning tools,” Rhoton says.
Mechanized pruning in action. The Rinieri ORP orchard pruner caters to various types of orchard cultivation.
Photo courtesy of BDI Machinery
OTHER PRUNING STRATEGIES
Paul J. Licata, the owner/President of BDi Machinery, says fruit growers must possess the ability to orchard prune in all types of orchard cultivation, such as the square method, triangular method, and trellis method.
The Rinieri ORP orchard pruner, which BDi distributes, is suitable for most types of orchard cultivation, Licata says. The machine’s frame is equipped with four hydraulic movements that are controlled by a joystick and can be fitted with one or two steel disc bars that are capable of cutting branches up to 3 or 4 inches.
“Growers should have a pruning strategy, exploring options for de-leafing as well, and having ongoing growing training as a means to increase harvest yields,” Licata says.
BEST PRACTICES
Like cooking a steak or managing a baseball team, everyone has their own idea how to prune. “If there is one thing I’ve learned in 35 years in the industry,” Rhoton says, “it’s that each grower has his own opinion of the pruning and tree training methods utilized in the orchard.”
Nonetheless, Kindwall and Licata offer tips. “Orchard plantings that will be managed and harvested with the assistance of mechanized equipment need to be constructed to accommodate the equipment, not the reverse,” Kindwall says.
Adds Licata: “Orchard cultivation is extremely important, beginning with early tree trimming, which can be important for the life of the orchard as it applies to controlling pressures, and yields.”
Kindwall also notes that high-quality anvil loppers and hand pruners that have been used in Europe for many years are rapidly growing in popularity in the U.S.
“A good quality anvil lopper or hand pruner requires much less cutting effort than a traditional bypass shear, thereby reducing the risk of repetitive motion injury,” Kindwall says.
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