Pruning Fruit Trees from Trailers

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 87, Issue 2, 15 August 1953, Page 106

Pruning Fruit Trees from Trailers

By

J. COOMBE,

Horticultural Instructor,

Department of Agriculture, Christchurch THE pruning of fruit trees is often a cold and irksome job, especially if wet weather or heavy frosts occur. On many wet soils or when the ground begins to thaw after a frost the soil sticks to boots, with the result that the steps of the ladders become coated with sticky mud. This not only makes working conditions unpleasant, but also means that the workers' feet get cold, ■ ladders become heavy to shift and dangerous to climb, and time is lost scraping mud from them. Messrs. Waigth and Sons, Roxburgh, have adopted a method which overcomes these unpleasant conditions and speeds up the work to such an extent, that it has reduced their pruning time by approximately 30 per cent, of that taken when ladders were used from the ground. THE method necessitates the use of a tractor and two flat-topped, 4-wheeled trailers. The trailers are connected one behind the other so that the distance between their centres is the same as that between the fruit ’ trees; ' Two men prune from each trailer, and a . fifth man drives the tractor and assists in pruning so that both trees are finished together. Once work has begun in the morning the only worker to step on the ground is the tractor, driver. Each trailer is about 2ft. 6in. high and 16ft. long. On both front and back of each trailer there is a 12in. x 2in. plank which is bolted to the platform of the trailer by one bolt so that it can be pivoted in any direction required. These planks are pushed into position with the’ feet so that they extend out over the sides of the trailers and the workers can then

~ round a little more than half of walk tree aldtie ea X trailer. The planks are swung back over the body of . the trailer before the trailers are moved 0 the next two trees. . ladders (about 3ft 6in hjhj° arehso.’lrSd each trailer s h used for the higher branches, Ladders of this heigh? used on the trailers are equal to Bit. ladders worked from ground level, and they stand much more firmly on the trailer than they do on the ground. These ladders are made so that they can be placed on the outrigger planks (see ladder on left in illustration above). When the ladders are placed on the outriggers they rest on the bottom rungs instead of on the legs.

Only half of each row is pruned at a time, the trailers being hauled along both sides of .each row. If the trees vary considerably in size, it is simple for one worker to step from one trailer to the other and assist on the larger tree so that both trees are complefed at the same.time Only a tew seconds are required to shift the trailers to each new position, whereas 11ladders are used, a number of s have to be made to prune each tree, Also far less time is required in climbmg up and down ladders from t trailers because of the shortness of the ladders. _ , Thanks are extended to Messrs, Waigth and Sons for the particulars given of their equipment.