Mechanical Pruning of Pecans Erick Nielsen, President of ENE, Inc. 37th Annual Western Pecan Growers Conference

Pruning Practices Maintaining the interior fruiting area of the tree by regularly hedging the peripheral canopy

Pruning Practices Maintaining a margin of fruiting wood on the periphery of the tree by periodically hedging to renew fruitwood

Pruning Practices “Angle” or “roof” topping of pecans is also being done to manage the height of the tree to allow adequate light in the orchard.

Consider: How far off the trunk? How high? How often? Geographical area

Consider: Soil type Variety Spacing Age & health of the orchard

Mechanical Pruning Equipment Double sickle bar Rotary Straight Bar

Double Sickle Bars Tractor mounted 6” sickle sections 12’-14’ cutting swath Cuts up to 1 ½” diameter wood

Double Sickle Bars Hedges up to 36’ Roof tops up to 24’ Slow, 2 MPH +/- Highly maneuverable Very little reach

Double Sickle Bars Effective in young trees/new growth Low maintenance Sickle sections are cheap! $20k ready-to-mount Purchase, rent, or lease

Double Sickle Bar Tangeman (20’)

Double Sickle Bar Vamco (14’)

Double Sickle Bar Gillison (12’)

Rotary Machines Single or double boom styles Tractor mounted or a complete unit 2 to 5 saw blades 24” to 38” diameter saw blades

Rotary Machines Up to 24’ cutting swath Cuts up to 10” diameter wood Hedges up to 53’ Roof tops up to 46’ Best reach of all machines

Rotary Machines Speed: 1-5 MPH Clears brush effectively Caution: wood can get caught in rotation Multiple blades=multiple chances to cut wood

Rotary Machines Higher maintenance Saw maintenance=expensive Ready-to-mount kit: $40k Complete unit: $125k-$190k Purchase, lease, commercial companies

Rotary Machine TOL (20’)

Rotary Machine TOL (24’)

Straight Bar Machines Single or double boom Complete unit or mounted on rough terrain cranes, lifts, or excavators 4-8 saw blades 30”-48” diameter saw blades Cutting swaths of up to 27’

Straight Bar Machines Hedging up to 75’ Roof topping up to 46’ Capable of cutting 12” diameter wood Speeds vary: 2 – 10 MPH Handles large cuts effectively

Straight Bar Machines Higher maintenance Saw sharpening is critical! Costs: from $20k to $200k Available through commercial companies or can be custom built

Straight Bar Machine Leydig-double boom (24’)

Straight Bar Machine Leydig-double boom (16’)

Straight Bar Machine Nielsen (23’)

Straight Bar Machine FICO (20’ +)

Available Equipment Baker, Mike (Visalia, CA) ENE, Inc. (Orland, CA) Manufacturers / Commercial Companies Involved in California Industry Baker, Mike (Visalia, CA) ENE, Inc. (Orland, CA) Gillison’s Variety Fabrication, Inc. (Benzonia, MI) It-Hulls / Ron Kaiser (Jackson, CA) Kimball Toppers, Inc. (Visalia, CA)

Available Equipment Maragliano, Rober (Thornton, CA) Manufacturers / Commercial Companies Involved in California Industry Maragliano, Rober (Thornton, CA) Don Pellum Topping (Stockton, CA) Peltzer Enterprises, Inc. (Visalia, CA) Premier (Exeter, CA)

Available Equipment TOL, Inc. (Tulare, CA) Tri L (Visalia, CA) Manufacturers / Commercial Companies Involved in California Industry TOL, Inc. (Tulare, CA) Tri L (Visalia, CA) VAMCO, Ltd, Inc. (Lindsey, CA)

Options for Pecan Growers Utilize a commercial company Rent/lease/purchase a machine from a manufacturer Have a machine custom designed Build your own machine

Utilize a commercial company Who’s in your area? (lower fees/better Scheduling Reasonable cost per acre No capital investment in equipment or operators

Rent/lease/purchase a machine from a manufacturer Price Availability of parts and service Availability and quality of operators Maintenance of saws and machine

Rent/lease/purchase a machine from a manufacturer Seasonality of work Cost per acre worked Go in together with a group of growers Potential for doing local commercial work

Have a machine custom designed for you Cost prohibitive? Request for adjustments or changes to be made to existing designs

Build your own machine Not recommended “Buy” the experience instead of reinventing the wheel

Summary Identify your needs Consider specific pruning practices Consider available equipment Come to your own conclusions!