Bob thanks for the description. I haven't a fruit tree on the place but numerous seed in the ground well nurished by hope. When the time comes
I'll keep your picker in mind.

Hul

Bob F <bobnospam@gmail.com> wrote:

I just posted this to a response elsewhere, and thought someone here is
more likely to find it useful

I have several tools I use to harvest fruit from trees. The commercial
basket on a pole with hook loops works Ok, but frequently the fruit
misses the basket and gets bruised. I created my own special tools for Apples, pears, plums, etc.

I found several appropriate types of reasonably stiff thin smooth wall plastic tubing of appropriate sized that the fruit can loosely fit
inside the tube. These usually come from the hardware store, like thin
wall PVC, or ABS plastic pipe or lightweight drain pipe for larger
sizes, and can be found with one end that is enlarged to fit over the
smaller end of another, to make long lengths.

I cut one or more notches maybe 1/4" at the picking end of one of the
tubes. I can reach up in the tree with this tool, with one hand capping
the lower end to carry the weight and the other hand higher on the pipe
to guide it, slip the end over a fruit, and push it up and to the side a
bit while twisting the pipe until the notch finds the stem and breaks it
off. I keep my bottom hand covering the bottom of the pipe to not let
air escape. The fruit slides slowly down the pipe because the air ahead
of it compresses and slows it. The fruit drops softly into my hand, I
put it into my bucket, then go for the next fruit.

Never a bruise.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)