Ever used a pecan vibrator

[Steve B]

I am going to shake the pecans off some trees locally that are just loaded. I have them sold already.

I have a vibrator that makes a 960# impact 4,000 times a minute. Used to shake railroad cars so they will dump. Get silos moving. That sort of thing.

Anyway, I'm going to rig it up to trees with cables to the branches, and see how much vibration it will induce into the trees, and what it will take to shake the pecans off a tree.

Anyone ever try this? I know that sometimes, a good wind will cause them to fall, and hope this works.

Has anyone ever worked in that field, or had experience harvesting pecans this way?

Steve

[David Hare-Scott]

I have no idea so this is just a guess but I would think that a slower rate of vibration might to be less damped and get the branches moving better.

D

[Farm1]

Your words describing the use of "hard cable" or "chain" has given me a mental image of ringbarked trunks. I'm sure you wouldn't be so silly so I'm no closer to understanding what a pecan vibrator might work.

Guess I'll have to wait to see the youtube clip to see if it operates anything like an olive tree shaker or other nut tree shakers.

[songbird]

yeah, i was thinking that too. at least you need a strap or padding or you will get a partially ringed tree. and i would not attach it to branches but to the main trunk.

this is usenet. silly is to be expected.

i'm unlikely to see a vid, but the frequency sounds very high, but if it gets the tree to vibrate that is likely to be enough.

if anything, flicking the on/off switch should add enough chaos for it to be effective.

songbird

[songbird]

...anything...

welcome back to the funny farm. :)

thanks for the interesting glimpses of the peacan grower's life.

songbird

[Rick]

You may have already seen this site or similar. Yhey sell used equipment. You might get some ideas just from looking at what they have.

[Rick]

I probably forgot to attach it.

folks sell used equipment, but pricey for a small operation.