North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Neil Hochstedler <neilho@innevi.com>]

Alan, 

You wrote:

"Of course people of similar experience and expertise can disaggree"

Glad to read that.

"I was slightly annoyed at your presumption that my opinion was based on
inexperience in snow,..."

 I apologize for offending you. I picked and pruned apples professionally
for 10 seasons in the Northeast, mostly in Vermont, New Hampshire and
Massachusetts, picked for several more seasons in the Northwest and have
continued to work my own orchard of 200+ trees and others in Vermont for an
additional 20. I've met many pro pruners along the way, none of whom use a
ladder to prune, deep snow or not. My experience and your writing style
left me with the initial impression that you were not a pro.

"...best to speak from your own experience not presume someone elses. " 

 While that appears to be at heart an humble approach, it leads to many
sentences beginning with the word I, I, I and I and fosters perception of
the writer as pompous egomaniac. So there is a delicate balance to be had
between exclusively personal statements and general ones that include others. 

"Don't get the one with fine teethe on the tip, it's pointless in my opinion."

A fine pun. You're a man with a keen sense of humus. OK, OK, I'll stop the
pun-ishment.

Thanks for your opinions on the Silky. 

Neil
  


ipAt 09:55 AM 6/4/2008 -0400, you wrote:
> Neil, I use the Gomtaro 300, coarse teethe.  Used to use an ARS of
similar size but the handles had a primitive bolting system that caused
problems.  Before that I used a Felco but somehow they apparently started
getting screwed by the Japanese manufacturer of their blades and the blades
started to bind.
  
As far as stablizing my ladder with a flat stone, I rarely need to do that
so it is not a factor in my efficiency- people are generally amazed at the
speed I can get through an orchard- no brag, just a probably hopeless
attempt to establish credibility.  The advantage of a step ladder that you
can go up one side and down the other means you have to move the ladder
about half as much, makes a huge difference.
  
I understand the advantages of the traditional tri-pod and as I stated in
my post, my helper used one all winter in a commercial orchard for over ten
years, but when he tried the little giant system he considered it much
better.  Of course people of similar experience and expertise can disaggree
but I was slightly annoyed at your presumption that my opinion was based on
inexperience in snow, best to speak from your own experience not presume
someone elses. 
  
I would not be surprised if I spend more hours every year pruning fruit
trees than anyone else in the entire country- a total of six months a year,
almost every working hour of every working day.  This doesn't prove that I
know what I'm talking about but it sure proves that I've convinced a lot of
people that I do who pay me a professional wage.
  
AM Leonord carries the Silky I'm talking about.  Don't get the one with
fine teethe on the tip, it's pointless in my opinion.
  
Best wishes, Alan Haigh
 
>Mark's grinder stand, standard optical lens mounting practice and milking
> stools are some examples. But back to ladders. True, 3 legs aren't
>necessarily more stable, just stable without shimming the odd leg, which
>  And if, as it often happens, one leg shifts when weight is put
> on the ladder, the 3 legged ladder stays relatively stable without
>reshimming. A 4 legged ladder does resist falling to one side more than an
>equivalently sized 3 legged ladder so 3 legged ladders' rung side are
made
> quite a bit wider to compensate.
>
>"On very uneven ground you can use a large flat stone or piece of wood to
>"
>
>Certainly. It takes time, time that is more productively used to pick or
> prune. Instead of carrying a piece of wood or flat stone, a ladder, a saw
>and other pruning gear and shimming ladder legs, all in snow so deep it
>comes up to the 2nd or 3rd rung, I'd rather carry just a saw and a
pruning
> pole.
>
>"  My Silky cuts about
>"
>
>Which model Silky do you like? (There seem to be quite a few.)
>
>I'd be happy to buy the Wheeler from you if you still have it.
> 
>Neil
>
>
>
>02:12 PM 6/2/2008 -0400, Alan wrote:
>>_I start pruning as soon as the snow starts in Dec. and I'm in the snow
>belt. I prune every working day, from the first snow that sticks until
> early April, even in blizzards and even when I have to knock the ice off
>   I've used my Little Giant ladder on ice
>slopes where spikes would have been very helpful and most don't dare even
> try to walk. I have about 2 decades of winters under my belt, including one
>where we got over 300 inches of snow and plenty of others with over 100.
>  On very uneven ground you can
> use a large flat stone or piece of wood to stabilize a single loose foot.
>
>  My Silky cuts about
>twice as fast.
>
>
>
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