Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/196125
Apples drop into their assigned bin from the conveyor through a cloth shroud and land on revolving foam rollers that move them gently to a pinwheel distributor. Surround yourself One idea for cost saving was to build the machine to fit existing machines. It is mounted on a Phil Brown Welding Co. trailer designed to haul five bulk bins. On the day of the demonstration, three bins were used. The machine is not self- propelled; it is pulled by a tractor. Bin filling and handling The design of the bin filler seems quite simple. Once an apple reaches its assigned bin, it drops two to three feet, guided by "curtains" that keep it on track until it reaches foam rollers that break the fall and pull the apple down into a revolving elephant-ear fan that distributes it gently in the bin. "Bin changing was a big challenge," Lu said. The four bins on the trailer move easily in and out on the chain bed, but in sorting the bins don't all fill at the same rate. So the grower will handle some full bins and some only partially filled. The computer can be directed to change the location where it drops an apple, so some adjustment is possible by switching the drop from one bin to another. It's possible to fill two boxes of one grade and partially fill one each of two other grades. "It is much easier to work with two grades and four boxes than it is with three grades," Lu said. Pickers on his machine worked on fixed platforms, which worked well in the Michigan orchards' closely spaced rows and ten-foot-tall trees. Making the platform so it would move up and down, in and out, would add to the cost, Lu said, but could be done. "It did what you wanted it to do," said Phil Schwallier, Michigan State University Extension fruit educator, looking at the bins after the demonstration. "It sorted the apples into three grades." Schwallier has been involved in monRenfu Lu heads the team that itoring quality of apples harvested by developed the apple harvester/ machines like the DBR Conveyor Consorter. The demonstration started cepts machine that moves apples by vacsorting apples from crates and uum tube as they are picked. The DBR is then moved into the orchard. being built at Phil Brown Welding, located close to the demonstration orchard. The demonstration drew several growers interested in the machine, and Phil Brown, co-developer of the DBR machine, was there as well. with Quality It's all around us — from the best varieties to the highest quality rootstocks. With almost 40 years of experience, at ProTree Nursery, LLC, we grow some of the heartiest trees you can buy. As one of the leading suppliers of apple and cherry trees to orchard growers, our customers have come to depend on our quality. You can too. For a price quote or to inquire about specific varieties, call ProTree Nursery, LLC today. APPLES (USPP 16,624 P2) • Granny Smith • Hilwell Braeburn • Rising Sun Fuji® • RubyJon® (USPP 7997) • Honeycrisp™ • RubyMac® (USPP 19,007 McLaughlin cv) • Indian Summer Crab • Schlect Spur Delicious™ • September Wonder™ • Joburn™ Braeburn Fuji (USPP 11,193) (USPP 11,992) • JonaStar JonaGold™ • Simpson Crab • Snowdrift Crab (USPP 20,590) • Torres Fuji™ • LindaMac® • Banning Red Fuji • Beni Shogun • Blondee™ • Brookfield® Gala (USPP 10,016) • Buckeye® Gala (USPP 10,840) • Chrisolyn® (USPP 7526) (USPP 7197) (USPP 12,900) • Manchurian Crab • Crimson Gold Crab • Midnight Red Spur™ • Dandee Red® (serial 74/458,730) (USPP 16,620) • Pacific Gala® • Frettingham Crab (USPP 9681) • Golden Delicious • Pearleaf Crab (USPP 21,300) (USPP 10,115) (USPP applied for) (USPP applied for) • Ultima™ Gala (USPP 13,753 P2) • Zestar!™ (USPP 11,367) These apple varieties are available on B-10, B-118, EMLA-7, EMLA-26, EMLA-106, EMLA-111, G-11, G-16, G-30, M-9 337T, NIC®-29, or Supporter 4. CHERRIES • Benton™ • Bing • Black Tart • BlackPearl® • Brooks™ • BurgundyPearl® • Chelan™ • Coral Champagne • Cristalina™ • EbonyPearl® • Lapins • RadiancePearl® • Rainier • Selah™ • Skeena™ • Sweetheart™ • Tulare™ • Vans Available on Colt, Gisela®, Krymsk®, Mahaleb, or Mazzard.* *Not all varieties are available on all rootstocks. Call for specific grafting information. The economics Lu and Mizushima published an economic analysis. They figure their machine could, in 45 days of harvest, handle 1,768 bins of apples. "A $30,000 machine will be beneficial for growers of more than 1,400 bins if the cullage rate is 20 percent," they wrote. "If the cullage rate is more than 40 percent, even a $40,000 in-field presorting machine can be beneficial for small-size fresh apple growers." The numbers were based only on the packing house cost for culls and did not include labor savings with the harvest-aid machine. If processing apple growers could skim off the cream of their crop, just 10 percent going into the fresh market, a $30,000 machine could benefit a grower having only 1,200 bins of apples, they say. Packing houses could also benefit from having its growers use the orchard presorting machine. "Presorted apples are more consistent in quality, thus enabling packing houses to better manage postharvest storage and packing operations," they stated in their paper. • 10500 Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, CA 94513 800.634.1671 or 925.634.2191 (Alison Clegg or Richard Chavez) 877.457.6901 (Henry Sanguinetti) Fax 925.634.6040 www.protreenursery.com www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower NOVEMBER 2013 21