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Transportation Within Orchard 



It was necessary to move partially-filled pallet boxes ahead when trees 

 were finished to save steps for the pickers . Forklift equipment was used to 

 do this and with larger picking crews one tractor forklift sometimes was nec- 

 essary just for this operation. The same forklift unit usually was used to 

 distribute empty pallet boxes ahead of pickers and move filled boxes to the 

 edge of the orchard. Where a forklift unit is used just for this purpose, it 

 can be an inexpensive, low-lift 1,000-pound capacity, fork attachment which 

 mounts on the 3-point hitch of many tractors with built-in hydraulic lifts 

 (fig. 5). Such units lift pallet boxes high enough for moving around the 

 orchard and are available for less than $200. For smaller picking crews, the 

 tractor forklift used for moving filled pallet boxes from the orchard also was 

 used to move partially-filled boxes ahead for the pickers. 



Usually tractor forklift equipment with about a 5-foot lift and 

 2,000-pound capacity is necessary to move filled pallet boxes from the orchard. 

 The higher lift is necessary to set one pallet box on another and to set boxes 

 two-high on a highway truck. Two 27-box capacity pallet boxes weigh about 

 1 ton gross when filled. Forklift attachments are available for several types 

 or combinations of mounting for nearly all orchard tractors. Such equipment 

 is shown in figures 3, 4, 5, and 6. The simplest, least expensive type of such 

 a lift is shown in figures 3, 4, and 5. It mounts on the rear of the tractor 

 with a counter-balancing weight on the front and uses the tractor hydraulic 

 system for power to lift and tilt the fork. In addition, the unit in figure 4 

 has a hydraulically-operated hold-down or load stabilizer such as that used 

 for transporting boxes on pallets. 



The base price of such a forklift attachment is from $800 to $900. A 

 hydraulic-powered side shift for the fork is desirable to assist in loading 

 pallet boxes on a truck, but it adds around $200 to the cost of the unit. 



Some operators prefer the truck-loading forklift on the front of the 

 tractor. With such an arrangement, a low-lift, inexpensive fork attachment 

 can also be mounted on the rear of the tractor. Thus 4 empty boxes per load 

 can be hauled into the orchard (fig. 6). However, such a combination is not 

 satisfactory for filled boxes when the soil is wet or soft as the front wheels 

 cut too deeply into the soil. Also, such a combination adds considerable load 

 on the front tires and wheel bearings of the tractor making oversize front 

 tractor tires and power steering desirable. Some manufacturers provide a 

 special front tractor axle for such an attachment. When trees are closely 

 spaced it is often necessary to move filled boxes one high to open spaces or 

 roadways before decking two high. 



One orchardist made a convenient conversion of the loader attachment for 

 his tractor for handling pallet boxes by replacing the scoop with forks for 

 lifting and loading the boxes (fig. 7). Machinery manufacturers of truck 

 rakes, hay loaders, and other similar equipment offer forklift attachments as 

 standard equipment. Crawler-mounted tractors with standard forklift attach- 

 ments were also used for handling pallet boxes. 



