Topper Pruners For Sale

About Topper Pruners

Similar in design and scope to hedgers, toppers are machines used in nut and fruit orchards and vineyards to mechanically prune, or trim, branches, brush, and limbs in place of using ladders or towers and manual pruning. Whereas a hedger specializes at trimming the sides of rows of plants and trees, a topper works to prune the tops of plants and trees, including grape, cherry, olive, almond, pecan, pistachio, and citrus trees. Performing topping applications helps growers maintain trees and plants at ideal heights and shapes, which in turn provides greater visibility and makes harvesting and tending operations more efficient and productive. Topping also helps produce greater crop yields, as it opens up the plants or trees to greater sunlight and moisture and reduces risk of disease.

Multifaceted Machines

While manufacturers offer dedicated toppers and hedgers, including both tractor-mounted units (with independent hydraulic systems) and self-propelled units, numerous manufacturers offer machines that feature a chassis and dual-boom system that can perform topping and hedging tasks, in some cases simultaneously. This reduces the number of passes these machines must take, which of course saves growers time, fuel, and other resources, and also aids in reducing soil-compaction concerns. Some manufacturers sell models that also perform skirting duties.

Topper Traits

While some toppers, including those that also perform hedging tasks, feature adjustable cutting bars or blades, other machines use rotating star-like mechanisms equipped with multiple disc blades. Additionally, some models incorporate dual cutting bars or dual rotating mechanisms that enable growers to top two rows at once, with supported heights ranging from a couple feet to more than 20 feet, depending on the model. Many toppers are easily adaptable to working with various plants and trees, and some support operating on hilly or steep terrain. Other features may include working speeds of 6 mph or faster, self-leveling cutting bars, quick-coupling abilities, foldable cutter bars to enable road transport, and in-cab electric and hydraulic controls. Some toppers are designed with narrow booms to reduce damage to limbs, flotation tires for minimizing soil compaction, various safety features, optional cutter bar sizes, and cabs providing panoramic visibility.