Page 42 - Grapevine Jan-Feb 2020

Around The Vineyard

pruning shear with a patented safety system is gle or double side blades. Other offerings are the EL
popular among vineyards for pruning purposes. power harrow single-side, FS tiller single-side, and
The history of INFACO dates back to 1984 when EP heavy-duty power harrow – all PTO driven.
M. Daniel Delmas invented the world’s first elec-
tric shears. Today, INFACO offers a versatile and FELCO can also be counted on to help vineyards
compatible product line that also includes an elec- prepare for the winter season, and it has been
trical tying device, electric olive harvester and bat- producing high-quality pruning tools for 75 years.
tery-powered tools. FELCO’s Ryan Amberg told The Grapevine Magazine
about their newest tool, the FELCO 822, launched
“No other company offers the safety and versatili- just this year.
ty of the F3015 Electrocoup shear,” Van Hoorn said.
“Specifically, we offer a patented safety system “It maintains its predecessor’s position as the
that ensures workers won’t injure their non-prun- most powerful electronic pruner on the market
ing hands. Users can also increase cutting capacity with new features, such as HSS XPRO blades for
by just changing the head on the shear. This means increased longevity, smaller multi-position power
that vineyard managers can use the same tool for pack for ergonomics, and the first-of-its-kind con-
cane pruning, converting vineyards and cutting nectivity for future vineyard management applica-
out Eutypa. The shear’s battery is also compatible tions,” Amberg said. “If you are looking for a solu-
with a variety of other INFACO tools for vineyards, tion to carpal tunnel or a solution to a lack of labor,
including an electric tie gun and suckering tool.” the FELCOtronic can be a real solution this winter.”

Killion of Zenport Industries told The Grapevine Pruning Considerations and Tips
Magazine about the wide selection of quality hand
pruners, loppers and saws that Zenport offers, Proper pruning practices come with time and
as well as the company’s series of battery-pow- wisdom collected over many winter seasons. Being
ered pruners. Popular Zenport products are the prepared and having a plan in place for dormant
Zenport EP108 CORDLESS ePruner, a 0.5-inch cut pruning is always a good idea, but it is also neces-
battery-powered electric pruner, and the Zenport sary to be flexible in case weather, the labor sup-
EP2-778 ePruner, a 1.25-inch cut battery-powered ply, or other factors throw a wrench in your plans.
electric pruner.
Van Hoorn of INFACO USA said that labor is a
“These two pruners are immensely popular for huge factor when planning for pruning and buying
vineyard use because of reduced fatigue upon new pruning tools.
workers, dramatically increasing pruning efficiency
and speed,” Killion said. “Both pruners enable the “The labor crisis is here to stay, and with it
user to prune for an entire day.” comes increased prices for every operation in the
vineyard,” she said. “Proper pruning is crucial to
Meanwhile, Rinieri offers two types of machines producing great grapes but is one of the most
for pruning, called CPL, and each type has four dif- labor-intensive tasks on the vineyard. The F3015
ferent sizes based on cutting length. “It is import- pruning shear from INFACO has shown an average
ant to find out if a vineyard is cordon or guyot and productivity increase for vineyards of 30% and also
then decide which length the customer needs,” increases the number of years workers can contin-
Rinieri said. ue pruning. Powered pruners have an inherent risk,
though, and that’s why the F3015 pruning shear
Rinieri also sells many weeding tools, including features a patented safety system to protect work-
Bio-Dynamic, TURBO with hoeing blade, plow kit ers’ non-pruning hands. There is no doubt that this
and Bio-Dynamic tools, and TURBO EVO with power is becoming a must-have tool for vineyard man-
harrow, disc hoeing units, mini shredder plus the agers who need to find ways to use less labor and
blade and plow. These units are available with sin- keep their best workers.”

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