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PVC FRUIT PICKER

by Thinkenstein on July 14, 2009

Table of Contents

PVC FRUIT PICKER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: PVC FRUIT PICKER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: SAFETY WHILE HEATING PVC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: CLOSING THE BOTTOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: CUT THE "J" CHANNEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4: CUT THE BLADE MOUNTING SLITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 5: MOUNT THE RAZOR BLADE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 6: ATTACH THE HANDLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 7: ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO MOUNT THE POLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
 Author:Thinkenstein author's website
I'm a refugee from Los Angeles, living in backwoods Puerto Rico for about 35 years now and loving it. I built my own home from discarded nylon fishnet and
cement.

Intro: PVC FRUIT PICKER

This fruit picker was designed for oranges, but it works for other fruit also. The body of the picker holds several oranges before needing to be emptied. That speeds up
the picking process when there are lots of fruit.

The main feature of interest is the "J" shaped channel at the end of the pipe. One makes a spear-like thrust with the picker to get the fruit inside the pipe. The stem of the
fruit follows through the "J" channel. A twist and pull of the picker put the stem at the end of the "J" slot, where a sharp razor blade cuts it. The fruit falls into the head of
the picker.

Alternative ways of mounting the pole will be described.

Step 1: SAFETY WHILE HEATING PVC

Give a general description of the StepWe love plastics for what they do for us, but plastic manufacture and decay tend to pollute the environment and negatively affect
our health.

Vinyl Chloride, one of the components of PVC, is carcinogenic. When it is locked up in the polymer, however, it is much safer to be around. In my years of experience
working with PVC, I have not noticed any adverse effects on my health from being around it.

Always work in areas with good ventilation. If you do get caught in a cloud of smoke, hold your breath and move to clean air.

When heating PVC with a gas stove or propane torch, try not to let it burn. Smoke from burning PVC is bad. With experience one burns it less and less. Don't panic the
first time you do burn some. It scorches, but doesn't immediately burst into flame. Move the material away from the flame and try again. Don't breathe the smoke. Smoke
avoidance comes naturally for most people.

While heating PVC over a gas flame, keep the plastic an appropriate distance from the flame to avoid scorching the surface before the inside can warm up. It takes time
for heat to travel to the center of the material being heated.

Keep the plastic moving, and keep an eye on the state of the plastic. When heated, the PVC material is flexible, like leather. Beyond this stage, you risk scorching it.

A word from James, the plastic engineer -- "Just a word of warning, PVC can handle some high heats but if it catches fire, you wont be able to put it out, it does not need
oxygen to burn so don't do this inside".

Another idea from ev372 regarding the heat forming of the bottom in Step 2, "Try dipping the PVC pipe in boiling water in order to soften it. Then fold the bottom fins
inward. I used to work for a company that made PVC outdoor furniture and the owner used a water tank with a heating element to soften the PVC pipe and then bend it
90 degrees; worked perfect and no fumes or fire."

I do work inside with the fire technique, but my house is made of cement and has good ventilation. MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE GOOD VENTILATION. IF YOU PLAY
WITH FIRE, DO SO CAREFULLY.

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
Step 2: CLOSING THE BOTTOM
PVC is a thermoplastic. It softens with heat and rigidifies again when it cools. This property makes it a useful material for inventions.

Cut the section of pipe you plan to use. In this step, you need to cut "fingers" in the bottom end of the pipe and then fold them over to close the bottom. The pipe, in the
finished project, will hold several fruit, but only if the bottom of the pipe is not open.

Cut the pipe as shown, heat it over a gas stove, and press the end against the floor until it cools. All the fingers are bent at the same time, and create a flat bottom.

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
Step 3: CUT THE "J" CHANNEL
Remember that you will be exerting some force when you pull at the fruit. If the blade is dull, you will be exerting more force. If the blade is missing you can still use the
picker to break the stem of the fruit. You don't want to break the picker, so leave as much plastic around the blade as you can, for strength.

To cut the "J" channel, I used a pencil to lay out the design and a saber saw to do the cutting. Files and scrapers are useful for cleaning up the edges.

Step 4: CUT THE BLADE MOUNTING SLITS

Two slits at the sides of the "J" channel hold the razor blade in position. Razor blade replacements slide in from the side and are held by the two slits.

Drill four small holes at the ends of the slits.

Heat the local area to soften it.

Insert the tip of the X-Acto knife into one of the holes and cut across to the other end of the slit. Repeat the procedure for the remaining slit.

Practice first on a piece of scrap material, to get the feel of cutting with the knife. It feels like cutting leather.

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
Step 5: MOUNT THE RAZOR BLADE
Mounting the razor blade is a little difficult. Be careful to avoid cuts.

You have already gained some experience heating and shaping PVC when you folded the fingers that close the bottom of the pipe. This step calls for more precise
heating. You will need a propane torch. Needle nose pliers are also useful, for holding the razor blade during insertion.

I made several of these pickers and modified one of the razor blades to use as a tool for forming all the slits. I ground off the sharp corner of the blade so it would enter
the slit more easily, without snagging on the plastic.

After making the slits in the plastic, the plastic will probably have cooled and hardened up again. Bring the local area back up to temperature with the torch. Keep the
flame moving to avoid scorching areas.

After the blade is mounted, cover the exposed blade ends with electrical tape to prevent accidental cuts.

Step 6: ATTACH THE HANDLE

By now you know the basics of heating and forming PVC. The mounting bracket below is made from the same diameter pipe as the base. Heat the central area with the
torch to soften it. Press the soft plastic around a section of handle pipe with blocks of wood until it cools. Pop rivet it in place.

The pole is held in the bracket with a single sheet metal screw.

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
Step 7: ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO MOUNT THE POLE
These alternative ways to mount the pole are maybe not as elegant as the molded plastic bracket.
They are, however, lighter, faster to make, and suitably strong.

Flatten the end of the metal pole to keep the pole from rocking sideways.

One picture shows the use of a bolt at the end of the pole and a wire wrap further down.

The other picture shows the job done using only wire tying techniques.

Depending on factors of time and materials available, choose the technique you prefer.

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by Thinkenstein neighborhoodfruit

Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 102 comments

dawoj says: Oct 2, 2010. 2:21 AM REPLY

You are genious

archerj says: Aug 25, 2010. 11:08 AM REPLY

I have key limes and would love to make one of these. For the limes, what size (circumference) would you use. You could use the same size as yours, but it
could be lighter weight if smaller. But then if it is too small, it would be harder to cut the J, or set the blade in. What do you suggest?

Thinkenstein says: Aug 25, 2010. 8:20 PM REPLY

This design can pick fruit without the razor blade. It just rips the stem out sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't. So, I would pick a pipe size that looks
appropriate to you for the size of the fruit to be picked. If you can mount a razor blade, great! If not, tough luck, but you can still pick fruit with it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
 Peter Mckee says: Sep 3, 2009. 8:14 AM REPLY
cool idea, I want to build this but all I have are avocados and I think those would get stuck a lot due to their shape.

Thinkenstein says: Sep 3, 2009. 10:27 AM REPLY

I have made pickers that work on avocados. The one I use now is a rebar loop at the end of a pole, with a fishnet bag to catch the avocado. It has an
elongated area at end of the rebar loop that presses on the top of the avocado as you pull.

hoolio says: Jan 14, 2010. 12:04 PM REPLY

I just bought a house with a HUGE avocado tree in the yard. Does the elongated area of rebar cut the avocado stem? Or are you pulling on the fruit
itself? Do you have a photo you can share? Thanks for a great instructable.

Thinkenstein says: Jan 14, 2010. 7:22 PM REPLY

No cutting blade on this one. Just pulling and twisting to break the stem.

hoolio says: Jan 15, 2010. 9:08 AM REPLY

Awesome - thank you!!

dchall8 says: Jan 14, 2010. 11:43 AM REPLY

I'm thinking you could attach a chute to the bottom of the PVC that would allow the fruit to fall through and gently drop to the ground. You could use a
slightly stretchy fabric to make a tube shape. The friction between the fruit and the fabric would slow the fall and keep it from bruising when it hits the
ground.

Thinkenstein says: Jan 14, 2010. 7:24 PM REPLY

I think the cloth tube would just snag on branches and get in the way. You can give it a try, though.

carpespasm says: Nov 14, 2009. 6:50 AM REPLY

Thanks for the idea. I'll be making one of these for picking the oranges in my former neighbor's house this evening. All the low-hanging goodness is picked
and there's a large cluster with my name on it. She was unfortunately foreclosed on but told me to get all I want. The bank's not gonna eat those honeybells!

olivaresfelipe says: Nov 1, 2009. 10:08 AM REPLY

Perfect timing! We cut our oranges early in season and always have issues with the ones at the top. Thanks for sharing.

blake77 says: Oct 21, 2009. 4:36 PM REPLY

are you serious you really are a genius lol this is great to i like how it looks nice to its not like you took two min. on it and one more time your genius =)

Thinkenstein says: Oct 22, 2009. 8:25 AM REPLY

Thanks. Glad you like it.

lonnyc says: Aug 18, 2009. 12:22 PM REPLY

I think I will just duct tape the end with a folded over piece insid so it's not sticky on the fruit...gotta do something with all the duct tape left over fo the
wallets...

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
 RichardBronosky says: Aug 6, 2009. 12:44 PM REPLY
I love the design. Very well executed and explained. I would make one modification to your molding technique, however. It is very difficult to heat plastic to
the point of being pliable without burning it. It's the classic conductivity problem that bakers run into where timing becomes crucial because you want your
product to only reach a fraction of the temperature of the air used to heat it. In situations where your product isn't going to get soggy, why use 1000° air to
raise the temperature of your product to 200° and risk burning it as seen in your "Alternative ways to mount"? Also, this avoids the whole "poisonous fumes"
debate that always arises with these kinds of articles.

Thinkenstein says: Aug 6, 2009. 5:41 PM REPLY

Heating the pipe must be an art. I seldom burn it. It takes practice. Keep the work moving and at an appropriate distance from the flame. One has to
publish all the warnings, but I've been working with PVC for years and had no major problems with it.

merijnvw says: Jul 31, 2009. 4:21 PM REPLY

I made it, it works but not perfect. It's because the braches connected to the fruit, have a stronger connection with the fruit than the main brach, so every time
it also cuts off a little brach together with the fruit, so the fruit gets stuck at the top of the tube and doesn't fall to the bottom. Do you have this aswell? I used it
with pears and apples. I used a really sharp blade and put it on an angle.

Thinkenstein says: Jul 31, 2009. 5:46 PM REPLY

The first thing that comes to mind is the angle of the blade. The cut stem, is being caught on something. Look closely at it when you have the problem
next time. See exactly how it is being held. It sounds like it gets jammed in the corner because the blade angle forces it there. I have never had that
problem when the blade is straight across.

merijnvw says: Aug 1, 2009. 4:53 AM REPLY

okay, thanks

strmrnnr says: Jul 31, 2009. 12:52 AM REPLY

What about just using the long PVC tube and when the fruit falls you can catch it at the bottom with your hand or a small net bag.

Thinkenstein says: Jul 31, 2009. 3:21 AM REPLY

That works with smaller pipe and smaller fruit. See my berry picker instructable, http://www.instructables.com/id/BERRY-PICKER/

The big pipe is heavier and harder to maneuver. The idea of the sleeve to conduct the fruit to the ground is an attractive one, but I find it too awkward for
large fruit pickers. It works for the light-weight berry picker, though.

Commercial orange pickers here climb the trees, and pick the fruit by hand. They fill a big sack, mouth held open by a ring of rebar, and lower the sack to
the ground with a rope.

xenobiologista says: Jul 23, 2009. 4:02 PM REPLY

There's a much easier way to make a similar fruit picker. Cut the bottom off a 2 L soda bottle, put a long broomstick inside the neck, tape them together, and
you're done. You lift it up so the fruit is inside the cup and just twist it around until the stem snaps. This works very well for mangoes and other fruit that have
leathery skins with a lot of friction.

Thinkenstein says: Jul 23, 2009. 5:00 PM REPLY

Thanks for the idea. It's nice to have different alternatives. It sounds like yours could be improvised fairly easily for immediate use with things on hand. I
don't drink soda, though. By the way, what is xenobiology?

purplemonkeydishwasher says: Jul 30, 2009. 10:04 AM REPLY

I believe its like biology, but with aliens instead of the normal stuff. (in the Enders Game series xenobiologists were people studying aliens)

Thinkenstein says: Jul 30, 2009. 11:21 AM REPLY

Thank you. I never would have guessed.

merijnvw says: Jul 30, 2009. 5:59 AM REPLY

thanks! Im definately going to make this

evotown says: Jul 30, 2009. 2:05 AM REPLY

Would the PVC be less likely to catch fire if you covered the part you were heating with aluminum foil to prevent direct flame to the pipe?

chriscc63 says: Jul 29, 2009. 3:43 PM REPLY

I suspect there is a ton of pressure holding the blade in there from the pvc, it would be preferable to have the blade on an angle. would a small screw and nut
thru razor to hold it in be a solution?

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
 Thinkenstein says: Jul 29, 2009. 5:59 PM REPLY
Give it a try. It might work better. I wouldn't say there is a ton of pressure holding the blade. It slides in and out sideways with resistance, but fairly easily.
Put it at an angle and there would be some pressure toward sideways movement of the blade. Straight on there is not.

ev372 says: Jul 27, 2009. 8:41 AM REPLY

Try dipping the PVC pipe in boiling water in order to soften it. Then fold the bottom fins inward. I used to work for a company that made PVC outdoor
furniture and the owner used a water tank with a heating element to soften the PVC pipe and then bend it 90 degrees; worked perfect and no fumes or fire.

astrong0 says: Jul 24, 2009. 9:50 AM REPLY

you should try and make the bottom swing open like a trap door so you don't have to awkwardly pour out (in a figure of speech) the fruit and maybe put wires
that it slides down like the contraption in the movie Fracture with Antony Hopkins but a lot steeper.

Thinkenstein says: Jul 24, 2009. 12:48 PM REPLY

You have a good imagination. Personally, I don't find the pouring out of the fruit to be an awkward maneuver. It takes a little practice, I guess.

jasonbradley says: Jul 20, 2009. 1:23 PM REPLY

Aaagh! Be careful. Fumes from heated PVC are quite toxic. Perform this step in very well ventilated area!

Thinkenstein says: Jul 23, 2009. 8:36 PM REPLY

I have added a warning step about toxic fumes. Thank you for mentioning it.

148wmcquiston says: Jul 23, 2009. 5:25 PM REPLY

Will this be able to retrieve mangoes?

Thinkenstein says: Jul 23, 2009. 6:56 PM REPLY

My trees are too tall. It probably would if you could reach them.

tenclay says: Jul 23, 2009. 3:04 PM REPLY

Nice fruit picker, I made one similar to this but I added a cloth chute to the picker. That way you can gently let down one piece of fruit at a time and not bruise
each piece. We used it for apples. It worked best to have one person on the chute and one operating the picker

Thinkenstein says: Jul 23, 2009. 4:47 PM REPLY

I'm glad the chute worked for you. I'm a one man operation. I considered a chute, but vetoed it due to awkward maneuverability.

Weissensteinburg says: Jul 23, 2009. 10:56 AM REPLY

That's a cool project, I may make one for our trees. I would recommend, however, that you add a warning about the toxic PVC fumes. The heating should be
done in a well ventilated area, preferably while wearing some sort of respirator or other mask.

Thinkenstein says: Jul 23, 2009. 12:41 PM REPLY

The warning is already in the instructable. Step 1, I believe.

Weissensteinburg says: Jul 23, 2009. 2:32 PM REPLY

I can't seem to find it. Are you sure you didn't think to add it, but forget to actually type it?

Thinkenstein says: Jul 23, 2009. 4:45 PM REPLY

Oops! I'm getting confused. I did another instructable recently, http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-Its-Great-for-Inventions/ Check it out.
Just be careful not to burn the plastic when you heat it. You will have no problems with gasses. If you do burn it, don't breathe the smoke. Again,
you will have no problems. I will try to remember to tack something onto all of my heat-forming PVC instructables. Thanks for bringing it to my
attention.

glenner003 says: Jul 23, 2009. 5:59 AM REPLY

You can probably get a better cutting action and a cleaner cut by inserting the blade in an angle. Nice and simple idea! Thanks, Glenn

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/
 Thinkenstein says: Jul 23, 2009. 6:34 AM REPLY
Thanks for your suggestion. It's a nice idea, but I suspect mounting the blade at an angle would tend to push the blade sideways out of the slot.

ishtalk says: Jul 22, 2009. 6:50 AM REPLY

Why don't use one of those pipe end stoppers and glue it in place, like tradesman have on top of there trucks to store pipes etc, and is used on potato
cannons

Thinkenstein says: Jul 23, 2009. 3:39 AM REPLY

I'm sure your idea would work. PVC caps cost money though, and would be a little heavier than using this way to close the end. Also, this way allows
drainage of water, if it is ever left standing vertically outdoors. The edge of the cap might also snag on branches while using the picker. This way is more
streamlined.

spicy_puppy says: Jul 21, 2009. 2:47 AM REPLY

improvement ideas: idea 1. is to angle the razor blade 45 degrees to make it cut more easy. idea 2. is to drill holes for the razor blade and then use screws to
secure it.( the blade has small jacks on the side which would work. Nice build.

Thinkenstein says: Jul 21, 2009. 3:37 AM REPLY

Thanks for your suggestions. #1. Angling the blade is a good idea, if it doesn't tend to make it slide sideways out of the holding slots. Pressing straight
into the cutting edge puts no sideways force on the blade. Most stems cut easily with the straight-on angle of attack. #2. I tried the screw idea, and also
wiring the blade in place using those side notches on the blade. The blade can flex and break more easily. The slots are a more solid way of holding the
blade.

cybervanig2000 says: Jul 17, 2009. 2:53 PM REPLY

This is awesome. I have a lemon tree and always have trouble getting the top fruits. This would make a great product to sell on tv

view all 102 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-FRUIT-PICKER/