Powered Shears Makes Pruning Safe, Fast

Powered Shears Makes Pruning Safe Fast FARM HOME Miscellaneous Vineyard and orchard owners know the value of employees who are skilled at pruning So they appreciate tools like INFACO’s new electronic pruning shears F3015 that prevent repetitive motion injuries and keep people working longer Just a light pull on the trigger efficiently cuts through wood up to 2 1/4-in dia The F3015 is much more than an electric pruner says Amanda Van Hoorn operations manager • With its patented safety system it eliminates the possibility of cutting off a finger with the pruner’s 2-tons of torque Workers wear a cotton glove on their non-pruning hand that is plugged into the same battery as the shear The glove is interwoven with metal fibers and since they “are both on the same circuit any contact between the glove and shear grounds it out so the blade can’t cut workers In practice it looks like the blade just bounced off of a cotton glove ” Van Hoorn says • The lithium ion battery is light and charges in just 90 min “In the past it had a 5 1/2-lb battery that had to be kept charged during the off-season Now it’s under 2 lbs and you can even clip it to your belt ” she says The charger re-balances cells with each full charge and features a hibernation mode so the battery can be stored off season without recharging Fully charged a battery lasts 8 to 9 hrs • Interchangeable heads fit on the shears to do a variety of trimming jobs That eliminates the need for employees to carry extra tools “We have a nursery client in Florida who has 10 electronic pruning shears who switched from using 3 different tools to just our one shear There’s no productivity decrease from fatigued workers and time is saved by not having to switch tools ” Van Hoorn says • Extension poles featuring sliding mobile triggers easily convert the shears to a pole pruner The light and durable carbon fiber poles come in a variety of lengths to adapt the shears to any type of work They also eliminate ladders which speeds productivity up to 300 percent and can reduce injuries The cost for the shears set is $2 197 for the F3015 with a lifetime warranty on the aluminum body a 3-year gear-motor warranty and a 5-year pro-rated warranty on the battery It’s an effective investment for vineyard and orchard operators facing a labor crisis who want to keep their best workers pruning for years to come It was a labor shortage in French vineyards that inspired INFACO founder Daniel Delmas to invent the world’s first electric pruning shears in 1984 The company has sold more than 250 000 shears worldwide helping farmers increase safety and solve their labor problems Contact: FARM SHOW Followup INFACO 2356 Research Dr Livermore Calif 94550 ph 800 425-8809; www infaco-usa com

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