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<pre>Roger,
Took me a while to digest the content of your message. I know, S L O O O
W, Huh?


Roger Farquhar wrote:

> Love to actually see one of these batwing harvesters that dictate tree
> spacing - where do they come from? can they fly?


The harvesters mentioned are the ones from OMC (in the US) . They appear
to be OK for FLAT land with no great undulations. They do not fly, crawl
would seem to be a better description of the speed of movement.

> I have not heard of
> anyone successfully using these monsters & believe that for the
> foreseeable future it will be hand or hand held mechanical harvesting,
> for a variety of reasons.

Depends muchly on your definition of "forseeable". For the years until
the trees are about 8 - 10 years old, I agree. However, there will, in
the fulness of time, be a need to address the mechanical harvesting of
fruit for pressing. This will, of necessity, include such machinery as
the OMC and others. I'd refer you to the AOA magazine and Olives
Australia magazine for details. (Back issues, most probably)

Cheers
John Attwood
Tamworth NSW Australia
</pre>
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