Machines That Fit Between the Rows: Orchards and Vineyards in Tasmania
Apple, cherry and vine rows leave a metre or so for a machine. Row widths, narrow-track excavators, irrigation trenching, post work and biosecurity between blocks.
The Huon Valley's apples and cherries, the Tamar's vines, the Coal River's stone fruit and the berry farms of the north share a problem: the rows are narrow, the ground is full of irrigation, and the tractor is too wide for half the work.
Row widths
Modern apple orchards on dwarfing rootstock plant rows 3 to 3.5 metres apart with the trees themselves taking up the middle, leaving roughly a metre to 1.5 metres of clear ground. Vineyard rows are typically 2.5 to 3 metres. A machine that narrows to under a metre works in both.
| Machine | Minimum width | Row fit |
|---|---|---|
| R06 | 747 mm | Any row |
| R13 PRO | 750 mm | Any row |
| R15 | 890 mm | Most rows |
| R10 | 912 mm | Most rows |
| R18 PRO | 989 mm | Wider rows only |
Widen the tracks again on the headland before lifting or digging deep; a narrow-set machine is easier to tip.
Irrigation
New mains, valve pits and replacing perished drip lines are the most common jobs. A narrow bucket cuts a 300 mm trench along the row without disturbing the trees. Locate existing lines first; a mains break in December is the most expensive mistake of the season.
Posts and trellis
Strainers and intermediate posts go in with an auger on the excavator, straight and fast. Old posts come out with a grab. Wire is the enemy of tracks; roll it up before the machine goes down the row.
Replanting
Pulling old trees and vines with a ripper and a grab, then stacking with a skid steer log grapple. The stumps and roots come out cleanly in autumn when the soil is moist.
Drainage and mounds
Wet feet kill fruit trees. Spoon drains between blocks and mounding along rows with a tilt bucket keep roots out of winter water in the valleys.
Biosecurity
Wash tracks and buckets between blocks and between properties; soil carries phylloxera, nematodes and weed seed. Many orchards make it a condition of entry.
The skid steer
An RS06 with forks and a 4-in-1 bucket lives at the packing shed: bins, pallets, compost and mulch. See the attachment finder and the Orchards and vineyards guide.