Electronic pruners: faster and safer
A series of tip sheets on labor efficiency for nursery field work.
by Astrid Newenhouse, Marcia Miquelon, and Larry Chapman
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project
If you prune at least 75 hours a year and typically cut large branches to shape trees, consider a portable, electronic pruner that can save you time and reduce your risk for serious injury.
How do they work?
Electronic pruners are hand held shears powered by an electric battery pack that you wear around your waist. An all-day battery works for 8-10 hours and weighs 4-8 lbs. Unlike pneumatic pruners that instantly cut when activated, electronic pruners respond to increased squeeze pressure on the trigger. Uniform powerful cuts leave smooth clean edges that heal rapidly, even on large diameter stock up to 1.2-1.8 inches. These pruners weigh slightly more than similar manual pruners, and take a bit of getting used to because of the attached cable and battery pack.
Benefits:
Efficient. Electronic pruners are considerably more efficient than
manual pruners when cutting heavy stock1 and you may be able
to cut pruning time by 20% 2, 3. Because electric power makes
the cuts, you will also reduce strain and fatigue in your arms, wrists,
hands, and fingers so you can more easily work for a longer period of
time, even on thicker wood. Hand fatigue after several hours can cause
workers who use manual pruners to make slower, more ragged cuts, but with
electronic pruners you get a smooth clean cut hour after hour. Clean cuts
reduce the risk of infection in the pruning wound.
Manual pruners require more time and effort.
An electronic pruner keeps your wrist in a neutral position.
Profitable. Although electronic pruners have a higher up front cost than manual pruners, they can easily pay for themselves in certain situations. If you do a lot of shaping, elevation pruning, or topiary work that requires larger cuts on heavy stock you’ll recover your costs quickly. An electronic pruner plus accessories costs $1,500 and up. If you can prune 20% more stock in the same time with electronic pruners as with manual ones, and if you do 150 hours of pruning each year, you can pay for the additional cost of electronic pruners in about 3 years (see table). You might also save money by reducing health care costs and time off work due to medical problems. Evaluate your pruning crew before you purchase tools. Workers who prune for shape and form usually have more training than those who do maintenance pruning. Does one person tend to do this type of pruning in your nursery? If that person prunes a lot each season, the payback period is quicker, especially for older workers or those more prone to repetitive stress injury. Of nine nurseries in Oregon who trialed these pruners through the Oregon Nursery Association, four were interested in buying them1.
| Electric
pruners, estimated payback period |
|||
| Hours/year: Manual pruner | 40 | 75 | 150 |
Hours/year*: Electronic pruner |
32 | 60 | 120 |
| Time saved | 8hrs | 15hrs | 30hrs |
| Labor costs saved at $15/hr | $120 | $225 | $450 |
| Payback period | 12.5yrs | 6.7yrs | 3.3yrs |
*assumes electronic pruner is 20% faster
