A specific type of olive rake can reduce harvesting times while preserving the quality of the drupes to be processed. The choice of the most suitable olive harvester and the comb with prongs it is equipped with should be carefully considered.
In olive harvesting the fundamental elements are costs (primarily labor hours), methods (to avoid damaging olives and foliage) and the speed at which the drupes are collected from the tree before being taken to the mill for the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil (EVO) or being transformed into table olives. Manual mechanical tools, such as the rakes (a term sometimes used to indicate the olive harvesters) facilitate the harvesting process as for productivity, reduced effort and soft movement on the foliage, but they also show significant differences.
How to choose the rake for olive harvesting
When choosing the rake for olive harvesting, it is important to consider the type of breeding pruning practiced in the olive grove, which affects how the tree canopy develops. This helps understand whether the olives grow higher or lower, inside or outside the branches.
Secondly, it is necessary to consider the kind of ground – whether it is flat or hilly, with more or less steep slopes – to determine whether a tractor can be used in the olive grove or it is much better to use a more lightweight equipment.
Keeping these two factors in mind, a wide range of products is available to choose from based on the type power supply of the harvesting head, commonly referred to as comb or rake. In the Campagnola catalog (PROFESSIONAL Line) there are olive harvesters (rakes) operated by electric power (making them more versatile), compressed air (resulting more lightweight and powerful), or an internal combustion engine (avoiding the hindrance of cables).
Electric battery-operated rakes for olive harvesting.
The electric rakes of Campagnola represent a sustainable and versatile solution. Despite low power consumption and minimal maintenance needs, they ensure a high performance and long working autonomy. In addition to being lightweight, they have been designed to balance the harvesting head and motor. They generate minimal vibrations, avoiding excessive fatigue on the operators’ arms, shoulders and neck. Their brushless or brushed motors can be powered by a high-performance lithium-ion backpack battery (Li-Ion 700), or by a standard 12V car lead-acid battery (70/90 Ah), or by an electric generator (ENERGY4) using a flexible 13 m-long polyurethane cable.
Compressed air and engine-driven rakes for olive harvesting
The pneumatic rakes by Campagnola boast efficiency in their compressed air power source, allowing for long and intensive working sessions, even with multiple operators simultaneously. This is achieved through powerful engine-driven petrol or diesel compressors, which can be either wheeled or mounted on tractors and trailers. Alternatively, the compressors can be directly connected to the tractor power take-off (PTO).
When continuous work is necessary or preferable without relying on a compressor or a battery and without any hindrance of cables, Campagnola also offers three models of olive harvesters powered by an internal combustion engine (POWER MOTOR) directly attached to the base of the extension pole. The combustion engine for the rake is available for the harvesting heads of Alice Star, Hercules, and Icarus.
Rakes with telescopic extension poles for olive harvesting
The olive harvester heads can be connected to fixed or telescopic extension poles ranging from 45 to 270 cm, a length that, allows reaching even the highest branches while standing on the ground, when considering the operator’s height. Fixed poles can be considered a robust alternative, while telescopic poles undoubtedly add a greater versatility to the olive rakes.
Weight is also a factor, ranging from 0.25 to 1.30 kg. The poles are available in aluminum, which is a lightweight material, or carbon fiber, which is even lighter.
Rakes for olive harvesting: how to preserve both the drupes and the tree
During harvesting, it is always advisable to try to avoid bruising the drupes, as they would deteriorate more quickly. It is also important to preserve the health of the tree for its future productivity. When trying to detach the olives from the tree, branches and twigs may break, or numerous leaves may fall. This happens especially when harvesting still-green olives (the best for obtaining extra virgin olive oil) and there is a greater resistance to the detachment from the branches compared to the period of partial or complete ripening.
An olive tree, which gets excessively damaged during the harvesting period, is weaker and can be easily affected by diseases or parasites in the wounds. For this reason, a preventive treatment with copper-based products is recommended immediately after harvesting.
Avoiding or minimizing injuries to the plant is possible by using rakes with teeth of the suitable length and shape for the foliage type. However, the speed and kind of movement (oscillations) of the harvesting head (combs) and prongs (or teeth) also play a crucial role.
For example, the electric rakes for olive harvesting which use the power unit of the Line 58 of Campagnola have an electronic speed control. This allows the operator to select the most suitable speed according to the ripening of the drupes and the density of the foliage. There are three different options: 1080, 1150, and 1180 strokes per minute. When the rake is automatically moved away from the foliage, an electronic power saver slows down the speed and accelerates it, when the tool touches the branches again.
Rakes for olive harvesting: the material of the teeth and the type of movement
The cheapest harvesting heads have prongs (or teeth) made of plastic, while on more professional rakes, such as those produced by Campagnola, the teeth are interchangeable and made of technopolymer or carbon fiber. These high-performance materials provide the teeth with greater flexibility and durability, and the harvesting heads themselves are also made of the same materials, so they become more lightweight and resistant heads.
The ability to detach olives from the branches is further enhanced by the shape of the comb and the prongs. They can be either long and straight alternating with short and straight, or in the shape of a tuning fork or of a half-tuning fork (patented design by Campagnola).
The third fundamental element of a good olive harvesting head is the kind of movement and oscillation: opposed movement, opposed lateral movement, elliptical movement, or opposed elliptical movement (patented by Campagnola).
The quality of the materials together with the innovative shape of the prongs and the type of movement allow the rakes to penetrate and move more effectively among branches, even in the presence of dense foliage, preserving the olives from bruising and the branches from getting damaged.
Olive harvesting rake: The Campagnola Catalog
The type of olive rake considered most effective and suitable for small olives, being resistant to detachment, is the double-comb model. Within this category, you can find all Campagnola pneumatic harvesters: the models DIABLO and DIABLO 1800 EVO, IRON, TUONO EVO, and METAL TOP with technopolymer teeth and making an opposed movement, and the model STORM with carbon teeth and performing an opposed lateral movement.
Among the electric harvesters, ELEKTRA is recommended for use on well-pruned plants without a too dense foliage. Its rakes carry out an opposed movement. Its technopolymer prongs have two lengths. ALICE STAR is equipped with a different rake with technopolymer teeth of two lengths. This harvester has been designed for a professional use. It is ideal for all kinds of olive trees, and performs an opposed elliptical movement patented by Campagnola.
The top-of-the-range electric harvester in the Line 58 is HERCULES 6, which is suitable for large olive trees with dense foliage. It is equipped with long interchangeable carbon teeth that perform an elliptical movement.
Ideal for all types of cultivars and olive tree cultivations with well-pruned or dense foliage plants, ICARUS is fitted with 8 long carbon teeth and is characterized by an opposed horizontal movement.
An excellent harvesting with every kind of olive tree is also guaranteed by MASTER, an electric tool with carbon teeth performing an opposed lateral movement. This model is the only Campagnola harvester with the motor positioned on the upper part of the extension pole. Finally, HOLLY is recommended for those who own small olive groves. It is equipped with short and long technopolymer prongs carrying out an elliptical movement.
All Campagnola products are available through a wide network of local distributors, who can provide excellent assistance and original spare parts.