Oh nuts! I need a walnut sweeper

hunterridgefarm · Oct 12, 2005

I have several walnut trees but they are not in my yard, but in the pasture.When the ground is hard (red clay soil so three days with no rain and the ground is as hard as a brick) I attach a light weight 6' box blade behind the tractor and adjust it so it does not dig in the ground. I can drag it around and fill it up in no time. If the ground is hard I don't have to worry about the weight of the tractor pushing some in the ground. If they do get pushed in the ground they are below the mow line.

My neighbor has a steel "drum" made out of re-bar. The re-bar is spaced wide enough to let husk fall through but not the walnut. He has it attached to and electric motor so as it turns the walnuts are tumbled, about 5-10 gallon bucket at a time. The husk just fall off and fall through the slats. It works great and there are always people stopping by with sacks full of walnuts for him to husk.

It does make alot of noise but thats ok except early Saturday morning /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

ccsial · Oct 12, 2005

I have at least a 100 black walnut trees. They drop on my trails. I have a powered solution that actually works pretty good. Grand Children. They have a blast throwing them into the woods and make a few bucks doing it.

lhfarm · Oct 13, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have at least a 100 black walnut trees. They drop on my trails. I have a powered solution that actually works pretty good. Grand Children. They have a blast throwing them into the woods and make a few bucks doing it. )</font>
Our first grandchild was born in late August, so I'll have to wait on that suggestion /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. I like the idea of the box blade. I only have a old, very heavy model and my lawn is pretty soft - especially in the parts with mole runs. But I may give it a try this weekend.

hunterridgefarm · Oct 13, 2005

I do have a area where the ground is soft and I gather pears for the deer with the box blade. To keep the box blade from digging into the soft ground I take 12"wide , 5/8 thick piece of plywood and use short ratchet straps to attach it to the bottom of the box blade, one on each end. This distributes the weight of the blade and let it glide over the ground. Just don't tighten the straps so much as to bow the board or it will just roll over walnuts and mash the pears /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif. And make sure the board is not so thick that the walnuts escape under the side of the box blade.

My wife really gives me a hard time about finding ways to use my tractor but I tell her its better than bending over to pick up 500 pears /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. I am now adding to my pole barn and trying to find a way to attach my nail gun to the FEL /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

snooks · Oct 15, 2005

Is there a way to stop a tree from producing nuts? I have 3 walnut trees and have no use for the nuts. This year there are tons and I keep sweeping them off the patio and they make an aweful mess. If not, next year the trees are coming down.

PineRidge · Oct 15, 2005

We quickly got tired of messing with the ones on our property and broke out the chain saw. I don't miss them one bit. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif