Dropped Apples From Trees

I don't see this product picking up soft apple drops. The web page shows golf balls and black walnuts as the largest they support.

Are you wanting to use the drops for cider? Or just general cleanup?

I use an aluminum grain scoop, and use it in rake mode (the blade is straight down to the ground). Rake them in piles, then scoop them into a wheelbarrow.

Rent one of these guys. Its a "Power Broom" I use to clean gravel out of my grass after plowing wintertime snow. You'd still have to shovel up the apples, but at least it would get them all in a pile for you.

Down here a lot of people just pay people cash without asking a lot of questions.

Rent a goat

http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Home-Services-Hire-Grazer/dp/B00UBYDXXQ

Or pawn one

just something to use for general cleanup, some of the better ones i'll use for eating or cooking, I was thinking of the sweeper style shown above but wasn't sure the bristles were sturdy enough the get the apples out of the way, but if takes care of stones, something like that might just work. i'll have to check into the grain rake

I hear goats take of poison ivy as well, but then I'd need another way to clean up their droppings.

There are more head types. Google "Power Broom"

I have enough deer here that I don't EVER see any drops! They get the ones on the trees as high as they can stand!

Essentially the same here. I commonly see one or two in the evening, but by morning, they are gone!

And the droppings are just fertilizer. I spread them around with my shoe...

Scampers off to construct one ...

Del

similar to this, just suspend a couple of tarps. If one side is low, all the apples will roll that way.
It works, its cheap. The tarps have enough give to prevent the apples from bruising. I have a fence under an apple tree. Two tarp suspended from the fence, one on each side, and staked to the ground on the other cause all but the very few that hit the fence, to roll to the edge for easy pick up. without the fence just tying then to branches will work.

I would get a ladder and pick them before they fall.

Unfortunately, my two apple trees are way too tall for my 10 foot orchard ladder, so I've always climbed the trees to prune and harvest, but this may have been the last year. At 75, I've decided it is probably wiser to stop climbing (a pulled muscle while up in a tree a couple of weeks ago told me so)...

... but I'll sure hate to see all that fruit go to waste!

I use one that looks like that for picking up pecans. It would NEVER work for apples unless they were so soft that it would slice them. That picture must be somebody's idea of a joke.

This guy "Massey" sure is expert on this field

Put down a tarp (or several) before they fall.

Gather the tarp from the corners and you will have them all together for sorting.

A small mesh fisnet would do the same.

Use a leaf blower to remove the leaves.

Just beat me to it hiTekRedNek !

I was going to suggest a plastic sheet or sacking.

(just for a day or two) Simple, easy, cheap.

jt.

John got off the elevator on the 50th floor and nervously knocked on his blind date's door.
She opened it and was as beautiful and charming as everyone had said.
"I'll be ready in a few minutes," she said. "Why don't you play with Spot, my dog, while you're waiting?"
He does wonderful tricks. He rolls over, shakes hands, sits up and if you make a hoop with your arms, he'll jump through."
The dog followed John onto the balcony and started rolling over. John made a hoop with his arms and Spot jumped through--and over the balcony railing!
Just then John's date walked out. "Isn't Spot the cutest, happiest dog you've ever seen?"

"To tell the the truth, " he replied, "Spot seemed a little depressed to me!"

A pair of gloves, kneepads, bucket, and a long week end.

I guess a good sturdy rake and shovel are in order, wish I could come up with something like the tarp thing, these trees are so over grown (40' dia or so drip line) the apples could roll right into a bin then I could sell them out by the road as organic apples, no sprays or chemicals, but I'd also have to tell them they would have to watch out for the occasional worm as well.