Longest Collapsible Fruit Picking Pole?

[JakeFruit]

Anybody have any recommendations? I'd like to get ~20' but I want a pole I can collapse and keep in my shed. I see several that fit the bill on Amazon, going from 6' to 24',  but the locking mechanism between each length looks suspect. I'm thinking a pole mean for changing light bulbs might not hold up to the task (for long).

[spaugh]

I use a pool cleaning pole and razor blade basket thing on the end.

[JakeFruit]

I use a pool cleaning pole and razor blade basket thing on the end.

Hmmm, good idea, I hadn't thought about those. What's the/a razor blade basket? All I've seen are the baskets with hooked wire frames.

[cmichael258]

Here's one, but it is much more expensive than the one I bought, that
attaches to a 16 foot aluminum extension pole I bought at Home depot.

https://frostproof.com/clip-n-pick-telescoping-fruit-picker-complete/?utm_source=TPA%20On%20Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Smart%20Shopping&utm_medium=cpc&product_partition_id=335994500521&product_id=704&device=c&loc_physical_ms=9012157&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvIT5BRCqARIsAAwwD-RPeVETHDU6uO99pXDKrXdAGk7ktA6mQowAXLXbOgXBz59jSaMTpAkaAk4wEALw_wcB

[weiss613]

Go to Home Depot paint dept. there you will find a 3 part yellow extendable pole goes maybe 24’. Get a clamp or 2 like they use for car hoses. Attach the cheaper red wire basket to the end of the pole with the clamps. I have been using this for 20 years. The very expensive end piece with basket will hold a lot of mangoes but you asked for a long rig. If you have it extended out because of leverage more than 2 fruits in the expensive picker will be toooo hard to bring down without them falling and the leverage weight will exhaust you. Maybe you should just lower your trees. If you do that then I’d definitely recommend that super duper deluxe expensive picker because with a shorter stiffer pool pole you will be able to get a lot of fruit in the bag and have way better control. And with your height combined with the poles length you may not be able to get the cutting part of the expensive rig in it’s proper cutting position since it will be 30 feet up.

[spaugh]

I use the picker posted above called clip n pick.  It only works on fruit with long stems like avocado and mangos.

The pool cleaning pole clicks right into it.

https://www.groworganic.com/products/clip-n-pick-pruner-head-only

[JakeFruit]

I use the picker posted above called clip n pick.  It only works on fruit with long stems like avocado and mangos.

The pool cleaning pole clicks right into it.

https://www.groworganic.com/products/clip-n-pick-pruner-head-only

Ahhh, yes, that looks right for the purpose. i already purchased one of those traditional wire baskets with the hooks off Amazon for ~$18, it has a 3/4" screw-on. The 24' extendable poles I've been looking at all have a plastic 3/4" male end, lots of reviews talk about it snapping under pressure. I can probably rig it with a metal one if that happens, but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on any one of them (cost is $50-$75).

[Mike T]

There would be 1000's of mango trees in public space in my home town. The accomplished urban forager is 'picky' about poles and an 18ft extendable painters pole or even pool pole works pretty well. Beyond that length they seem to be hard to manage or flex.

[kh0110]

I use the picker posted above called clip n pick.  It only works on fruit with long stems like avocado and mangos.

The pool cleaning pole clicks right into it.
...

Brad, where did you get your pool cleaning pole, model#?

Mike T., now that you're BACK to a noob status, you're unstoppable!!! How did you convinced Sheehan to do that?

[spaugh]

I use the picker posted above called clip n pick.  It only works on fruit with long stems like avocado and mangos.

The pool cleaning pole clicks right into it.
...

Brad, where did you get your pool cleaning pole, model#?

Mike T., now that you're BACK to a noob status, you're unstoppable!!! How did you convinced Sheehan to do that?

Its blue and silver, I got it at Lowes.  I think any pool cleaning poles will work, they likely have a standardized hole pattern on them.  It just has 2 holes drilled through the top for accessories to click into. 

[Mike T]

kh I only landed again yesterday and I'm undercover as MikeT, whereas my old identify was Mike T. It isn't an identity crisis I just could get back in under my old name. Maybe there are some messages in my old name.

[Mike T]

and also the forum doesn't need another hero, to kinda quote Tina Turner.

[zands]

and also the forum doesn't need another hero, to kinda quote Tina Turner.

 
Australians don't know much about mangoes and anything, but you do know your Mad Max and shrimp on the barbie.

[Mike T]

Yes not a hero member any more. Tremendous insights there zands. We don't eat shrimp here but wait until they grown into prawns. The big 5 are eastern kings, giant black tiger, brown tiger, banana and endeavour. Anything under 6 inches is mediocre. Have to admit I'm not a fan of mad max but Mel Gibson wasn't American then. Mangoes we do know about but like Asians we object to hydrocarbon taint.

[zands]

So it's actually giant prawns on barbie in Oz. Such large 6" shrimp/prawns are hard to find here except in Asian groceries where they will be frozen. A fine seafood store will have them frozen or thawed out, but these are few and far between. I am going to guess that fresh/never frozen 6" prawns are not a rarity in Australia. You in Oz are spoiled rotten.

I would oil them up. Put on BBQ. Then serve w a soy sauce dipping sauce that has ginger, ground up roasted peanuts and garlic in it. Plain rice brown or white is good enough for a side. With sliced avocado even better.

[Mike T]

With covid on suddenly the prawns got pretty cheap. I don't need to throw my castnet for banana prawns and black tigers (caught 12 inch specimens in local creeks) when fresh local eastern kings and  brown tigers are under $4/lb straight from the trawler operators on the side of the road. Slumming it with 7 inch endeavours is unnecessary..

[zands]

Wow! Thanks MikeT! We have nothing like that here except for a Maine or Florida lobster. And Florida lobster season is short. And prices on them Maine and Florida, three times higher than for your giganto prawns. Taking into account the exchange rate between US and Aussie dollars.

[HIfarm]

What?  No Moreton Bay bugs on the barbie???  I know, you love prawns but what's love got to do with it?  Nice to see you back posting prolifically, Mike.  It will be good to be seeing your sage advice again.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, Jake.

John

[Mike T]

Sorry also Jake and great to see you around still John. I had bugs last week and not Balmain Bugs or Slipper Lobsters but the real deal Moreton Bay Bugs. They are often caught with spanner crabs and are delicious. A friend also gave me a whopping painted cray tail on the weekend.
 Back to poles. My plucker is about 2 feet longer that the standard extending to around 18ft so I can sweep around the parks and get 100's of mangoes just out of reach of others but beating the spectacled flying foxes means taking them a bit greener.