On Friday, October 23, 2015 at 1:25:47 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:
We have several large citrus trees on the property. Unlike
(e.g.) apple/pear/etc trees, you can't really climb up into
the tree to harvest the fruit at the top -- or "in" from
the outer perimeter.

In the past, we've used a "picking basket" to yank the fruit
off the tree. Something like:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/True-Temper-10-ft-Aluminum-Handle-Fruit-Picker-2324500/100466198

But, this really only works well if the fruit are very ripe -- ready
to "fall off". At times, we may have to pick a tree "early" when
this isn't the case (e.g., in preparation for an early freeze -- esp
the topmost portions of the tree). In those cases, the basket approach
usually results in a fair bit of damage to the tree -- it tears off the
small branches on which the fruit hang!

I stumbled on this device:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Twister-Fruit-Picker/dp/B000BBCUD8
details at:
http://www.twisterfruitpicker.com/how-it-works/
that looks like it could be gentler on the trees (twisting the
fruit on their stems usually results in a cleaner removal with
less risk to damaging the tree, tearing off branches, etc).

But, it doesn't look like it will be able to handle our larger fruit
(our oranges are usually the size of store-bought grapefruit, if
not larger!). And, looks to be made out of cheap plastic so I
suspect it won't hold up to much abuse (years of use).

But, I suspect I could fabricate something similar out of heavy gauge
aluminum sheet stock? I.e., cut a lollipop shape and "twist" the
top of the lollipop so that it is at right angles to the "arm"
(which must then fit on a pivot). Coating the portion that
would grab the fruit with a rubber compound (a can of "dip"??)
would protect the fruit from any sharp edges.

Can anyone suggest a simpler fabrication method? Or, something
that I could repurpose to the task at hand? I've also thought
of modifying something like:
http://www.amazon.com/Carex-Inch-Grabber-Reaching-Aid/dp/B000AEGCW6
to extend the reach and put larger "cups" on the ends. I could
probably get by with a 6 ft arm to reach from the outer perimeter
(standing on a ladder) into the center of the tree.

Annoying that everyone insists on making cheap crap instead of
something more durable!

I've got it! With a little bit of training you can get these guys to pick fruit for you until they start demanding $15 per hour. ^_^

http://tinyurl.com/qbk24uc

[8~{} Uncle Fruity Monster