Christmas Tree Trimming (Shaping)
This device was originally designed and patented by Murphy-Matic, Inc. of Coolidge,
Georgia.
The machine used at Shady Pond Tree Farm was substantially modified after its purchase.
The
revisions included structural enhancements, redesign of the hydraulic system, redesign of the
electrical control circuitry, and the addition of a precision leveling system, with an accuracy
of
0.1 deg. In its present form the machine trims Christmas trees at a daily average rate of one
every
10.2 seconds, with only 4 seconds required to trim an individual tree . Trees from 18 inches
to 10
feet are shaped with the trimmer to progressively narrower tapers as they increase in
age.
All of the trees at Shady Pond are trimmed twice each growing season, once after the
spring
flush and again in late summer. Each trim requires about six (6) days to complete. Much of
the
trimming is done at night using the machine lights. Passers-by are always taken by the eerie
sight
of this peculiar looking machine working in the darkness.