Fruit canopies, hail nets and rain covers, are often installed on concrete posts, wooden posts or steel posts in fruit growing in the Netherlands and Belgium. In this article, we write about concrete posts. What types of concrete posts are used in fruit growing? Which manufacturers produce the concrete posts? Which dealers supply which concrete posts?

What are prestressed concrete postes?

The concrete piles used in fruit growing are often prestressed concrete posts. Prestressed concrete posts are a special application of reinforced concrete. Part of the reinforcement in the concrete posts is prestressed. That is, cables or strands are placed in the concrete pile before the concrete is poured. The cables or strands are then tensioned, and while they are under tension, the concrete is placed in the pile. After the concrete cures, the cables or strands are held in the tensioned state. Which creates prestress in the concrete pile.

Using prestressed concrete posts has several advantages:

• It increases the bearing capacity of the concrete pile.
• It increases the strength of the concrete pile.

With prestressed concrete piles, it is possible to carry larger loads or achieve longer spans with fewer concrete posts. In fruit canopies, such as hail nets and rain shelters, spans are very important. Consider, for example, headlands or intermediate paths in an orchard. Prestressed concrete piles also suffer less from cracking and deformation under load. This results in durable and long-lasting structures for fruit canopies.

The design and production of prestressed concrete posts requires knowledge and experience. Because the prestressing in the concrete piles has to be done correctly for the concrete posts to deliver the required performance.

Which brands of concrete bollards are best known in fruit growing?

There are several foil and hail net suppliers in the Netherlands and Belgium. All of them use different brands of concrete posts. Below are the best-known brands of prestressed concrete posts described. (The brands are described in order of age).

Spinazzè Group Spa

Spinazzè prestressed concrete posts have been produced since 1962. The prestressed concrete posts are produced by mixing cement, pebbles and river sand from the Piave region. The raw materials for Spinazzè concrete posts are unique, which makes the concrete piles strong, elastic and durable. The harmonic steel braids (prestressed concrete) allow the concrete posts to bend with great elasticity and withstand the highest weights. Spinazzè prestressed concrete posts are periodically tested in extreme weather conditions in the orchard to verify their resistance. The technical datasheet with the tests can be downloaded here.

Valente Pali

Valente Pali has been producing prestressed concrete posts since 1963. Valente Pali produces several brands of concrete posts: Klassic and Koncreto. The raw materials of pre-stressed Valenti concrete piles are gravel, sand and cement. Those raw materials give the concrete a very high strength. Valente prestressed concrete piles have high bending resistance and mechanical resistance due to the so-called prestressing technique.

Prestil Pali

Prestil Pali has been producing prestressed concrete posts since 1968. Prestil Pali produces the concrete posts from a mixture of Portland 525 cement, sand and crushed stone from quarries. Raw materials that make a prestressed concrete pile that is strong and elastic. A longer lifespan, in other words. Prestil Pali was one of the first companies to introduce a semicircular concrete pile, for better mechanical harvesting. According to Prestil Pali, this shape prevents damage to working machinery during harvesting.

Comavit Pali

Comavit Pali has been producing prestressed concrete posts since 1973. Comavit Pali produces the concrete posts exclusively with high-quality raw materials: cement, natural sand and crushed stone. All come from excavations on the Piave River. The prestressed concrete piles are durable and have the possibility of reuse.

Which manufacturer provides the best prestressed concrete posts?

You are obviously curious for an answer what are the best prestressed concrete posts? Unfortunately, I cannot give that answer. Concrete posts, manufacturers and manufacturing processes are all similar with a few minor differences. Our advice is to choose a supplier that has been around for a long time. Prestressed concrete posts are, of course, a part of a foil or hail net enclosure. Other materials used should match and also be of high quality. Post caps should connect to the head of the concrete posts and (tension) brackets around the posts. So a more relevant question then is: From which hail net supplier or rain hood supplier can you get which brand of concrete posts?

Which dealer supplies which type of concrete posts?

From which hail net supplier or foil cover supplier can you expect which type of concrete posts? In the Netherlands and Belgium, there are several suppliers for canopies in fruit cultivation. Besides using wooden poles or steel poles, pre-stressed concrete poles are widely used for fruit canopies.

Spinazzè Group Spa

Prestressed concrete posts type Spinazze are supplied by Fruit Support Europe and FruitSecurity Holland. Fruit Support Europe supplies support concrete posts and FruitSecurity Holland supplies complete hail net and foil systems with long prestressed concrete posts.

Valente Pali

Prestressed concrete posts from Valente Pali are supplied by Hermens Fruitsystems. Hermens Fruitsystems is the only dealer of Valente Pali in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Prestil Pali

Prestil Pali prestressed concrete posts are supplied by Frutec of Belgium. Fructec is active in the construction of new orchards and contract work for orchards.

Comavit Pali

Comavit prestressed concrete posts are supplied by several companies. Bofix systems, Frustar and Netteam (Frustar's dealer in the Netherlands) supply Comavit concrete posts in the Netherlands and Belgium.

In conclusion

Do you have plans for your orchard, a new orchard or existing orchard? We hope this article contributes to a good orientation in fruit canopies. As a fruit grower or orchardist, you want the best for your farm. The right crop protection is therefore invaluable. Every component in a fruit canopy, hail net or foil, is essential. You can pick the best pre-stressed concrete posts only if you make the wrong choice in anchor spacing it will be of no use to you. Therefore, also read this article on tested systems.

Source

The information in this article is based from the websites of the relevant producers and dealers and from FruitSecurity Holland's experience.