Do you own a nut gatherer? Have you ever wondered what other uses it has apart from the obvious? If you want to use yours to pick up rocks, keep reading. We have researched and put together helpful information about nut gatherers.
A nut gatherer can be used to pick up rocks as long as they are the same shape and size as nuts. However, the rocks may not be as light as nuts. To avoid damaging the nut gatherer's wires, do not overload it. Go over the tool's instruction manual and only use it as recommended.
If you want to learn more about other uses for a nut gatherer and how to operate and maintain the tool properly, then you are reading the right article. Keep scrolling!
Can A Nut Gatherer Collect Rocks?
Nut gatherers are not exclusively used for picking up nuts. This tool can pick up anything round or oval-shaped, almost the same size as a nut, and with a tough exterior.
If you are gathering nuts in an area with small stones of similar size and shape, then you can expect them to be in the basket mix.
So, you can intentionally use this tool to separate and collect stones from garden soil. It is effective not only for harvesting nuts but for gardening as well.
Apart from nuts and stones, you can also use nut gatherers to pick up other fruits and toys that fit the shape and size requirement.
However, the nut gatherer will work only on unripe fruits with a hard exterior. The basket wires are likely to flatten the ripe ones with soft skins.
How To Respace Your Nut Gatherer
You should be aware of the load capacity of your nut gatherer. The number of nuts it can hold depends on its size. Large nut gatherers can collect as much as 1 2/3 gallons at a time, while the smallest can collect about a quart.
Exceeding the maximum holding capacity can cause the basket wires to bend, twist, and even break.
If you find that wires are bent out of place, here is how you respace them:
Lessen The Gap Between The Wires
Use your fingers to apply force to the wires individually. Push them down, then pull them to the side so they pop back in place. Repeat the same maneuver for each bent wire.
Make Sure The Wires Of The Basket Are Arched Correctly
Check the edges of the basket to ensure the wires are nicely crimped. Using your fingers, pull the wire outward where it is depressed.
For arches that are sticking out, use your thumb to press the wire down. Run your fingers up and down from edge to edge to properly arch the wires.
Adjust Spacing In Case Of Broken Wires
You can't replace broken wires. Instead, you should remove the broken wires from the basket and then respace the remaining intact wires, so they are close enough to each other.
The basket wires do not need to be perfectly aligned. They just need to be spaced close enough so that they can pick up your desired small objects.
For a detailed demonstration on how to respace your basket wires, watch this video:
If the basket does not operate smoothly after a good amount of usage, it probably needs a good greasing. You should remove it from the bale and apply grease to the bolts on both ends of the basket.
Which Nut Gatherer Size To Use
Nut gatherers vary in size. There are standard small, medium, and large models to accommodate nuts of different sizes. You can also find brands that have extra small and extra large sizes available.
A large nut gatherer is ideal for picking items as big as walnuts and sweet gumballs whose width ranges between 1.5 and 3 inches. The medium-sized nut gatherer can pick up pecans, acorns, hickory nuts, and other objects of similar size (3/4 to 2 inches).
You can use the small nut gatherer to collect smaller nuts measuring between 3/8 and 3/4 inch.
Nut Wizard And Stab-A-Nut
There are a lot of nut gatherers with different collecting mechanisms on the market for you to choose from. We'll compare the Nut Wizard and the Stab-A-Nut.
Nut Wizard
Nut Wizard's collecting method uses a rolling basket with flexible wires. As you roll the basket over an area, the wires easily bend wide to pick up the nuts and close back after.
You collect nuts by aiming the basket's arch toward the nuts and rolling the basket at a controlled speed. You then empty your nuts into a bucket once the basket becomes full.
Nut Wizard has a dumper that makes this process easier than similar brands. The dumper is a bent wire with a hook-like appearance and comes with the nut gatherer upon purchase.
You only have to mount it on the bucket's lip, ensuring its tip points upward, to make it work. To unload, push the basket down on the hook and twist. This opens the basket wires and allows the nuts to fall in.
Fitting this item on a bucket's lip is not a problem since it is made to fit the standard size. You can also fit the unloader directly on a wagon or wheelbarrow.
How to assemble the Nut Wizard
Putting the Nut Wizard together is a breeze. Follow this easy two-step guide:
- Attach the basket to the bale. Secure one end of the basket to one end of the bale and then work on the opposite side.
- Join the bale to the handle and screw until the fit is tight.
Check out this Nut Wizard on Amazon
Stab-A-Nut
The Stab-A-Nut is a tool specifically designed for picking pecan nuts. This tool is really simple to use. As its name implies, you only need to make gentle stabbing motions toward the ground to pick up the nuts.
The Stab-A-Nut is for collecting nuts in a small area as it can only hold a small number of nuts at a time. Also, it will pick up objects within the size range of 0.4 to 1.25 inches.
The tool is curved on its picking end. So to make picking easier, think of the picking end as having two sides. First, fill the side closest to you, turn the tool 180º and use the other side. Make sure you land the nuts in the center of the square of each row.
To unload this nut gatherer, push the extension piece down so it pushes the nuts out.
How to assemble the Stab-A-Nut
Assembling the Stab-A-Nut is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Here is your three-step guide to putting it together:
- Flip the handle piece (the ribbed appendage attached to the head) up.
- Get the pole and make sure to extend it all the way. Twist the pole counterclockwise to extend it and vice versa to secure it.
- Insert the pole through the handle and screw it to the head.
How to disassemble the Stab-A-Nut
Should the need to disassemble your Stab-A-Nut arise, this is how you do it:
- Separate the pole from the head.
- Remove the spring from its place.
- Separate the handle piece from the head. Align the keyholes by bending the handle piece to a 90º angle and pushing the joint out of its hole.
- Follow the same step of aligning the keyholes if you wish to remove the arms from the handle, and you're done.
Click here to see this Stab-A-Nut on Amazon
In A Nutshell
To sum up, a nut gatherer is not exclusively used for picking up nuts. You can use this tool to collect objects of similar sizes and shapes, including rocks.
This tool comes in different forms with different collecting and unloading mechanisms, but all of them are very simple to use.
If you found this post interesting, then check out these articles: