In less than two years, Northstar Attachments, LLC, has manufactured ten orchard platforms for Pacific Northwest growers, each with different specifications. “No two have been the same,” said Ted Bellamy of Rankin Equipment Company in Yakima, Washington. Rankin owns Northstar, a Yakima manufacturer specializing in tractor attachments. “There are so many variables in orchards-row width, tree spacing, tree height and depth.” John Riel of Burrows Equipment, Yakima, is the dealer for the Northstar platforms. He noted that it’s difficult to have units ready for sale because they keep selling different versions of the platforms, custom-built for each grower. The platforms […]