Fruit Cage Erection Instructions
Have a look at our useful guides on how to erect a Henry Cowls fruit cage.
How to Erect a Fruit Cage
● The selected site should be away from shrubs and overhanging trees and should be firmly levelled.
● Lay the top rods on the ground in the shape of the cage, to locate the position of the uprights.
● Make a hole in the ground using a bar for each upright, and bury the upright 360mm (14”) down checking they are vertical and correctly spaced. On the upright that will hold the hinges for the door, please slide down the round footplate supplied which will stop the door catching on the ground.
● Place the top rods in their correct positions on top of the uprights, using the ground pegs as temporary locating pins.
● One by one, remove the ground pegs and fix permanently with the scalloped threaded hand wheels.
How to Net a Fruit Cage
● Firmly pull out the top netting over the framework ensuring that the mesh is opened out and made square, and secure with two or three clips along each side. There is a green marker on each corner to help with this operation. For large nets it may be easier to stretch the net on the ground using the pegs to secure it in place. This “encourages” the meshes to open out and enables you to check that the net is square prior to placing it over the frame.
● Hang the side net. Clip the net to the top rods at 60cm (2’) intervals. The side net will also cover the door.
● Remove the clips used to secure the top net, and replace over both nets.
● Peg the side netting to the ground pulling the mesh square as you go, using ground pegs.
● We recommend removing the 19mm (3/4”) mesh top net during the winter months. Snow can bridge this size mesh and cause damage to the frame.
Fitting Fruit Cage Doorways
Pre-fabricate the door using the five components of the following lengths and the 4 No.bolts and nuts provided. The aluminium uprights and cross pieces have a long flattened end and a short flattened end. Please ensure that the long flattened ends go together with the cross piece.
- ● 2 no. Horizontal components = 935mm long from hole to hole
- ● 2 no. Vertical components = 1955mm long from hole to hole
- ● 1 no. Diagonal Brace = 2165mm long from hole to hole (high side at ‘door hinge’ side of door)
Offer the door up to the 1m wide opening in the frame and fix the door hinges loosely one near the top and one near the bottom of the upright. The larger diameter hole in the hinge should be fitted around the upright and the smaller diameter hole should grip the vertical door component so that as the door is opened, the complete hinge swivels with the door. When the door is in position, the hinges should be tightened with a flat-headed screwdriver.
