Technical Abstract: Pungent green chile (genus /Capsicum/, also spelled chili) is a large, fragile fruit growing on berry shrubs. Chile is harvested by hand to maximize yields and minimize fruit damage. Labor for hand harvesting chile is increasingly costly and difficult to obtain. Harvest mechanization is viewed as critical to retain chile production in the United States. Mechanical harvester field trials were conducted in green chile with commercial red chile harvesters and experimental green chile harvesters. Five cultivars replicated seven times each in two fields were used to test four harvester design concepts. Comparisons were made between cultivars and harvesters using field efficiency and mechanical damage. Twenty percent harvest loss can be accepted because of the savings with mechanical harvesting over hand picking. Mechanical damage varied from minimal to unacceptable with different designs.