WDE, .
Auburn native & grad here. BS81,DVM85

Most of the older apples here are on M9/M111 combo - but I didn't 'build' them.
Have a couple dozen pears on callery seedling with an 8-10" interstem of OHxF 513. Seems to work OK, but I didn't play around with other clones or different lengths.

WDE!

WDE. Thanks for your input. I have been considering the M111/M9 option hoping to keep the trees at 7-9âÂÂ. Are your apple trees old enough to determine what will be a maintainable size? Thanks, Bill

Auburn/Gus/NM wins the big trophy this season.

Some of them closing on 18-20 years now. Have largely abandoned most of them, so no pruning or other care for most of the last 10 or so years.
Most on M9/M111 are probably still less than 10 ft tall and considerably wider than that. If I'd had time or inclination to prune, they would likely be better.
Trees on M7, planted at the same time, are pretty doggone big. Really quite big...
One thing...M111 was touted as providing superior anchorage; my site has high water table and is pretty exposed, so far as winds go...but a very significant number of the trees on M9/M111 leaned badly over the years - some almost to the point of lying on their sides; had to jack them back into a somewhat upright position and 'scotch' them with concrete blocks or big chunks of Osage Orange.

Lucky. Thanks for sharing.