Came across the following Abstract in the ISHS Acta Horticulturae 596 VIII International Symposium on Pear. Hmm.

I'm wondering. Is there any intel relating to the relationship between whip-grafting height on apple/pears, and yield?

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EFFECT OF BUDDING HEIGHT ON TREE SIZE AND PRECOCITY
Authors: E.A. Mielke, L. Smith

‘Beurré D’Anjou’ scions were budded on ‘Old Home by Farmingdale’ 97 (OHxF 97) rootstocks at 7.6, 22.9, and 38.1 cm above the ground. Trees budded at 38.1 cm above ground instead of the usual 7.6 cm (control), produced trees with volumes approximately 40 percent of the control. Trees budded at 22.9 cm produced 150% more flowers and 70% more fruit than did the control trees. Budding at 38.1 cm above the ground drastically reduced flowering and set. Fruit size was unaffected by yield.