Rolling Stairway Handy In Shop Farmyard

Rolling Stairway Handy In Shop Farmyard FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 23-1-39 An Illinois farmer bought a set of metal stairs when a local manufacturer went out of business and reworked them for use in his shop, mounting them on wheels and adding a 4-ft. square platform on top. John Imhoff, Roanoke, Ill., says the rolling stairway provides him with easy access to any part of his 50-ft. sq. shop. It can also be rolled outside to put the tarp on his semi truck, etc. "Climbing up the stairway is a lot easier than climbing up a ladder and it's easy to roll around," says Imhoff, who credits employee Dave Kindig (pictured) for most of the modifications made to the stairway. "I use it often to access a balcony on one side of my shop where I store parts. I also use it to change light bulbs in the shop ceiling." The stairway originally was equipped with a pair of vertical steel legs on back. However, mounting a platform on top required support so Kindig cut off the legs and repositioned them at an angle. The legs are braced by a pair of criss-crossed steel rods. Wheels at the back mount on a pivoting axle made from steel tubing. It pivots from side to side so that all four wheels carry an equal load on uneven ground. To reduce any danger of tipping, threaded adjustment cranks can be used to tighten down either end of the axle and make it rigid. The platform at the top of the stairway consists of a metal frame covered by plywood. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Imhoff, RR 2, Box 52, Roanoke, Ill. 61561 (ph 309 923-7345).

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