Tractor Platform Keeps Older Driver Working

Tractor Platform Keeps Older Driver Working MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Handicapped Equipment 32-6-19 Good tractor drivers are hard to find so when Orrin Olson started having a problem getting up tractor steps, his friends and employers, Nick and Don Ruen, simply eliminated the steps. "Nick built a wood ramp that lets him walk out to the tractor," says Don, Nick's father. "He also built a bigger entrance platform for the tractor so it would be easier for him to get in and out of the cab." The 20 by 30-in. entrance platform replaces the existing floor plates that cover the batteries on the Deere 4230 and 4430. A railing on one end gives Olson support as he steps out and onto the wood ramp. "When Orrin isn't driving, the larger platform just lifts off, and the original slips back into place," says Don. "The larger platform and railing also let Orrin step out of the cab when he wants to take a breather in the field." The platform and handhold are framed with 1-in. square tubing. The platform is steel grid for good footing. Short pipe lengths at the end opposite the battery slide into sleeves attached to the frame of the tractor. "Orrin is a good tractor driver, and we really depend on him," says Don. "He likes to drive, and this lets him do it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Don Ruen, 34298 Gentle Road, Lanesboro, Minn. 55949 (ph 507 467-3310; dmnruen@acegroup.cc).

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