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Lift Seat Mounts On Garden Tractor
If you or anyone you know is disabled but still farms, you'll be interested in this new lift seat that mounts on any existing gar-den tractor, turning it into a powered "wheel chair" that can motor over the roughest ground and then hoist the rider up onto tractor or combine seats.
Minnesota farmer Robert Medd, who came up with the idea, previously developed a lift platform that mounts on the side of tractors and combines. It's de-signed for people who can stand up but have difficulty climbing. The new lift can be used by paraplegics who do not have use of their legs.
Medd mounted his prototype machine on an IH Cub Cadet garden tractor, re-moving the original tractor seat. A lift mast mounts on the back of the tractor and is fitted with a large padded seat with leg supports. The mast is fitted with a custom-built hydraulic cylinder (Medd wanted a long cylinder with a small diameter that would use a minimum amount of hydraulic fluid) that lifts the seat up about 6 ft. A second cylinder rotates the seat off to the side. Movement is con-trolled by two toggle switches located alongside the rider.
A 12-volt hydraulic power pack mounts on the back of the tractor at the base of the lift mast along with a heavy duty battery, which can be charged off the garden tractor. Because the lift is battery-powered, it can be used when the tractor is shut off.
Medd built the first unit to sell to a disabled farmer. He's interested in building more. No price has yet been deter-mined.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert E. Medd, Hollandale, Minn. 56045 (ph 507 256-4229).


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1992 - Volume #16, Issue #6