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Homemade Combine Maintenance Lift
Pen drawing of a combine in black & white with a blue winch-driven lift attached consisting of 2 vertical parallel rails & a platform with handrails attached to ride up & down on the rails

To more easily access his combine's engine, Peter McKay (Lone Wolf, OK) used heavy-duty tubing to build this 12-volt, winch-powered lift. Wired switches in two locations allow him to raise or lower the platform on a pair of barn door tracks. A safety mechanism such as a fall arrestor should be added to prevent the sudden falling of the platform should the cable break. Frequent inspection of the cable is critical to prevent such a mishap. Electric winch manufacturers declare their equipment is not designed for lifting people. Twelve-volt hydraulic power units can be used to operate hydraulic cylinders to raise manlift platforms safely even when the combine engine is not running.

Estimated Cost Cost range: See below

Limitations Limitations Addressed by Product: Lower extremity


SourceAdapted from Farm Journal AgWeb (10/12/21)
Peter McKay
McKay Farms
Lone Wolf, OK, 73655
Websitewww.agweb.com/news/machinery/used-machinery/100-ideas-combine-lifts-and-battery-chargers
Est. Cost$1000 for 12V hydraulic power supply and cylinder
Last updated: Jan 10, 2022


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