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Matt Reynolds' Chair Lift
An adult male rides in the seat on the over-the-tire inclined track (attached to the tractor’s rear side frame) that carries him up to the operation station.

Matt Reynolds' Chair Lift, which he himself designed while an agricultural engineering student at Purdue University, was mounted on a Ford 8000 tractor. This versatile inclined-track lift does not interfere with use of the tractor by others but does partially obstruct one's view on the tractor's left side. A lower mounting bracket is bolted to the tractor frame and extends horizontally to support the end of a Uni-strut track (see figure). The upper mounting bracket for the track is a horizontal angle iron securely clamped to the tractor's rollover protection structure. The lift's guide mechanism consists of two parallel sections of Uni-strut track welded to the upper and lower mounting brackets, with their open slots facing out. A bearing plate rides in the slots to carry the lift seat assembly along the Uni-strut track. The lift seat, which came from a Case 1290 tractor, is mounted to a small swing arm on the bearing plate such that it can pivot close to the tractor operator's seat when transferring. A stationary 12-volt DC cable winch, fastened to the top of the Uni-strut track, pulls the lift seat up the track. The winch is rated at 2,500 pounds pulling capacity, with a speed of 5 feet per minute, and draws 25 amps of current when winding up the cable. The lift is controlled with a remote, self-centering switch mounted on the lift seat.

Estimated Cost Cost range: See below

Limitations Limitations Addressed by Product: Lower extremity


SourceBreaking New Ground Resource Center
ABE Building
225 S University Street
West Lafayette, IN, 47907
Websitewww.breakingnewground.info
Emailbng@ecn.purdue.edu
Phone800-825-4264
Fax765-496-1356
Last updated: Mar 01, 2019


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