Hand Brake Levers

The two Hand Brake Levers that Granger, IA, farmer John Ricke made for his John Deere 4230 tractor allow easy and independent use of individual brakes. The levers are flat bar stock with bicycle grips for hand holds [[[(Fig. 1)]]]. They were bent such as to not interfere if someone wishes to operate the brakes with his feet. A short angle iron segment was welded to each brake pedal shank, with the flat surface facing up; and a piece of flat steel was welded to the bottom end of each control lever. The flat steel on the lever was then bolted to the angle iron on the pedal in order to fasten the hand brakes [[[(Fig. 2)]]]. Ricke activates the brakes by pulling the levers toward him. A disadvantage of this simple system is that welding components directly to the brake pedals probably lowers the tractor’s market value and may compromise the strength of the pedal shank.

Cost: Contact for pricing.

Impairment Category: Lower extremity