Section 1: Client Story—Filer Uses Pilot Lift to Access Tractor

Dave Filer accesses his John Deere 5210 with a seated Pilot Lift from Life Essentials.
Photo courtesy of Missouri AgrAbility

David Filer, a 38-year-old Missouri farmer, uses a Life Essentials Pilot Lift to access his John Deere 5210 tractor. Filer sustained a T7 spinal cord injury in 1997 when a dead tree fell on him. His mother referred him to Missouri AgrAbility while he was still in the hospital following the incident. With the help of family and neighbors, he runs a 450-acre cow/calf operation.

Working with VR

In 1998, state vocational rehabilitation (VR) staff worked with AgrAbility staff to determine the types of assistive technologies Filer needed to remain productive on the farm. Filer bought a John Deere 5210 and VR purchased a lift for it. He has logged about 500 hours a year on the tractor mowing, raking, baling hay, moving bales, blading roads, cleaning the cattle yard, hauling manure, and feeding and moving cattle.

Using the Lift

He uses the tractor and Pilot lift six days a week. The lift has been very dependable and he feels safe and comfortable in it. Only two mechanical issues have surfaced since 1998: he has had to replace a small belt on the top of the lift four times and, occasionally, the weather has caused the switches to corrode.

Prior to getting the lift, he says he was getting in and out of the tractor in an unsafe way that took fifteen minutes and help from his wife. Since getting the lift, Filer has accessed his tractor without incident for three years with just one exception. He once tried, against the manufacturer’s advice, to transfer into the lift seat directly from his pickup seat in order to save a little time. In the process, he fractured his ankle. He has followed recommended operating procedures ever since.

NEXT: Focus—Commercial Lifts

In This Issue
Section 1: Client Story—Filer Uses Pilot Lift to Access Tractor Section 2: Focus—Commercial Lifts Section 3: Assistive Technology Notes—Commercial Lifts	Section 4: State Project Feature—Delmarva Project Section 5: Tips for Preventing Slips or Falls When Using Tractor Chair Lifts Section 6: Contacts