Section 2: Focus — Commercial Lifts Commercially Manufactured Person-Lifts For Tractors

For agricultural workers who have disabilities that limit their mobility and strength, finding a way to stay on the tractor may mean the difference between continuing to live and work successfully in the environment they love or settling for a lifestyle they consider second-rate. Assistive technologies such as person lifts–both commercial and

non-commercial– can be used to modify tractors, thereby making them accessible to operators who have disabilities.

In this Issue

This issue of AgrAbility Quarterly provides information and client stories about the three commercially available lifts that AgrAbility staff most commonly recommends for their clients who need assistance accessing tractors and other farm machinery or vehicles. Manufacturers of each of these lifts–Pilot Lift, Freedom Lift, and Lectra Aid Lift–report that each has a good safety record. Information highlighted here includes the unique features that make these lifts effective and reliable. Additional detailed information on each is available on the manufacturer’s website (see Commercial Person-Lift Resources on this page). Information on the Pilot Lift and the Freedom Lift is also included on pages 1-4 of Breaking New Ground’s "The Toolbox."

Commercial manufacturers of lifts may invest years in product design and testing before a lift is sold to the public. Furthermore, such manufacturers stand behind their lifts, ensuring quality and reliability. Although a commercially available lift may cost more than a non-commercial lift, producers and potential funding sources should be apprised of the importance and advantages of investing in reliable, quality-tested assistive technologies.

Commercial Person- Lift Resources

For further information on the commercially manufactured person-lifts for tractors included in this newsletter, contact:

Life Essentials

Address:	345 Burnett Road West Lafayette, IN 47906
Telephone:	800-543-3740 or 765-742-6707
Fax:	765-435-1017
Web site:	www.life-essentials.net
E-mail:	Adam@life-essentials.net or Kathy@life-essentials.net

Freedom Technologies Inc.

Address:	#3-2949 Miners Avenue Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 4Z6
Telephone:	306-244-1508
Fax:	306-244-1931
Web site:	www3.sk.sympatico.ca/freetech
E-mail:	freedomtech@sk.sympatico.ca

SFH Products Inc.

Address:	1801 E. Medlock Dr. Phoenix, AZ 85016
Telephone:	888-224-1425 or 602-265-7370
Web site:	www.lectraaid.com
E-mail:	lecaid@qwest.com

NOTE: Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Easter Seals, the University of Wisconsin, or the AgrAbility Project, and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.

BACK: Client Story—Filer Uses Pilot Lift to Access Tractor

NEXT: Assistive Tecnology Notes

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