One hand operation of tractor ?

[zzvyb6]

You'd be surprized at how easy it is to operate a load stick with your arm in a sling. I've had shoulder surgery and a broken arm (elbow), and a few sprained wrists (I'm a hockey player). If it hurts don't do it. If you can grab it with your fingers, then you are in control. If its a hard cast, have the doc add a metal hook to the cast so you can push, pull, left and right shove the stick. Heck, I put hay up with my arm in a cast. Just don't hammer anything. That can be painful. In fact, you can practice what it will take by sticking your arm in a piece of pvc and taping it up to simulate the cast. Even a shoulder injury is not gonna slow you down. Best that the loader is on the tractor before you start all this, though. Also fueled and ready to go...

 

[beenthere]

.................

I'd like to avoid the steering knob as they are wrist breakers if ever you jamb a front wheel against a solid object. In fact I believe they are banned at OEM levels.

In the old days before power steering, yes they were wrist breakers. But don't see that as a problem with power steering. But even so, I don't have one.

 

[brin]

Here is a thought..instead of modifying your tractor, consider having your doctor modify your cast which you will no doubt have on your right arm...so why not take good photos of your FEL joystick and take some measurements ..then design a piece of metal or better yet hard plastic that could be incorporated into your cast when they put it on and you could get creative and even have a disconect on it so when you needed it you snap it on to the cast to the receiver part the doc has cemented into the cast and then when you are finished plowing just un snap it...Make lemonaide out of a lemon so to speak...

 

[Max2310]

Or maybe it's a good time/excuse to get a rear snow blower

Good luck with your surgery.

 

[MossRoad]

I may have surgery this winter on my right arm and be in a sling during the winter plowing season. And my wife refuses to learn the tractor.

Has anyone rigged up any sort of way to operate the FEL joystick with left hand , or other tips?
(safety police please ignore)
I hate to postpone the operation till winter is over and even a few weeks in my remote snowy Canadian location, can mean we risk being snowed in and can't get to work.

its times like these you wish you had a son besides the two daughters !

jake

You could attempt to rig up a simple rod and lever linkage that operates the stick from the left side without moving the valve. The Power Trac owners have a small auxiliary PTO lever down by their right knees. It operates the quick attach mechanism, but also is used to operate power implements like the power angle on a snow plow or the grapple on a grapple bucket. For those operations, it is very inconvenient. Several of them have hooked up rod and lever linkage to move control to the left hand. Here are some pictures of a few of them. Just something to think about.

First one is the lever on the right knee.

Second one is of the linkage installed to the left hand.

Third one is of a different model with a similar modification.

 

[wawajake]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I see a few options:
I already installed a steering knob , and depending on whether a cast is involved , I never thought of modifying the cast ....So I can see myself doing the RedGreen duct tape or whatever rigging.
I also like the knee lever I could see something possible there too !

thanks all

As for teaching daughters............well I would if they still lived at home , but they are out of the nest. And not enough time (or energy ) to make a son

jake

 

[D7E]

One of my old bosses cut his arm off at the elbow in a forager and converted all his tractors to be able to do everything with one hand or with his feet all modified by himself...Amazing what he did with linkages/switches and such...and continued as a custom operator putting thousands of hours a year on a tractor...!

 

[Dead Horse]

this figures! I guess he wouldn't need 2 bad arms, just trying to make suggestions to help, afterall it would only be "temporary"

Both of my tractors are outfitted with "suicide knobs"........ They are perhaps the singularly BEST modification I have ever made to any of my orchard hardware........

Spare me from the safety police, 99% of whom wouldn't Know a PTO from the PTA.

 

[ovrszd]

I'd like to avoid the steering knob as they are wrist breakers if ever you jamb a front wheel against a solid object. In fact I believe they are banned at OEM levels.

Now you are showing your age!!! Back in the old mechanical gear driven steering days your concern was valid. As was the philosophy to always keep your thumbs outside the steering wheel.

On a modern hydraulic cylinder driven steering system that's not a concern. I can't imagine running a modern tractor without a knob. It's the first thing I buy for a tractor, color coordinated of course.

 

[Soundguy]

I'd like to avoid the steering knob as they are wrist breakers if ever you jamb a front wheel against a solid object. In fact I believe they are banned at OEM levels.

only dangerous if you don't know how to use them... open palm setup works FINE.. just like a hand crank on a tractor.. if you try to get hurt.. you can break an arm.. if you do it right.. it's difficult to get hurt.

kinda like cleaning a loaded gun...

soundguy