jimmer2880 said:
I am particularly interested in the mount & dismount. My dad had a stroke last year and has a hard time with his right side movement. He has a very hard time getting on & off our little Yanmar. Some pointers from someone who does it a lot would help.
jimmer,
Thanks for the question and I'm glad to see other people that don't let a little inconvenience hamper one's lifestyle.
After 20 years, here are just a couple of ideas.
1. Build a small set of stairs where the top stair is about 7" lower than the floor of the tractor. It should require very few steps. Maybe 2 or 3. Put the handrail on the stairs and build them so bucket forks can go under them for movement.
When you want to change implements, move the stairs to where the implement will be disconnected, then drop the implement. This will give portable access to everything if you have quick attach bucket forks or just leave the forks on. This system takes a little longer for connecting and disconnecting implements, but it works very well and doesn't take up much acreage.
2. For wheelchair access, the best I saw was a pile of dirt beside each implement. The pile was shaped to be flat on top and a ramp. The man also had several "mounds" scattered throughout the farm to get off the tractor to fix problems without having to go back to the barn. There was a way for him to carry his chair on the tractor.
As far as my modifications, the
BX24 is low enough that I can use the steering wheel and hand grip by the cup holder and pull myself into the seat. The ability to stand coupled with the small tractor makes access very good.
Sometime over the winter I hope to make a low seat coupled to the 3 point hitch that will allow me to drive the tractor and be low enough to the ground to pull weeds from the yard. The idea is in my head but the design and implementation is still a little fuzzy.
Wheelchair access to the tractor is getting higher on my priority list.
