Disability Mods

[PearOrchard]

C5/6 and farming by ones self is a tough one. I have a couple of friends that are in the same situation that do a lot of things but hooking and unhooking 3pt implements isn't easy for someone that has full strength in there whole body on a big tractor. I'm a para T6 and I do it but it isn't easy and I need every ounce of strength I have to do it. I find hooking a PTO shaft up to the tractor is a real PITA and it takes me hours sometimes to get it on there.

The ideal setup would be to hook what you use to each tractor and leave it there, not always possible but that would be the perfect thing to do.
I'm not sure how you are clutching your tractors without an extension of some kind? Brakes, clutches hand controls are easy, the 3pt hooking and unhooking is the problem.

Do you have pictures of your tractors? cab setup, transmission, pedals, seat, winch, pulleys etc?

I don't use brakes. I just downshift then shift to neutral because it's so flat around here. I don't care for adding hand control linkages to the pedals because my legs would get caught up in them. I have muscle tone so I can hold the clutch in if I put my foot on it. Letting off is another story sometimes. Only mod I have on my tractor is this winch/pulley setup:



The winch cable runs up to a pulley at the top/front of the door, then over to another pulley mounted over the trainer seat, then through a pulley hook and finally back up to the second pulley. I have a wireless remote that I press with my teeth as I guide myself up. It's really simple. I wear a mountain climbing harness to hook to.

 

[atsah]

Seems to be working for you. So do you want to install a removable clutch extension so that you can situate yourself in the cab then slide it down over a simple stud so you can push the clutch down? Would you push the clutch with the palm of your hand or your forearm?

 

[tcreeley]

I walk with 2 canes and this summer I started toting an oxygen tank around with me. I use a scooter to save my breath.

I have two steps to climb up onto my tractor (1st one step then I added the lower step) and a hand lever attached to the pedal for braking. I've mounted the seat further back because I can't fold my legs and use them spread apart..

 

[PearOrchard]

I was imagining plugging in hydraulic QDs while sitting in a wheelchair, and I was thinking that would probably be hard to do, with nothing solid to push against and the chair moving around. I was going to recommend this type of QD which doesn't require much force. But then I read that you don't have the use of your hands, either. So now I'm really quite baffled as to how you do any of this, and I can't think of anything that seems helpful.

Haha. I'm not your average quadriplegic.

 

[PearOrchard]

Seems to be working for you. So do you want to install a removable clutch extension so that you can situate yourself in the cab then slide it down over a simple stud so you can push the clutch down? Would you push the clutch with the palm of your hand or your forearm?

I would use my hand, but after experimenting with using my leg yesterday I think I may try to rig up a brace to keep my foot on the clutch and a second spring to help return the clutch pedal. I may do something similar to what you're saying, but use an offset stud to connect the brace to.

As far as strength goes, I use leverage to do things that many abled-bodies can't do. Sometimes it takes me more time, but I get the job done. I am right now having to rely on people to help me get equipment usable, but I hope this will help with that:

LIFE ESSENTIALS TRUCK LIFT - YouTube

 

[ruffdog]

That truck lift looks good and I like the range it has. We need trucks that can be used like tractors like these:

No need Tractor when you have Truck - YouTube

 

[daugen]

this is a very helpful thread even for those of us not with severe disability, some of us are just slowly falling apart...
Severe osteoarthritis and spinal degeneration disease, a fused neck, etc is getting me to the point where implement attachment is
just too hard. I have been whining about pto connectors for years, saying current method was designed in our grandfather's time, surely there's a better way. And it looks like there is, though interesting that oem builders won't offer as an option.

JD has come out with an inching control on their new 4066R model and I have looked at that carefully as a way to improve upon Kubota's extendable forks. But not made for larger tractors. Having external controls for rear lift arms is my next goal.

I have limited use of my right arm and drive mostly with my left arm only. Spinner knobs on wheels are great. But of course then your left arm gets tired doing all the work. Am about to sell my larger Massey because an all manual tractor is like a visit to the gym for me, a huge workout that leaves me very sore. Leg cramps at night from depressing clutch, etc. Want to go to a utility tractor but have zero experience with power reversers and wonder how that will work. Some look really easy, forward, neutral and reverse with light touch actuator. Anyone have a power reverser that's isn't easy to use? That I should avoid...

I'm really impressed by what some of you do to maintain self reliance. My hat is off to you.
And I'm sure looking at what you do to see if it could help me down the road.

 

[aczlan]

Daugen, we have a Kubota L3830 GST (their "clutchless" 12 speed reverser transmission). It is nice, one catch though, when you are at PTO RPM and put the F/R lever into gear (such as when baling and stopping to let the baler catch up), it can jerk pretty badly. I wish there was a way to slow the engagement of the hydraulic clutch pack a little bit so that it had a little more of a ramp up vs slamming into gear.

Aaron Z

 

[LouNY]

The three power shuttles that I use, Case IH, Ford New Holland and Branson all work about the same.
Left hand under the steering wheel, from center "neutral" a push forward and they will move out nicely, back to center a touch of brake to stop pull back for reverse and repeat as needed.
My Branson actually engages smother with the shuttle control then with the foot control "clutch" which is just a rheostat. No linkage type connection.

 

[daugen]

thanks guys, one of the videos I saw showed how you could dial your hydraulic response time down, I think it was a Messick's video on a Kubota.
Do the other brands have that to reduce the jerkiness?

Really spoiled by the hydrostatic pedal. Easy to modulate, easy to stop, push to go, let off to stop, use cruise as much as possible.
And hydrostatic should be easily modded for hand control. Heck I drive my Kubota while mowing and most other jobs other than loader work by using the cruise lever on the left side. It comes right to hand, very ergonomic. For me, a tilt and telescopic wheel that puts the powershuttle "right to hand" would be great.

With what some of the rest of you are working through, successfully it seems, I'm going to stop whining. Though I intend to continue to call
greasy pto connectors all kinds of names.