Designing a Tractor Lift

Engineers in Development

Final Presentation: Tuesday, December 14, 5:30 PM

Client

• Mark Novak– AgrAbility Project

• 460 Henry Mall

UW Madison

Madison, WI 53706• menovak@wisc.edu

Problem Overview

• Farmers are an essential part of our economy.• The average age of a farmer is 53.• As the average age of farmers increases, so

does the number of farmers with disabilities.• It is difficult for many of these farmers to get into

the cab of their tractors.• Some forms of aid do exist, but they are often

inadequate or too expensive.

Problem Statement

• Our task is to design a mounted platform lift that will safely transport a farmer with limited mobility from ground level to the tractor cab. The lift needs to be safe, reliable, and accessible by a non-disabled person.

Criteria

• Safe

• Reliable

• Durable

• Cost-efficient

• Easily operated by one person

• Allows people without limited mobility to access the tractor

• Motor operated by tractor battery

Brainstorming: Systems

System Idea Evaluation

Lift Mechanism Chain

Power Screw

Pulley

•Reliable, moderately expensive, somewhat difficult to implement•Reliable, easily implemented, most expensive•Least expensive, unreliable, difficult to implement

Braking System

Hydraulic

Pneumatic

Kill Switch

•Difficult to implement, very expensive, reliable•Somewhat difficult to implement, moderately expensive, reliable•Easy to implement, least expensive, performs necessary function

Brainstorming: Platform

Idea: Evaluation:

Grip-Strut Floor Minimizes slipping

Side rails Added safety

Fully enclosed Safe, but unnecessary

Chair on platform Cluttered the platform

Controls on platform Convenient

Solid walls Vision obstructed

Extended platform Less need for mobility

Lights on the Platform More visibility at night

Our Design: Overview

• Our design was made to be used with the John Deere 9420T tractor series.

The lift will ride up the stairs using a power screw and a guide rail.

Our Design: Safety

•The platform has safety rails.

•The grip-strut floor prevents slipping.

•The kill switch braking system prevents an accident incase something breaks.

•The extending platform ensures that the farmer does not need to step over large gaps.

Our Design: Reliability

• The power screw has been proven to be very reliable and long-lasting.

• Guide rail keeps the weight distributed.• The weather resistant materials drastically

reduce wear and tear over time.

• Our design doesn’t have a lot of parts, so there is less that can go wrong.

Our Design: Versatility

• The lift is usable by both handicapped and non-handicapped people.

– A person with limited mobility would ride the lift up using the controls on the lift.

– A person without limited mobility would walk through the lift and up the stairs.

– Controls in the cab of the tractor can be used to raise or lower the lift for ground clearance.

Pictures of Final Design

2D view of platform with dimensions

2D view of lift with dimensions

Pictures of Final Design

Side View

Front View

Testing the Lift

• Methods of Testing– Amount of Weight the lift is able to hold

• Should be at least 500 lbs in real life– Speed of the lift

• Should be roughly 10 seconds

• Results of Testing– We found that the lift would easily be able to lift the necessary

weight.– The speed was approximately 14 seconds, which was found to

be a good, safe speed.

• Difficulties of the testing process.– The weight was difficult to scale down to our model.– Our model was a lower quality then the real life model (plastic

stairs).

Pricing

• 6ft Power Screw………………………$ 1,100• Powder Coating……………………….$ 600• Piping…………………………………..$160• 26’’x26’’ Platform……………………...$150• 5HP Motor……………………………...$400• Miscellaneous………………………….$500

– Electronics– Nuts and Bolts

• Total estimated Cost of parts..……….$2,910

Pros and Cons

Pros Cons

•Meets all of the criteria specified earlier.•Gives farmers with disabilities safe and easy access to the cab of the tractor.•Power screw drive ensures a reliable, long-lasting product.

•Non-disabled people will need to go through the lift to access the cab.•The lift will be expensive.•Maintenance points could be blocked.

Conclusion

• It is necessary that farmers are allowed to continue their farming.

• Tractor lifts are vital for some farmers to do this.

• Our lift is a safe reliable alternative to what is on the market now.

Questions?

Comments?