Harlen Grovom of Park River, N.D., has built a chainsaw starter that he can operate with his foot. At 91, he needed to modify his equipment to match his capabilities. “My elbows hurt after two pulls. Now, I use my leg and feet to start it,” he says.

   The starter uses a series of levers to pull on a cord connected from a foot pedal to the chainsaw’s starter, which he rests on a waist-high platform. One or two gentle pumps with the foot are usually enough to start the chainsaw, providing it’s well-primed. He has the chainsaw fastened down so it doesn’t jump around.

   Grovom made the starter from odds and ends, including scrap 2 by 4s and plywood. He’s used it successfully many times and has even had a neighbor ask to borrow it. “It wouldn’t hurt to make it out of aluminum so it would be lighter,” says Grovom. “However, it’s portable enough that I can take it right out to my woodpile without a problem.”

   Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harlen Grovom (ph 701-331-0169).