Deere Air Seeder Fitted With New-Style Stairs

Deere Air Seeder Fitted With New-Style Stairs AIR SEEDERS Air Seeders (42B) 26-2-42 William and Linda Dueck tried for two years to get their Deere dealer to replace the ladder on their Deere 787 air seeder. They wanted an easier-to-use stairway and platform. They found it awkward to climb the original ladder, especially carrying a pail or tools. Eventually they turned to local metal fabricating shop owner Todd Dennis and told him the kind of stairs and catwalk they wanted. "I think I spent more time looking and thinking about what they wanted, than the actual time it took to build it," says Dennis. "After they brought the tank cart here, I made a lot of trips out to the yard with a tape measure before the final design was worked out." He placed the lowest step right below the lock arm and saddle where the loading auger rests on the back corner. This was also the starting point for the original ladder so the new step has the same 18-in. ground clearance as the original ladder. The Duecks can easily reach and lock the loading auger from this step. The steps go up at a 45-degree angle, a 6-ft. run of 8-in. steps, reaching the platform at the right rear corner of the tank. The 8-ft. long platform goes forward along the right side of the tank. "I made the guardrails to match the height and material of the factory railing," says Dennis. "It's important to stay close to the original design features." As a finishing touch, Dennis put a low handrail around the outside of the top lids, for the operator to grip while opening the lids and he positioned a narrow expanded metal step half-way up the tank, above the platform. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Todd Dennis, Box 35, Rosser, Manitoba, Canada R0H 1E0 (ph 204 467-5091).

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