Build-It-Yourself Bathtub Lift

Build-It-Yourself Bathtub Lift FARM HOME Bathroom Getting out of a bathtub can be painful and dangerous for older disabled people even with help Ed Hanyzewski knows just how difficult it can be His wife had multiple sclerosis most of her life
As we get older most of us have trouble getting up and down he says My wife and I wanted to make equipment for handicapped people but it s difficult to do due to liability So I figured I d design some things that people could build for themselves
When Hanyzewski designed his people lift for getting out of bathtubs he made sure to use components that were easy to find locally The tubing I use is easy to get and easy to weld he says The nylon netting is widely available and can be sewn with a standard sewing machine The linear actuator is DC-powered running off batteries It can be purchased from any number of suppliers as can the switches and cables
Hanyzewski estimates the cost of a lift would be around $350 to $400 That is cheap compared with a walk-in tub that runs $5 000 to $7 000
The lift consists of a fixed upright with base and ceiling plates The upright is 1 1/2-in 14-gauge steel tubing that is welded to a 1/4-in thick steel plate for a base A 1/4-in thick plate is welded to the top of the upright with a 3/4-in nut welded to the top of it A piece of 3/4-in ready rod is screwed into the nut with a second 1/4-in thick steel plate and a nut welded to it screwed down on the ready rod
The length of the upright depends on the height of the ceiling Hanyzewski attached a 2 by 6-in piece of wood to the ceiling with screws and installed the upright with the top plate against it and the base plate on the floor Making it secure was simply a matter of threading the top plate until it was tight to the wood and bolting both top plate and base plate to the ceiling and the floor respectively
The lift itself consists of a netting seat attached to a nylon-webbing sling and suspended from an arm that pivots from the upright The lifting action is produced by a linear actuator that extends the arm up just enough for the person sitting in the seat to swivel around to the edge of the tub
I made the arm from the same material as the upright says Hanyzewski I welded two pieces of 1/4-in by 2-in steel plates to the end of the arm to make a clevis hitch and bolted it to the upright leaving enough space between the arm and the upright that the arm could pivot
The linear actuator is bolted to a steel plate that is welded to the side of the upright and the base plate at the floor Hanyzewski drilled a hole in the nose of the actuator and bolted a second fabricated clevis to it This clevis also pins to the lift arm about 2/3 of the distance from the upright to the sling
The sling consisting of seat and webbing sized for the person to be lifted is suspended from a swivel bar at the end of the arm A U-shaped clevis is suspended from the end of the arm and connected to the swivel bar by a bolt Hanyzewski fabricated the swivel bar using a piece of rolled flat steel 10 in long and 3/4-in by 1 1/2-in thick with a 1/2-in hole through its center The bolt that extends through it and the clevis allows the swivel bar to rotate freely
I took some 3/8-in round stock rolled it in a half circle and welded one to each end of the swivel bar says Hanyzewski It makes a hook to hold the sling
To use the lift a person sets the nylon seat on the side of the tub and sits down on it A remote control for the actuator is hung from the arm Activating the actuator causes the arm to rise slowly lifting the seat and the person up enough that they can swivel around and into the tub Reversing the actuator allows the person to settle down into the tub for a bath When the bath is complete the process is reversed again and the seat lifts the person out of the tub so they can again be seated on the edge of the tub
I use waterproof cable and a flexible cord for the controls says Hanyzewski They are secured so they will never get near the water I use a toggle switch to control the actuator so the switch can t be automatically left on If the hand comes off the motor stops
When I designed this I wanted it so the average person could do it in the shop says Hanyzewski All you need is a welder and a drill press for major tools You also need about 1 1/2 to 2 ft of space next to the bathtub The upright needs to be about 12 to 16 in away from the side of the tub
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ed Hanyzewski 20891 Jacobs Beach Rd Pelican Rapids Minn 56572 ph 218 863-7176; gep@prtel com

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