He Made A Helpful Crank Lift Chair
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At 93 and married for 73 years, Jack and Ruth Scoggin have always supported each other. In recent years, that has meant Jack picking Ruth up when she falls. But when that became physically difficult for him, Jack did what he always does when there’s a problem to solve. He headed to his scrap pile and workshop with his welder and other tools. The result is a chair with a crank that raises a seat from the ground to about 24 in.
He got the idea about a year ago when Ruth fell in the garden. Jack got the tractor with the bucket and helped her slide into it so he could lift her and take her to the porch to step off.
But you can’t take a tractor inside the house, Jack notes, so he made the chair using round tubing—one smaller than the other to slide up and down inside. He welded on scrap flat metal for a seat and used a crank from a 1964 Deere combine with a self-locking mechanism to hold the seat. The crank winds up webbing connected to both sides of the seat to raise it evenly. Extra metal feet on the front keep the chair stable so that a person can slide onto the seat before someone else cranks them up.
“The four pipes need to be braced at the top and bottom, and I used flat metal on the bottom so the seat could go as low as possible. I used small rods through the pipe at the top to fasten the lift straps,” Jack explains.
He adds that it’s also important to put handles out front to help the person get out of the seat and to have some way to hold the seat in the top position if the crank isn’t self-locking.
They’ve used it often and can take it to other places, such as their daughter’s home. It’s been a practical innovation that helps the couple keep their independence, just as many of Jack’s other creations have helped their hog-farrowing operation in the past.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jack Scoggin, Kansas (dwolf333@yahoo.com).
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He Made A Helpful Crank Lift Chair FARM HOME Health At 93 and married for 73 years Jack and Ruth Scoggin have always supported each other In recent years that has meant Jack picking Ruth up when she falls But when that became physically difficult for him Jack did what he always does when there’s a problem to solve He headed to his scrap pile and workshop with his welder and other tools The result is a chair with a crank that raises a seat from the ground to about 24 in He got the idea about a year ago when Ruth fell in the garden Jack got the tractor with the bucket and helped her slide into it so he could lift her and take her to the porch to step off But you can’t take a tractor inside the house Jack notes so he made the chair using round tubing—one smaller than the other to slide up and down inside He welded on scrap flat metal for a seat and used a crank from a 1964 Deere combine with a self-locking mechanism to hold the seat The crank winds up webbing connected to both sides of the seat to raise it evenly Extra metal feet on the front keep the chair stable so that a person can slide onto the seat before someone else cranks them up “The four pipes need to be braced at the top and bottom and I used flat metal on the bottom so the seat could go as low as possible I used small rods through the pipe at the top to fasten the lift straps ” Jack explains He adds that it’s also important to put handles out front to help the person get out of the seat and to have some way to hold the seat in the top position if the crank isn’t self-locking They’ve used it often and can take it to other places such as their daughter’s home It’s been a practical innovation that helps the couple keep their independence just as many of Jack’s other creations have helped their hog-farrowing operation in the past Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jack Scoggin Kansas dwolf333@yahoo com
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