He Uses 5-Gal Buckets As Stilts

He Uses 5-Gal Buckets As Stilts FARM HOME Novelty Items 20-4-23 Ordinary 5-gal. buckets make great stilts for doing overhead work," says inventor Russell Hale, Arvada, Colo., who installs special foot rests on the bottom of the buckets. He had people chuckling and shaking their heads while demonstrating his "bucket stilts" at the recent Minnesota Inventors Congress in Redwood Falls. His invention consists of a round poly plate with a foot mold and heel rest and a pair of velcro straps to keep the foot secure. The poly foot plate is held in place by straps that hook to the open end of the bucket. All you do is velcro strap your shoes into the molds and start walking. "Works great for painting, wallpapering, drywalling, sheetrocking, framing, cleaning, etc. It leaves both your hands free for work and is stable even on rough surfaces. The foot mold can accommodate various foot sizes with no need for adjustment. "I got the idea after I got hurt while trying to paint my ceiling. I had lined up six kitchen chairs in a row so that I could walk from chair to chair when I fell through one of them. Conventional stilts used by professional craftsmen sell for about $300 and have a very narrow base so they require a lot of practice to use. "A single bucket puts you 19 in. above the floor, and you can add more height by stacking buckets on top of each other. I've stacked up to five buckets together to put myself about 27 in. off the floor. I also made a device designed to mount under the bucket that increases height in 6 or 12-in. increments." Hale says he's looking for a manufacturer and expects the stilts to sell for $20 to $25 per pair. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Russell S. Hale, 5174 Bristol St., Arvada, Colo. 80002 (ph 303 467-1733).

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