Bin Ladder Mounts On 1947 Farmall H CROP STORAGE Grain Storage 22-3-9 "Before I built it, we used a conventional 24-ft. ladder on wheels to climb up our grain bins. The problem was that it took two people to move the ladder and that took one man away from the combine during harvest," says Lowell Allison who built a one-man bin lad-der by mounting a ladder on his 1947 Farmall H tractor. The Delburne, Alberta, farmer used 240 ft. of 1 in. sq. tubing to build two 13 ft. ladder sections. The outer section is 35 in. wide and the inner section is 27 in. wide. Four rollers, made up of two 3/4-in. dia. ball bearings apiece, allow the inside section to move up and down. The ladder reaches a maximum height of 24 ft. The ladder is raised and lowered by a 12-volt 2,500-lb. winch equipped with 5/32-in. dia. steel cable. Allison installed a 12-volt alternator on the right side of the tractor to power the winch. It's controlled by a switch beside the steering wheel. The ladder mounts on a vertical support brace on the left side of the tractor. A 2 1/2 by 16 in. hydraulic cylinder mounts in the center of the brace and telescopes up and down as the ladder is raised and lowered. The cylinder, which is controlled by a lever and a hydraulic valve mounted beside the steering wheel, also tilts the ladder up to 20 degrees. "A ratchet-type catch mounts on the lower section as a safety precaution in case the cable breaks," he says. The ladder is not only ideal for climbing up on grain bins, but comes in handy for painting, cleaning gutters and trimming trees too, Allison and his wife, Verna, note. Out-of-pocket expense was about $1,350 (Canadian), including $600 for the tubing, $450 for the winch, and $300 for the hydraulic control valve and cylinder. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lowell Allison, R.R. 2, Delburne, Alberta, Canada T0M 0V0 (ph 403 749-2003 or 2103; fax 2234).

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