In-House Elevator Eliminates Stair Climbing

In-House Elevator Eliminates Stair Climbing BUILDINGS Houses 23-1-20 A couple years ago, Dorothy Dickey's knee problems prompted her doctor to suggest that either her washer and dryer be moved up-stairs from the basement or she find another way to get there. That's when Dorothy's husband, Verl, came up with a unique idea for an in-house elevator for his wife and set about having it custom built by Wayne City, Ill., machinist Steve Ehrhart. He used a salvaged 3-ton forklift equipped with 6-ft. mast to build the elevator, which replaced the original staircase in the Dicke farm house at Sims, Ill. "I had a frame built where the stairway was to support the elevator," says Dickey. "I got a 3 hp electric motor, a 12 gpm hydraulic pump and a reservoir from the salvage yard and mounted them on the side of the frame behind the mast. I removed the forks and mounted a 26 by 34-in. rider cage in its place. It's built out of 2 in. angle iron covered with a wooden floor and has an extruded metal safety guard on back to prevent the operator from accidentally getting his or her hands into the lift mechanism. A cable runs from the hydraulic hand control in the cage through the floor and attaches to a bar underneath. The bar catches the floor joist and trips the cable to automatically stop the cage from raising or lowering any farther. As an added safety feature, it has an automatic electric shut-off switch for the motor in case some-thing malfunctions. "It's been a real lifesaver," says Dickey, noting that out-of-pocket expense was about $2,000, including $700 in materials. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Verl Dickey, R.R. 1, Box 121, Sims, Ill. 62886 (ph 618 898-1246).

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