The Tale of the Traveling Combine Lift

Nerve damage from a back injury was not only keeping Jeff Sandborn, AgrAbility client and state Farm Bureau Board member, from physically climbing into his combine, but the situation was causing sleepless nights as the possibility existed that the situation would not heal by harvest time.

Jeff called AgrAbility; Ned Stoller, Ag Engineer, and Assistive Technology Professional, arranged for an MSU mechanical engineering capstone group to design a manlift to mount on Jeff’s combine. Jeff paid a local welding shop to fabricate the design with a universal mounting system for him. But by the time harvest arrived, the pinched nerves had recovered thanks to surgery, time, and therapy, and he could safely access his combine once again without a lift.

Could someone else use it?

Of course!

Jeff proceeded to donate the lift to AgrAbility, where it found a home on Ed Mamarow’s combine while he waited for his to arrive through Michigan Rehab Services. Ed used it through a harvest and appreciated the alternative while waiting for his to be installed. Once the ordered lift was installed, it was time for the original lift to find a new home. This time, Ed donated it back, and it is now being used by a third farmer.

Many AgrAbility farmers have benefited from the generosity of other farmers who no longer need or use a piece of assistive equipment. Common items that are needed by farmers and find a new home are wheelchairs, cattle headlocks, ATV’s, and golf carts.

Do you have any items that could join the traveling team? Let us help you find a good home where it can be used if you are no longer in need of the equipment!

The project was supported by the AgrAbility Competitive Program of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), grant number 2022-41590-38121.