Improving Mobility on the Farm or Ranch

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Improving Mobility on the Farm or Ranch

• Robert Stuthridge B.Sc., M.Sc.
• Ergonomist
• National AgrAbility Project
• Purdue University
• West Lafayette, IN

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Agenda

• Importance of mobility
• Barriers to mobility
• Possible improvements and solutions
• Discussion

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Importance of mobility

• A farmer/rancher who does not have relatively
  easy access to crops, livestock, and facilities
  can experience losses due to inadequate
  supervision of their operation.
• These losses represent a competitive
  disadvantage.
• There are also quality of life issues involved.

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Barriers to mobility

• Attention in urban settings to improving access
• Curb cuts
• Elevators
• Lifts
• paved walkways
• ramps
• Problematic in farming/ranching different
  terrain types in varying weather conditions.

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Barriers to mobility

• Farmers with mobility problems have to deal
  with
• Long distances between work sites

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Barriers to mobility

• Farmers with mobility problems have to deal
  with
• Growing crops/vegetation

www.eatmorestrawberries.com
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Barriers to mobility

• Farmers with mobility problems have to deal
  with
• Surface materials not suited to good mobility

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Barriers to mobility

• Farmers with mobility problems have to deal
  with
• Uneven/sloping terrain

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Barriers to mobility

• Farmers with mobility problems have to deal
  with
• Fences and gates

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Barriers to mobility

• Farmers with mobility problems have to deal
  with
• Buildings and other structures

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Barriers to mobility

• Farmers with mobility problems have to deal
  with
• The weather

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Possible improvements and solutions

• Personal Mobility Aids
• Limitations Personal mobility aids alone cannot
  resolve every problem. E.g. wheelchair in deep
  mud.
• May need a combination of personal mobility aids
  and site improvements
• How far we go depends on
• feasibility
• finances
• wishes of the farmer
• demands of the job.

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Personal Mobility Aids

• Manual wheelchairs Pros
• Lightweight manual wheelchairs (e.g. sports
  models) are
• Easily maneuverable
• Require less energy to move compared with
  standard-weight chairs
• Wheelchairs designed for off-road use, (e.g.
  Invacare Crossfire All-Terrain) may suit farmers
  best.

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Personal Mobility Aids

• Manual wheelchairs Cons
• Manual wheelchairs less useful for long
  distances or unaccommodating ground.
• In bad weather - hand rims may be slippery.
• For better traction in snow, baler twine can be
  used like tire chains - easily cut off when not
  required.

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Personal Mobility Aids
Lever propulsion manual chairs e.g. Jouleflow
Blade Drive (1 or 2 handed propulsion) and Wijit
(2 handed) eliminate rim use.
Click image for Jouleflow video
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Personal Mobility Aids

• Manual wheelchairs Other considerations
• Mag/alloy or spoke rims?
• Alloys are lighter
• spoke rims provide better shock absorption.
• Solid or pneumatic tires?
• Weight, shock absorption,
• puncture resistance.
• Tire liners to resist punctures?
• Plastic/Kevlar liners but reduce shock
  absorption
• - Polyurethane foam lightweight, good shock
  absorption

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Personal Mobility Aids

• Powered wheelchairs
• Not all powered chairs are suited to farms
• Look for
• high torque
• all wheel drive (ideally)
• adequate ground clearance
• tires for rough terrain
• shock-absorbing seat suspension
• armrests
• all weather seats
• Power sources
• battery/electric allowed in public buildings
  but may not offer long range (solar power charge
  on-the-go system)
• Gas greater range but prohibited in public
  buildings

Magic Mobility X8 Frontier
Tracabout IRV 2000
CadWeazle
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Personal Mobility Aids

• Standing wheelchairs
• Enable user to adopt standing posture.
• Helps with some tasks, including workshop
  activities.
• Improves viewing over obstructions/fences.
• Improves blood flow - may offer other health
  benefits.

The Standing Company Superstand
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Personal Mobility Aids

• ATVs
• Compared with powered wheelchairs
• Have longer range
• Cope with most terrain/conditions
• Faster
• Carry passengers and/or materials
• Can power implements (mainly towing)

www.iowafarmequipment.com
www.abby-usa.com
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Personal Mobility Aids

• Trucks
• Almost standard equipment on most farms.
• May be fitted with powered lifts.
• May be adapted for hand control of all functions.

www.lifeessentialsweb.com
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Possible improvements and solutions

• Site improvements main aspects
• Planning routes
• Ramps and lifts
• Gates
• Substrates

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Site improvements
Planning routes Distances traveled between
buildings? Orientation of doorways and
provision of alternative access
points? Sheltered route? Use existing paved
routes?
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Site improvements
Ramps and lifts

• Choose either lift or ramp, with features and
  construction materials to suit each situation.
  Ideally comply with ADA Standards for Accessible
  Design.
• Retain steps, where feasible
• Ramps not ideal for some people with walking
  impairments.
• Lifts may suffer breakdown or power failure.

www.ada.gov
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Site improvements

• Gates
• Automatic solar powered
• Can open gates up to 20 and weighing up to 1,000
  pounds.
• Trickle charge battery operation using 10w or 20w
  solar panel.

www.gtoinc.com
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Site Improvements

• Substrates
• Incompatibility of wheelchairs and soft
  substrate. Solution may involve changes to
  wheelchair, substrate, or both.
• Changes to the wheelchair
• Fitting high flotation tires. Reduce sinking.
• Use a wheelchair with high ground clearance and
  high grip tires.
• Use a foam or air cushion to reduce shocks to the
  spine.

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Site Improvements

• Changes to the substrate. Common solutions
• Retain and compact substrate. Reduce voids using
  different grades of material, then
  pressure/vibratory compaction. Routine
  re-compaction may be necessary.
• Pave using concrete or asphalt.
• Reinforce the substrate structure using
  resin/chemical binders.
• For soft earth, stabilize using a cellular
  confinement system immediately beneath the
  substrate surface, which is then grassed over,
  e.g. TuffTrack or GrassPave2
• Provide a stable synthetic surface over unstable
  substrate. Porous pavement panels, e.g. GeoBlock,
  or rolls. If unchecked, vegetation will grow
  through such systems.
• TuffTrack System. NDS, Inc. http//www.ndspro.com/
  cms/index.php/15-LANDSCAPE/TUFF-TRACK-GRASS-ROAD-P
  AVERS.html
• GeoBlock. Soil Stabilization Products Company,
  Inc. http//sspco.com/geoblock/geoblock_OV.html

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Site improvements

• Substrates Route hardening
• Crushed stone or decorative gravel
• Pros
• Material and maintenance cost is low
• Surface is suitable for both pedestrian and
  vehicular use
• Porous, reducing or eliminating risk of storm
  water run-off.
• Cons
• Small, thin wheels sink and act as brakes -
  muscular strain risk increased.
• Material may lodge between hand rim and tire,
  causing hand injuries.
• Coarse stone increases roughness of the ride.
• May be rendered stable and more accessible for
  wheelchair users by installing a porous pavement
  system e.g. Gravelpave2

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Discussion