Son manufactures 'tractor lift' for his dad on the farm

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Gallrein family has been farming in Shelbyville since the 1970s. The two main guys behind the operation are Bill Gallrein Sr. and his son, Bill Jr.

"We make a good team," said Bill Jr.

But with Bill Sr. now 89-years-old, it's not always safe or easy to get himself into a tractor.

"Between my back and knees I can't climb steps anymore," he said, "but once I get in there and sit down I can stay all day."

So, to keep the father/son duo working together, Bill Jr. made some trips to the local hardware store with the intent to make a lift for his dad's tractor.

"We had some rough blueprints that we got from AgrAbility. It gave us a good starting point but we had to modify it quit a bit to fit this particular tractor," said Bill Jr. "It gives us all a little piece of mind that he can get in and out of a tractor safely."

It's a simple design that gets the job done. With Bill Sr.'s feet placed firmly on the lift, he can push a button that lifts him up to the seat and lowers him back down when it's time to get off the tractor.

"I had enough confidence in Bill Jr. that he's going to put me up there safely," he said.

The family posted a video of the lift on their Gallrein Farm Facebook page and it went viral, with more than 5,000 comments, 20 thousand reactions, and 30 thousand shares.

Bill Jr. says people have reached out to him wanting blueprints for their loved ones or themselves. He says he hasn't decided what he'll do yet as far as drawing up plans or making more, but the recognition certainly isn't what these guys were after -- it was simply more time on the farm, together.