Patent ID: 7543676

Claim:
An operator presence system for a cotton harvester including an on-board cotton module builder, comprising: a mount for a removably mounting ground access ladder at a position on the harvester for providing access to a ladder on the cotton module builder, wherein the mount includes a pair of spaced apart tubular members each having receptacles for cooperatively receiving spaced apart end portions of the ground access ladder; a hydraulic system for controlling the cotton module builder and a pump for providing pressurized fluid to the hydraulic system; a lockout switch disposed in connection with fluid circuitry between the pump and the hydraulic system, the lockout switch having at least one actuator disposed in at least one of the receptacles, wherein the actuator is movable by the insertion of the end portions of the ladder into the receptacles, whereby the lockout switch disables the hydraulic system, further wherein the actuator is movable by the extraction of the end portions of the ladder out of the receptacles, whereby the lockout switch enables the hydraulic system.