[davepl]

I found Tilt helped a great deal, but I was just trying to get the wheel out of may lap, not out of my belly, so I don't know if tipping up and away would benefit you. But it might, and it's a pretty easy thing to find and add.

Worth trying it in someone else's tilt truck if you can.

The column shortening looks perfect, but I worry a bit that you're losing what razor-thin safety margin we have in a crash in these trucks by defeating the collapsing column. Might be better combined with three point belts!