Mr Brough said the early inventions were taken on and off between each sheep, so it was a bit cumbersome.
The rule change never came to New Zealand and his invention didn't take off - so it was shelved.
Move forward nearly a quarter-of-a-century and Mr Brough's son says it is about time he modified his design and had another go.
"I wasn't that keen because it had been a big effort previously for no reward," he says. "To be fair, I'd had enough, but eventually his persistence paid off."
This time he wanted a device that was able to be worn at all times in any job that put pressure on the lower back.
Mr Brough's concept is simple.
"Often when we bend over we put our elbows on our knees for support.
"The Lumbar-Eez does the same thing - it spreads the stress from the back to the legs."
Mr Brough says there isn't any extra weight - it is just absorbed by the strong leg muscles rather than the lower back muscles.
And this time, instead of just being for shearers, the device can be worn by anyone, doing any job that puts strain on the back.
Mr Brough says you can walk, bend and work in the harness.
And he says it is great for people in rehabilitation for a back injury.
He had two models at Fieldays, one made with steel and one with fibreglass rods. His designs use various tensioning methods to push off the knees and lift on the back.
He says the fibreglass model shows greatest potential, and with lots of feedback and support from Fieldays, he is about to make a range of trial models for testing.
Mr Brough says it has been promising to date, and he intends to get it right.
He plans to set up a company, and the name may change, but the product will work.
- To keep an eye on progress or register your interest visit lumbar-eez.weebly.com or contact the inventor on 0272040676.