I'd be lost without the knee lift! The manual for my 7700 shows how to adjust the angle of the knee lift to make it easier to reach--don't know if the same thing is possible for the 6600. If you can't find anything in your manual and want me to send you a scan of the page in mine, just send me a pm.
The other thing some of us have done is cut a slit in a section of a pool noodle and slip it onto the knee lift, making it fatter.