Chances are that sometime in your life you will be presented with using or getting a mobility aid device. Thanks to my conversation with medical equipment provider Mike Messer, I was able to compose this very educational article on manual wheelchairs, electric powered wheelchairs, and electric scooters. Knowing the variation between these units is essential if you are arranging a buy so we sincerely hope that this knowledge will be very helpful.
The two major types of manual wheelchairs are folding frame wheelchairs and rigid frame wheelchairs. Rigid frame wheelchairs have a seat back that folds up for travel. The wheels have axles that can be rapid released making it easy to permit them to fit into a vehicle. Most people are able to load their rigid wheelchair into a car without assistance, because they are made of light-weight aluminum and normally weigh a mere 10 to 20 pounds without wheels. Folding frame wheelchairs are standard wheelchairs or sometimes known as as conventional wheelchairs. They are often weighty and sometimes hard for a user to load up into a motor vehicle. They are constructed with a frame that may be easy to fold, but as mentioned before, these kinds of chairs may require you to need help loading them into your vehicle.
Electric wheelchairs commonly utilize belts and gears in order to operate. They are typically quiet in their functioning. Belt drive versions require more routine maintenance than gear drive units. These styles come in all shapes and forms and greatly vary in their toughness. Light frame models usually are great for indoor use while the heavy frame models fair better outside. There are back wheel drive models which are the most conventional and popular. They provide poor turning abilities but have faster speeds. There are Front wheel drive units which provide significantly better and tighter turning attributes. Because of the ease of turning however, these types have a slower speed to insure safety. Mid wheel electrical wheelchairs have the tightest turning abilities but also have the propensity to be unsteady when halting and starting. They use extra castor wheels and tip-over proof wheels but this might make it harder to use these on harsh terrain.
Mobility scooters are the most favored type of electric chair. They can be bought in three and four wheel models and are available with front side and back wheel drive. They are more inexpensive than electric powered wheelchairs and many are designed for their portability and ease of transportation. They steer similar to a bike and have controls which allow you to manage acceleration. They are much lighter weight and can be taken apart easily to transfer around town. Front wheel Drive units can typically hold up to 160 lbs. and are designed more for indoor use while back wheel drive units can carry a maximum of 250 to 500 pounds based on the model, and can better handle the outdoor surfaces if necessary.
Many thanks and I hope you learned some valuable information from this article. Good luck and I hope you are confident enough to make an well informed decision when purchasing the mobility equipment that is best for you.