Friday, March 20, 2015

and another update ...

The wheelchair cover came in.

As you can tell, it is a VERY tight fit over the footrests. The dimensions listed are based on a FLAT cover - NOT when over a wheelchair. There were some other minor details I was not impressed by, but over all, the price was right and it protects the chair, so ... .

I also purchased some reflective tape to put on the carrier, itself.



They are VERY bright in the daylight. At night with headlights shining on them it will make it impossible to say, "I didn't see it".

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The wheelchair ... a follow-up

I have worked things out with the VA with just a little back and forth - they have ordered a spare NiMH battery pack. Two batteries will be enough to go a full day without having to turn off the power or end up with a dead battery and a long push back to the car. Thank you Mike at the Lake City VAMC Wheelchair Clinic!

I have a new cup holder that is MUCH better - and cheaper - than a typical Wheelchair Cup Holder.


TWO holders that will hold more than just a cup .... It can hold my umbrella!


I purchased mine through Amazon using the Amazon Smiles program to support Achilles International!

I am also getting a wheelchair cover to keep the weather and dust off the wheelchair while on the road.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

The Wheelchair Carrier!

My cousin has completed my new wheelchair carrier. It is welded steel construction and mounts in my receiver hitch.

Ramp down:


As you can see, the wheelchair can easily roll onto the carrier in the folded position, and then is strapped into place. No lifting over a lip into the back or side of the car ... and NO stress on my injured arm and shoulder!

In place ready to drive down the road:

The ramp pins in place, and you're ready to go ... I plan on getting a grill cover to use as a wheelchair cover in case of adverse weather and will bungee cord it into place.

Better than anything on the market - and definitely a LOT cheaper.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Initial thoughts on Power Assisted Wheels

I had the first opportunity to give the Power Assisted Wheels (Quickie Xtender Wheels) on my new wheelchair a trial run - or three.

Saturday, March 7th my sister and I went to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida. I have to say that I REALLY liked the Zoo. All the staff were friendly and helpful. We decided to stay for the Zoominations after hours Chinese Lantern Festival, so I knew it would be a long day. I kept the wheels powered off a good deal of the time and my sister pushed me. On the uphill inclines and the rough boardwalk (VERY rough Boardwalk!), I powered up. The assist is REALLY amazing. With just a few fingers and a small push I moved up the inclines and across the rough areas. Even with my sister to assist and minimized use of the Power Assist, the small battery that the VA furnished was close to minimum charge at the end of our trip to the Zoo.

Sunday, March 8th found us at SeaWorld Orlando. It was VERY crowded and long waits in line were the norm. I thought it was because Lynyrd Skynyrd was showing, but once inside I found that it was a busy day everywhere - not just at the concert venue. Very little shade and HOT! I wanted to see how the battery would perform with minimal assistance, but we ended up with a short stay. A few hours of use had the battery down a fair amount, but I still was conservative in use.

Monday, March 9th I set out on my own at EPCOT in Walt Disney World. I planed on staying all day, so I tried to use the Power Assist only when needed. I also turned it off in crowded conditions. I made a few stops in the Future World area, and then headed off to "The Countries" for Flower & Garden (and the food). I spent 4 hours circling the Countries and headed back to Future World for a couple of rides and lunch. After a few hours up front in Future World, I headed back to The Countries for Dinner and to get ready for the Illuminations fireworks show. I spent a while checking out some of the shops, and then decided to eat dinner at The Rose & Crown Restaurant in "England". By the time Dinner was over, my battery was in the orange (last Charge Level light lit). Rather than risk having a dead battery and an uphill roll in the dark, I decided to head back to the car. By the time I had made it back to the car, the battery was almost dead and I was getting the "Low Battery" warning.

Overall impression -

The Good - Power assisted Wheels are a MUST for anyone in a wheelchair that has low upper body strength or an arm or shoulder injury! The assist on inclines and rougher areas in really something you need to experience.

The Bad - The NiMH battery is NOT for the active wheelchair user! It will NOT last a full day of activity. For someone that rarely gets out for a full day or has someone to assist for a portion of the day, it MIGHT be okay ... but.

There is a Lithium Ion battery available that has TWICE to capacity of the NiMH version and would be MUCH more appropriate for the active user. I am going to try to get the VA to upgrade my battery to one of these ... and try to get a FreeWheel.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Finally ... but!

Yesterday I drove to Panama City to pick up my wheelchair from a VA contractor. I could have waited until FRIDAY if I wanted them to deliver it ... I was impatient.

Team Adaptive is less than stellar. The people are friendly, but their final performance was less than stellar - The tires were inflated to 25 psi ... 65 psi specified pressure; The brakes were incorrectly installed; the battery was NOT charged; there were tie wraps still hanging from several places; NOT what you would expect from "the experts".

They offered to sell me a carrier - only $500 for a tilt rack or $1500 for an electric hoist version. Yeah, right.

The VA will be hearing about Team Adaptive ... .

The good news ... I finally have my wheelchair and my right arm can start to heal. Once it's healed, I can begin training on my racing chair again!

The chair ... it's purple! You can see how the brakes were not installed correctly - they are NOT supposed to angle like that.


Xtender Power Assist Wheels. I can take two fingers and push on a firm level surface!

The Right wheel also has the battery pack ...


The left wheel ... yes, I'm powered by Yamaha!


The cushion the VA provided is fabulous! it has Two foam components, a gel pad, and 3 pelvis stabilizers ... and is a pressure distributing cushion! Note the angle on the brake - can you tell that Team Adaptive REALLY pissed me off?


First impressions:

Power assisted wheels are FANTASTIC! They take a LOT of stress off of your arms and shoulders. They also assist on inclines. If you have an injured arm or a disability with decreased arm and hand strength, you REALLY need to talk to your doctors and see if you can get your insurance to cover a set of these wheels!

The battery pack - the VA was Penny Wise and Pound foolish. There were THREE possible battery packs - they choose the smallest capacity. For someone that mostly stays indoors, it would be fine. For someone like me that is trying to stay active, it it less than ideal. It is also a Ni-MH battery - which typically has a 1 - 2 year life expectancy. The battery packs aren't cheap and it will cost a lot to keep me in supply with a good battery. Even though it has a higher initial cost, the Lithium Ion battery pack has TWICE the capacity (10 hours of use vs 5) and a slightly longer life expectancy - which would make it a cheaper choice in the long run.

The cushion is far better than I expected to get. I have NO pressure points sitting on it - something EVERYONE sitting for a long time needs to worry about! Good call, VA!

The chair is an ultralight Quickie 2, BUT the Xtender Wheels add a good deal of weight. It is NOT something I want to lift in and out of a car without using the quick disconnects to remove the wheels and lift each component individually.

I have a cousin that is a welder, and he is going to build me a small rack that will allow me to roll the chair onto the carrier. It will mount in the receiver hitch I currently use for my racing chair carrier. I'll blog about the rack when it's ready.