Parts of a Manual Wheelchair
Parts on a wheelchair, useful information.
Wheelchairs come in many shapes and sizes, today we are going to talk about the manual ones.
Normally when you see a chair online you will notice that across many different makes and models out there they share the same basic parts on them, for example; armrests, wheels etc.
So here I will cover some useful information on the main parts on a wheelchair and the functions to each one of them.
- Frame: The frame of the chair could be compared in the same principal like the chassis of a car.
The frame consists of the two sides of the wheelchair which are linked together in the form of a cross brace.
These are available in both aluminum and steel materials.
- Seat & Back Canvas: These are typically made from PVC or other materials and are a dual purpose for the design of the chair.
These canvases are normally screwed to the chassis which strengthens the chair and also provides a comfortable seat and back rest for the client - Wheels: The wheels would come in two forms; Transit and Self Propelled.
One is ideal for people to push themselves in as they have a large diameter (Self Propelled), the other type is a smaller form of wheel (Transit).
These are ideal for attendants and carers to push the person around, the added advantage of these wheels being smaller is it makes the chair lighter and easier to manoeuvre.
All wheelchairs would have to front small wheels similar to the size of a shopping trolley wheels.
These are called "Castors".
- Footplates: The user can rest their foot in these which takes the risk away of the user catching their feet on the front castor wheels while moving.
These are necessary more for safety reasons than comfort.
Some of these can come with "Calf Straps" which stop the foot slipping backwards from the footplate.
- Brakes: There is two main types of brakes on a wheelchair, while ultimately they both are located near the wheel - they can be operated differently.
A brake is normally attached to the chassis of the chair and a metal piece is sticks out around 1cm from the wheel.
When the operator pushes the brake lever it, the metal part locks into the tyre of the wheelchair which prevents the wheels from moving.
You can either have standard wheel brakes or for the transit chairs they can sometimes come with attendant brakes which are operated on the back push handles.
I hope this will educate people on wheelchairs when it comes to making the decision to buying one.
I have included an article that can be found on my website blog to help people make a decision when it comes to the task of choosing one to buy.
Wheelchairs come in many shapes and sizes, today we are going to talk about the manual ones.
Normally when you see a chair online you will notice that across many different makes and models out there they share the same basic parts on them, for example; armrests, wheels etc.
So here I will cover some useful information on the main parts on a wheelchair and the functions to each one of them.
- Frame: The frame of the chair could be compared in the same principal like the chassis of a car.
The frame consists of the two sides of the wheelchair which are linked together in the form of a cross brace.
These are available in both aluminum and steel materials.
- Seat & Back Canvas: These are typically made from PVC or other materials and are a dual purpose for the design of the chair.
These canvases are normally screwed to the chassis which strengthens the chair and also provides a comfortable seat and back rest for the client - Wheels: The wheels would come in two forms; Transit and Self Propelled.
One is ideal for people to push themselves in as they have a large diameter (Self Propelled), the other type is a smaller form of wheel (Transit).
These are ideal for attendants and carers to push the person around, the added advantage of these wheels being smaller is it makes the chair lighter and easier to manoeuvre.
All wheelchairs would have to front small wheels similar to the size of a shopping trolley wheels.
These are called "Castors".
- Footplates: The user can rest their foot in these which takes the risk away of the user catching their feet on the front castor wheels while moving.
These are necessary more for safety reasons than comfort.
Some of these can come with "Calf Straps" which stop the foot slipping backwards from the footplate.
- Brakes: There is two main types of brakes on a wheelchair, while ultimately they both are located near the wheel - they can be operated differently.
A brake is normally attached to the chassis of the chair and a metal piece is sticks out around 1cm from the wheel.
When the operator pushes the brake lever it, the metal part locks into the tyre of the wheelchair which prevents the wheels from moving.
You can either have standard wheel brakes or for the transit chairs they can sometimes come with attendant brakes which are operated on the back push handles.
I hope this will educate people on wheelchairs when it comes to making the decision to buying one.
I have included an article that can be found on my website blog to help people make a decision when it comes to the task of choosing one to buy.
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