Power Wheelchairs

Power Wheelchairs

Power Wheelchairs is a wheelchair that is propelled by means of an electric motor rather than manual power. Motorized wheelchairs are useful for those unable to propel a manual wheelchair or who may need to use power wheelchairs for distances or over terrain which would be fatiguing in manual wheelchairs. They may also be used not just by people with 'traditional' mobility impairments, but also by people with cardiovascular and fatigue based conditions.

Power wheelchairs are generally four-wheeled and non-folding, however some folding designs exist and other designs may have some ability to partially dismantled for transit.
Four general styles of power wheelchair drive systems exist:

1. Front
2. Centre
3. Rear Wheel Drive
4. All-wheel drive.

Powered wheels are typically somewhat larger than the trailing/castoring wheels, while castoring wheels are typically larger than the castors on a manual wheelchair. Centre wheel drive power wheelchairs have castors at both front and rear for a six-wheel layout.  Power wheelchair chassis may also mount a kerb-climber, a powered device to lift the front wheels over a kerb of 10cm or less.  Some manual wheelchairs may also be fitted with an auxiliary electric power system. This can take one of three forms: integrated with the hub of hand-propelled wheels, so that any force on the pushrims is magnified by the drive system, or mounted under the wheelchair and controlled as for a powerchair, but with the motive force either transmitted to the main wheels via a friction drive system, or delivered directly through an auxiliary drive wheel.  Some experimental all-terrain power wheelchair designs have been produced with tracks rather than wheels, but these are not in common use.

For most people power wheelchairs are making life easier for the mobility impaired.  If you feel that you are impaired physically and/or have cardiovascular/fatigue based conditions, then you may want to consider a power wheelchair.  During my research I have found that power wheelchairs are consistently growing in the population daily and around the world.  Although purchasing a power wheelchair is definitely not an impulse buy, most will still say that power wheelchairs, mobility scooters, lift chairs, Travel Power Wheelchairs, Folding Power Wheelchairs, Indoor Power Wheelchairs, Outdoor Power Wheelchairs, and Heavy Duty Power Wheelchairs all have one thing in common; They Make Your Life Easier!