All About The Power Wheelchair

By Author: Dylan Ross
Total Articles: 56
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The power wheelchair is one of the most important hospital equipment that is used to transport the disabled. Wheelchairs come in different kinds of models and one can pick a suitable one depending on one's needs. They are designed in such a way that they provide maximum comfort to the user.

The power wheelchair is available not just for the old but also for children who are handicapped. The hospital and transport industries are those that use the wheelchairs a lot. Besides the wheelchairs, you also get rollators or walkers depending on what the user needs. Wheelchairs, too, come in a wide variety and you can choose from the electric wheelchair, the manual wheelchair, the sports wheelchair or ask for a custom wheelchair. In case you need parts or wheelchair accessories, the same are available with the suppliers.

Besides being able to buy the power wheelchair from the company show room or the stores in your local neighborhood, you can also buy it online now. You can shop at any time of the day or night from the comfort of your bedroom, place your order, make a payment and then wait for it to be delivered to your ...
... doorstep. Since the overheads are less for the online stores as they do not have to pay for showroom space and sales staff to wait on the customers, they give you a much better price and it can be worthwhile shopping online for wheelchairs.

Basically the power wheelchairs are structurally same but the various functional options provided by the manufacturers make each power wheelchair unique. Each of these electric wheelchairs comes with a motor, a battery, a drive and a wheelchair controller. Lightweight power wheelchairs make use of a two-pole motor while the heavy-duty power chairs utilize a four-pole motor. The two-pole motor can safely carry weight as much as 250 pounds while the four-pole motor not only provides for a higher capacity but also has some more options.

The power wheelchair makes use of sealed lead acid batteries which could be dry or wet cell batteries providing roughly 4 to 5 amps of power. Normally the batteries are charged by making use of a standard electrical outlet when the wheelchair is not being used. The power wheelchairs can be bought in rear-wheel, front-wheel, four-wheel or center-wheel drive. The center-wheel and the rear-wheel are said to be most effective for flat terrain while the other two are recommended for outdoor use.

Most often, a handle or a joystick is used to steer the power wheelchair. If the user is seriously disabled, one might opt for a head-to-chin controller, a motion sensitive tube or an eye-to-computer screen controller. With steering devices which are computerized, the computer controls the speed, amperage and turning action. Wheelchairs with computerized steering devices control the turning action, speed and amperage. The battery power is utilized by the computer interface and it even tells the user when it is type to recharge the battery. It also controls the recline, lift and tilt functions.

So if you are looking for a power wheelchair for one of your loved ones, check out the various kinds of wheelchairs available right here!