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Problems with wheelchairs


colinneil

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16 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I think @Puchaiyank is on the right track, get a local outfit to make a strengthened part.

 

Could even do it in stainless for the go-faster look (or use re-bar to make it match the local sidecars, food carts etc.).

 

@colinneil you got a photo of the failed part?

No photo at the moment, not having a good day today, still on my bed, but will sort 1 later.

Now the problem with the cross member, they are made from some kind of alloy.

When the last 1 broke, my wife took the chair to a local company, they reckoned they could braze it.

Well when the chair came back, it only lasted 3 days before breaking again.

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4 minutes ago, Lefty said:

What are you paying for yr wheelchairs? Have you looked at more expensive ones??

Check out these wheel chairs. I have a foldup electric chair.could not be without it.

https://www.cruisemate-thailand.com/

 

First off i will not have an electric chair, because having 1 would just make me lazy, no exercise what so ever.

Have i looked at the more expensive ones.... The 2 that the cross members broke were expensive ones.

The present 1 that has just broke was a cheaper price.

If you read Old Crocs post he is paying 6.500 baht for his chairs, my 2 broken cross member 1s were 4.000 baht more expensive than his.

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Here in Surin there are several shops near the government hospital that sell wheelchairs and I'm sure there are some shops near your hospital. It might be better to go to a shop for a first-hand check of the build quality, measurements, comfort and take a test-drive. When you find a couple that fit your needs, you can check prices online. I think that would be better than just buying one online from pictures and descriptions.  

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3 hours ago, tweedledee2 said:

Here in Surin there are several shops near the government hospital that sell wheelchairs and I'm sure there are some shops near your hospital. It might be better to go to a shop for a first-hand check of the build quality, measurements, comfort and take a test-drive. When you find a couple that fit your needs, you can check prices online. I think that would be better than just buying one online from pictures and descriptions.  

Whilst your idea is a damn good 1, being paralyzed makes checking comfort etc is not possible.

My first wheelchair was bough opposite Khonkaen hospital, then after bought the same model from Lazada.

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23 hours ago, Lefty said:

What are you paying for yr wheelchairs? Have you looked at more expensive ones??

Check out these wheel chairs. I have a foldup electric chair.could not be without it.

https://www.cruisemate-thailand.com/

 

I've had Cruisemate on my favorites bar for years.

I came close to buying a model from them at one stage. They have certainly increased their range in recent times. Their chairs can all be traced to China. I actually bought an electric chair similar to their CM- 1003 direct from a factory (JBH) in China.

 

whc.JPG

 An American brand (Eagle) and several others around the world use this basic chair.

The difficulties in buying without trying was illustrated by that purchase.

Although wide enough and strong enough, the seat is too low and the footrest all wrong for my disability. I use my manual chair most of the time.

As Colin has indicated, if you are infirm and don't live near the big outlets in Bangkok testing something for suitability is difficult.

Lazada, and others in Thailand,  now sell versions of this so it is possible to buy here for reasonable prices.

Edited by Old Croc
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3 hours ago, essox essox said:

These Chinese manufacturers are mainly wholesalers. I managed to become a member of this mob and was able to buy my electric chair direct from the factory.

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Colin,

i've not inspected one close up, but my suggestion is to find out if the wheelchair is made out of stainless steel (probable) or aluminium (possible) or plain painted steel (doubtful), and find a fabricator in your area who works/specializes in those materials and who can modify/strengthen it to your specification.

KK should have several fab shops up to the job.

Regards,

  TG

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4 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

is made out of stainless steel (probable) or aluminium (possible)

My guess would be it is made out of aluminium as it would be lighter, if so you need someone who has MIG or TIG welding equipment, try scratch material with a sharp object, SS would be hard to mark? 

Good luck

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18 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Thanks for the replies, some good ideas.

2 of my chairs were ally, 2 steel, wife took the last broken cross member chair to a local who reckoned he could braze it, when it came back it lasted 3 days.

Yes because you can't weld or braise alloy well....best would be to make a new part out of steel.

 

If you show a pic of the part we also might have tips how to reinforce/repair it but best would be to use steel or titanium or so, no alloy..

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2 hours ago, fruitman said:

Yes because you can't weld or braise alloy well....best would be to make a new part out of steel.

 

If you show a pic of the part we also might have tips how to reinforce/repair it but best would be to use steel or titanium or so, no alloy..

Rubbish.

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3 hours ago, colinneil said:

Thanks for the replies, some good ideas.

2 of my chairs were ally, 2 steel, wife took the last broken cross member chair to a local who reckoned he could braze it, when it came back it lasted 3 days.

If the part was aluminum and the fellow tried to "braze" it, he might have used some sort of zinc filler which is not the proper stuff - very weak.  Or maybe he just tried to melt it back together.  That's a big no-no with aluminum. A TIG weld with the proper filler may be in order.  Different aluminum alloys require different fillers. 

 

Can you get a picture of the part/area affected?  There has to be a way of repair or add-on reinforcing that will work. Perhaps something that will bolt on.  For a number of years, I helped the local high school robotics team in the U.S. build competition robots from scratch with very little in the way of resources.  My younger son eventually became a talented welder and machinist, so I defer to him now. 

Edited by Damrongsak
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