Why I Chose a Front- Vs Mid-Drive Wheelchair
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2024
- We explain the advantages and disadvantages of front-drive and mid-drive wheelchairs, with a cameo appearance by Comet, the dog.
0:00 Cold Open
0:12 Intro
1:50 Axis of Rotation
3:15 Considerations (Terrain vs tight spaces)
5:46 Informal Poll
8:12 Getting Squirrelly
9:37 Hallway Turn Test
12:00 Outro
Links:
Rear- versus side-entry vans: • Side- or Rear-Entry Ac...
Permobil USA Wheelchairs:
permobilus.com/products/power... - Jak na to + styl
Thank you for this. I was dead set on the M300 HD mid wheel drive. Now, after watching this, I just emailed my insurance contact and requested that I try the Jazzy 1450 HD front wheel drive just in case. I was so sure I knew what I needed in the country but thinking about somebody digging me out in loose gravel or teetering on a ramp with both drive wheels in the air gives me pause. Great video and advice. I will try both before deciding.
I have a middle drive chair that is serving me well since the end of 2017. I have a side entry van and I can turn around inside it relatively easy with by head array controls. Your video is very good in explaining differences between the two main types of chairs. Good job!
This is Darlene, my husband has the Quantum 3 front wheel drive chair. He loves it. We live in the country and it has a suspension that does not jar him when he goes across our bumpy yard. We have a side entry conversion van and my husband has no problem turning in the van.
i have a permobil m300 mid wheel drive and take ii everywhere off road over rocks in the mud if not more than 6' deep over rough patches of grass through wet fields. been outside most days over two years. livermore ca
I love my mid wheel drive jazz. Had it about 5 months now, before that, had a number of budget rear drive chairs. The one thing I miss is fold up arms as apposed to pull off arms.
I have a mid-wheel. For me the turn radius was critical. Also, there are too many elevators in old buildings which I can hardly fit into... I have a relatively small chair (Rovi X3) for a 130 lb person... I never realized how innaccessible the world is until I had to plan my routes around town... and plan where I can and cannot park... I'm grateful we finally got a van. it's side entry and my chair is very high... so it's difficult. But I can turn in the van as you described. Thank you for your videos!
brilliantly useful. well done. best on web. another one on transportable f(including autp-foldingloding lightweight chairs.
also one on battery types-choice.
I have been using powerchairs for many years. The big problem with mid wheel drive, and I have heard this from many other people also, is that the front casters, when turning, will grab your feet, if your feet are not completely on the footrest. I have already had both feet injured many times because of this. I will only use front wheel drive Permobil chairs from now on, because the front casters are fixed, and do not pivot. I have owned fourteen different powerchairs in the past, and will always prefer the front wheel drives over anything else.
I am using a ROVI X3 and there is no way the front casters could grab my feet. The very tip of the front caster is even with the back of my footrest. To catch my feet, my feet would need to be behind the footrest.
Everyone is different and has had different experiences. You should take what helps you. I have a mobility scooter that I use to go shopping and I can get the items off the shelf myself. Because I can stand up, if I had a wheelchair I would need constant help when shopping etc.
For me it is fine as it is.
The health insurance company once suggested that they approve an electric wheelchair instead of a mobility scooter, which is why I said that.
Thanks for such good information. I feel informed about making a power wheelchair decision. And Comet is adorable!
Excellent demonstration . Thank you.
Thanks guys this really helped me understand the differences
I appreciate and thank you so very much for all this detailed information, I was so uncertain on what to purchase,and you both helped me a great deal.
My 5 years is almost up and I'm looking for a chair that gives me freedom to live a life that doesn't make me keep asking for people to reach things for me ... by the way, I'm sure everyone has figured out my need for independence far exceeds my desire to have others do things for me.
I drove a Permobil F5 and a M5 for testing. Now I've got a M5. For me the way how the midwheeldrive maneuvers feels a lot more natural for me
Simkthu, are you experiencing some, or excessive caster flutter at higher speeds in the M5? Permobil says the F5 has the best ride (number one issue in my case). I've enjoyed the last five years of Mid-wheel maneuverability, and the old Permobil C500 (fwd) still serves as a reliable back-up chair. I agree with you in that little thought goes into driving a mid-wheel, it comes more naturally. Still, outdoors, four wheels easily glide over many situations as compared to six wheels. Thanks
I was told mid wheel is good for indoors and front wheel for outdoors. If you can transfer...all the better. Same with sip n puff...they are better for outdoor and head array for indoor. I have a lot of neck damage, so sip n puff would be for that.
Smart dog He carries his own blanket
I think total length of wheelchair has more to do with turning circle. from the look of it the two chairs are very different sizes. I have both a fwd and a mwd, same length and my front fwd turns in a smaller space, compared to the mwd due to large swing out casters on both front and rear. my mwd also gets stuck in doorways and when parallel parking due to castors. incidently my fwd chair is a big ugly chinese chair and my mwd a magic mobility frontier v6 for tight indoor spaces? Also depends on how the casters/front/ rear tires are positioned. but turning circle depends on the length of the chair incl footplate
I have cerebral palsy and therefore some rather extreme difficulties with perception and balance. I
have a Pride 4Front that I dislike to the point that I'm sorry I got it. Among other complaints, my principal one relates directly to the comparison made in this video. While I'm driving, it's difficult judge where the chair is in space because the only wheels that have power are in the front. I had a very hard time judging and feeling how the back of my chair was turning because they just trail, not always in the direction you're driving. You have to turn in a very specific way to get them to straighten out and at least for me, the concept and method needed to achieve the desired result is completely counterintuitive. People who are able to drive a car tell me they can feel the way a car handles. They can feel how a car is moving without seeing the wheels. I absolutely had no sense of this driving a front-wheel drive wheelchair. A mid wheel drive chair is shorter overall and the front and back occupy the same amount and proportion of space. Someone described a front-wheel drive chair by saying it has a big caboose. In a mid wheel drive, the power and center of gravity is directly under your body because of where the wheels sit. I think that is why I can anticipate how the chair is going to move so I can control it much more precisely. I find that I can judge how to turn the chair properly because I can feel what all of the wheels are doing as I drive. I now have a permobil M3, my first Permobil. I note that I have experience driving three other mid wheel drive chairs, all manufactured by Pride. I didn't write this comment to bad-mouth any company but I prefer Permobil to Pride as night to day. Permobil has 4-pole German motors as opposed to the 1-pole Chinese motors that Pride uses. I am a consumer with no engineering or mechanical expertise but even so it is immediately evident that Permobil has a lot more metal than plastic components and no exposed wires. When I got my chair nothing was loose and it is virtually silent when I drive. I had to replace the motors in my Pride 4front and it doesn't stop cleanly. I've only had the Permobil for about a month but it seems to be rock solid with absolutely no extraneous movement. Another great thing is that the tie down placements are much easier to access as are the levers to put the chair into manual drive. Unfortunately though, as the video notes, to say it does not handle mulch well is an understatement.
Even using full power, I've had to have two strong men extricate me from mulch when I misjudged the angle of my sidewalk in my new home. I bought this Prrmobil because I didn't think my
Pride 4front would make it for another two-and-a-half years before I am eligible again for Medicare to purchase a chair on my behalf. When I get my next chair from Medicare, I will only accept a Permobil mid wheel drive. The following me be material to some wheelchair users so I include it: I drive using a conventional joystick and controller. I hope this comment / pseudo review may help other wheelchair users. I also hope my non-technical description makes sense. Thank you for posting this video. I know ALS is a difficult disability and I assure you both of my prayers and extend them to anyone who may read this.
Thank You Colleen. Your "review" was most insightful and helpful. I needed your perspective and you have a gift for explaining things. THANK YOU.
@@robertclark2714 you are most welcome. I'm very glad I was able to help. It's especially gratifying because I'm relatively new to wheelchairs as I was and still am for short distances, a crutch user. God bless. Drive safe.
Right in Germany are some Factories make really good E Chairs and you need people they know what you need.
I have a Quantum 1450 FWD. I’m considering a mid wheel drive because I find it’s impossible to go on some sidewalks where I live from the street. If the angle is too steep its like driving into a wall because the anti tip wheels slam into it and if I try going backwards, my rear wheels go up then my anti tippers hit the ground and my drive wheels are in the air and I get stuck.
I have a mention and I gave him the final minister seriously. I got to use a wheelchair electric wheelchair, a minds of holding wheelchair. John will cox 😊
Permobil offers 8 inch castors instead of 6 that's suppose to improve outside obstacle capability. not sure how much it helps
I've seen people reverse up ramps while tilting a bit for balance
What head array do you use?
Nice video, but I have to place a remark when comparing the two wheelchairs trying to turn in the hallway. If you look closely, the FWD chairs seat is the one that would cause collisions. NOT the chassis. so if you would put that sea tonto the mid-wheel drive chassis, you would still have the same issue. It seems to be a little apple to banana comparison.
fair point; one should try both from same manufacturer
I live in iL and my insurance says yes to a wheel chair but no one will even make me one not sure what to do about that?
I have used Hoveround MPV for several years, FWD. Recently got Permobil M3 midwheel drive. The Hoveround fits into my small bathroom and can turn around. The Permobil can not turn with the door closed, and can not get as close to the toilet for transfers due to the front casters. Also more "jiggly" when driving. Think I may have made a mistake getting M3, should have got F3.
I currently have a Jazzy and was thinking that the M3 would be the way to go for my next chair but you don't seem to like it. Have you had a chance to try the F3 yet? Does it work out better than the M3?
@brians48now already got M3 through Medicare so no new chair for 5 years. Might look for used hoveround with lift.
@@marymarros8949 I had a Pronto 7 years ago and it was 20 years old then. It had zero suspension so I felt every little imperfection but it was my first chair and I loved it. 2 years later I got one from Medicare and it was this Jazzy. The Jazzy is better in every way except for how it drives. The Pronto was a mid-wheel and the Jazzy is Front-wheel. I found the front wheel drive to be much much better for driving outside but I never went off the pavement either. My 5 year is almost up and I'm really hoping to get a choice on my next chair but it's looking like Medicare isn't really going to give me a choice in which chair I'll be getting. Yeah, keep an eye out for chairs on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. There are quite a few chairs out there for pretty reasonable prices. Good luck.
Hello, I drive a senior citizen's vehicle with AGM batteries 200 amps. I would like to get lithium batteries. Which charger is the best? If more amps are possible with lithium batteries, I will buy them, but which charger???
Thanks for the info!!!
❤ COMET,
your dog, can you please tell me what type of breed your dog is?
Hi my is Danny mwanza from Lusaka Zambia am paralysed am look for someone to help me to have the some wheel chair help please
Nice now I should do a video of why medical insurance will give you a mid wheel drive instead unless you are paying out of pocket. lol
At least mid wheel drive is better for indoors.
midwheel sucks unless you are in city i agree front wheel drive is far better in gravel
I learned absolutely nothing from this video. NOTHING.