hybrid wheelchairs?

[Takket]

Is there such a thing as a wheelchair that is both motorized and manual (for pushing)?

I push my wife through the park in a manual wheelchair because it is too difficult for her to navigate the queues and shops in a scooter. It is easy for me on flat surfaces but it would be great if when we were "out in the open" she could use a motorized scooter, especially going up and down hills.

Has anyone ever seen this, and if so does anyone in Orlando rent them?

 

[bidnow5]

There are several types of power assist wheels for wheelchairs they are all expensive I don't know of anyone that rents them. If you do a search of power assist for wheelchairs on the net you will see what they look like

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

When you talk motorized then you add weight. What about a Duet or transport chair which are lighter to manuver? Or have her get her own lighter scooter if you need it for everyday travel, touring and vacationing.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

If you're talking about something temporary that you'd only use in the parks, I don't think you're going to find anything that would work. I'm guessing this is because the options to add power to a manual wheelchair are very expensive and no rental agency would want to worry about them. I'm also not sure if any of the power add-ons would work on the typical rental wheelchairs. I've only ever heard of them being used with custom manual wheelchairs.

If you're looking for more than just at the parks:

There are power assist wheels possible, but they do add weight. They're also operated by actually pushing the wheels so she'd have to be able to self-propel some. Power assist wheels add usually about 50lbs on (battery plus the wheels and the electronics that make them work). They're also ridiculously expensive (we're talking over $6k for a pair and insurance companies don't like to cover them since at that point it's cheaper to buy an inexpensive powerchair, just not quite as easy to transport a powerchair).

There's also the ZX1 ( http://www.beachmobility.com/ ), but you wouldn't be able to push her while it's attached to the chair. It's very new and I have no idea how long the current backlog is, but it's an intriguing idea. I'm looking forward to seeing what users are saying since the people who ordered early have only just received them in the last month or two. I'm not sure the cost as it doesn't seem to be published publicly anywhere.

 

[BillSears]

There is also this one that looks pretty cool. These power assist look better and better the older I get and the more worn out my shoulders get.

http://max-mobility.com/products/smartdrive/

 

[videogal1]

Is there such a thing as a wheelchair that is both motorized and manual (for pushing)?

I push my wife through the park in a manual wheelchair because it is too difficult for her to navigate the queues and shops in a scooter. It is easy for me on flat surfaces but it would be great if when we were "out in the open" she could use a motorized scooter, especially going up and down hills.

Has anyone ever seen this, and if so does anyone in Orlando rent them?

I use a power chair and sometimes switch it to freewheel to bypass the power part when my battery conks out (had to do it at Disney a couple of times with my scooter). It can be pushed easily that way but you'd need to attach a push handle that is separate from the back of the seat since the seat back folds forward when you push against it. You'd also need carry an anchor to toss out... rolling down a Disney hill in freewheel could cause some heart-stopping moments... but uphill with a power assist would be a blessing...