Grounded

[swalker]

I went out for my usual wheelchair ride today and had a great time. The weather was glorious. I have attached a few pictures from the ride so you get an idea of where I go. It is a bike/pedestrian path that I take for about 4.5 miles to halfway up Vail pass.

As I started my trip back home, I noticed a bit of a rhythmic bump, as if I had a flat spot in a wheel. I looked at the wheels, and the bumping was not synchronized either with the front or back wheels, so not a flat spot or a rock in the tread. Hmmmm.

A bit later, I noticed a peculiar noise coming from the left drive motor area. Hmmmm. I figured I better head directly home instead of touring a bit.

As I got closer to home, I started to question whether or not I would have to make the dreaded phone call to my wife to come rescue me (I was going solo, but I did have my phone). Fortunately, I was able to limp home.

When I got home, I noticed I left a spot of oil in the garage. I jacked up the wheelchair to make sure all bolts were tight. In doing so, I noticed the underside of the left drive area was coated in oil with a kind of burned rubber smell. I am guessing it is gear oil from the gear housing attached to the motor.

So, I find myself grounded I have a call into the wheelchair folks to see what needs to be done. I sure hope they can fix it quickly! The weather has finally turned really nice and I want to take maximum advantage of it!

I am so grateful this happened when I have enough mobility to not rely 100% on the chair. So, here is another reason to get a PWC early. It is great to get the kinks worked out while you still have a bit of mobility!

Steve

 

[zoohouse]

Oh man I am so sorry. Our ALS society sent us a loaner for times like that, but it does not fit Tim well and he can't stay in it for long. I am glad that at least this happened at the beginning of the week, we usually have our breakdowns after 5pm Friday.

 

[Nuts]

Oh, no! I hope the company gets you back out on the road quickly.

 

[hjlindley]

Glad you made it home safely! We have a power chair and autoloader closet too but since mine is a 22 inch deep seat I'm not sure I'd be able to use it.
Hollister

 

[Green Queen]

Steve what a bummer! Very glad you made it home safely. The countryside is awesome, can't wait until you are back out there sharing more adventures.
God bless, Janelle x

 

[MaxEidswick]

> So, here is another reason to get a PWC early. It is great to get the kinks worked out while you still have a bit of mobility!

Ditto that!

great shots!

 

[swalker]

Here is an update on being grounded. I sure learned a lot today!

I called the wheelchair place this morning. They said the process was to schedule a visit from one of their techs (1 week), get a prescription from the doctor for a wheelchair repair, file for approval from insurance, order the part(s) only after insurance approval is granted, install the parts, and return the wheelchair to me. Estimated time from start to end is around 6 weeks. Wow! Its not their fault. It is just the way the system works.

I suggested this should be a warranty repair. They said if it is, we can skip the doctor's prescription and insurance approval. They also said I could deliver the wheelchair to them today and save a week.

So, my wife and I loaded the wheelchair into the van. The van's lift decided to stop working as we attempted to stow it. We used the manual override to stow the lift. More on that later.

We then drove the 2+ hours to the wheelchair place. When we got there, the van's lift deployed just fine and we were able to unload the wheelchair. It failed while stowing again, though. Good thing there is a manual crank provided with the lift

The folks at the wheelchair place (NuMotion) were great. Really great. They examined the chair and came to the same conclusion I had - the seal in the left gear box had failed and let the fluid drain out. The wheelchair is not usable. They concluded it is a warranty repair. They have asked for the part to be delivered with 2 day shipping (usually takes 7 to 10 days). It will take just a few minutes to install the new motor and gear box combination.

I am hopeful this can all be done in a week or less so I can pick up the chair during an already-scheduled trip to Denver next week.

While in the waiting room, we got to know another customer and talk about wheelchairs and vans. He has been using a wheelchair for over 30 years and was an absolute wealth of knowledge. It was a very pleasant and informative visit in so many ways.

When we finally got home, I was able to examine the lift. I had suspected something in the wiring harness and the kind folks at Performance Mobility suggested just where to look. I cleaned up a connection and now the lift seems to be working flawlessly.

It turned out to be a long and tiring day, but really it was quite pleasant in whole. I got to spend the entire day with my wife, learned a lot, met a new friend, and found out I might be out of the chair for only about a week.

Steve

 

[GregK]

> and found out I might be out of the chair for only about a week.

Dang. Your bear might get lonely! ;^)

 

[4tloml]

Wow, Steve, that is some gorgeous trail! They sure better fix that chair up good--looks like you're really putting it through its paces. Maybe a team of huskies should go on a wish-list--take 'em for a Max-type walk and if there's a breakdown/dead battery, they're on! Mush!

 

[MaxEidswick]

>It turned out to be a long and tiring day, but really it was quite pleasant in whole. I got to spend the entire day with my wife, learned a lot, met a new friend, and found out I might be out of the chair for only about a week.

lemons/lemonade (w/ vodka)

 

[affected]

Great story!

I was so worried when I saw the thread name that you had tangled with that bear and your wife had put her foot down and grounded you for it LOLOLOL

 

[Green Queen]

Steve, I am officially feeling your pain!
I have hit...dunno, something...on Henry. Buckled the rim. A new one has to come from Melbourne, which might as well be on a different planet as far as delivery times go!
Luckily we are in Perth for three days, so three days 'out' of being grounded......*sigh*

God bless, Janelle x

 

[swalker]

I am officially ungrounded

I picked up my repaired wheelchair today, after 9 days in the shop. It seemed like much longer.

On the way home, I stopped by a mall and put in about a mile wandering around a variety of stores. When I got home, I went on my standard 9-mile jaunt halfway up Vail pass.

It is GREAT to have my wheelchair back.

Steve

 

[gooseberry]

So very glad for you. Freedom and Independence is so important! Watch out for bears and snakes!

 

[djbailey]

love and miss the views in CO, my family is all from the Grand Junction area and my great grand parents help found the town of Fruita. When ever my father was deployed overseas we would go live on the ranch with my grandparents Received my BSME form CSU.