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swalker

Very helpful member
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
1,576
Reason
DX MND
Diagnosis
07/2014
Country
US
State
CO
City
Vail
As many of you know, I have been planning to purchase a backup wheelchair.

With the wheelchair being in the shop of over two weeks and counting, I decided it was time to get serious about it.

After all my searching and investigating, I decided on a lightly used Permobil C500 (non stander model). I found one in Arizona with a total of 24 miles on it. It will require some sizing adjustments and I will need to add power leg lift.

We agreed to purchase it and made plans for the trip. We would have to make it a short trip, because we are leaving for Yellowstone on Saturday! We planned to leave Monday, Labor Day, and return on Wednesday. So, with that all set, my mind was at ease.

And then, when I got home from church Sunday afternoon, I searched craigslist for wheelchair items (because we are considering replacing our van with something that will tow a trailer). This search yielded a just-listed X8 Extreme (made by Magic Mobility in Australia and marketed by Innovations in Motion in the US).

This is a 4 wheel drive chair I have been considering for a long time, but no reasonable ones had come on the market. It would be excellent for some of my adventures:). But, I have concluded it is not an appropriate backup chair for me.

The X8 Extreme that was listed was in unknown condition. It had no batteries and the tires were flat (each had a multitude of punctures). The gentleman showed me a video of him riding it, so I concluded it must have worked at some time:). It was rough, as in bent metal rough. It was missing bolts and the bottom cushion was covered in a tshirt. It was priced at a point where I was willing to take a risk, so we agreed to buy that wheelchair as well.

We did the 4 hour round trip to Denver and bought the wheelchair Sunday evening. It is in rough shape, but I am pretty sure my friend and I will have a marvelous time getting it to work again. I think it might have headed to the dump if I had not rescued it.

We then headed to Arizona the following morning, where we purchased the C500. This will be a good backup chair.

We just returned home as the proud owners of THREE wheelchairs. I can't believe it! We are having trouble finding places for them all. I am going to have to name them just to keep them straight.

We are tired from all the travel, but must head to Denver again tomorrow so we can pick up my primary wheelchair. Then we get a day of rest before we start heading to Yellowstone.

Whew. What a week. I think I need a vacation to recover.

Steve
 
Oh oh oh, name the X8 extreme Tillie since it was made here in Australia!

My avatar is of course Matilda, hence Tillie :)

Looks like these PWC are having a potato chip effect on you ;) (once you have one, you have to another, and another ...)
 
ride on steve! my chair is from the same Australian outfit, it is a Frontier V 6 w 2 big power wheels and 4 smaller control wheels. good for all tarain and for getting around inside the house. happy trails love ya chally
 
P.S. named mine MONSTER!
 
we are walker rich in our house, with an upstairs indoor walker, a downstairs walker and one in the car and outside/travel use. The Nitro is our
favorite as it is so light and a bit jazzy looking. It is named Johnny Walker...Guess what color?
Anna
 
It is named Johnny Walker...Guess what color?
Anna

I am hoping it is blue:)

We made the trip to Denver to pick up my primary PWC from the shop. I tested it pretty thoroughly and everything seemed to work just fine. What a relief.

It was a long trip, but I still just had to go out for a short stroll in the PWC when we got home.

I somehow feel more complete with it.

As for names:
  1. My primary wheelchair has been called "The Beast" since day one. It has occasionally been referred to as "The Toe Crusher", but I prefer "The Beast":)
  2. My backup wheelchair is currently nameless. We are working on it, though.
  3. The X8 Extreme just has to be called "Extreme Tillie". Unfortunately, in its current state, that could be an insult to an ever-so-helpful member here. Don't worry. I have plans to breath life back into it.

Steve
 
Extreme Tillie in need of repair - PERFECT I love it :)
 
Steve how exciting!
I've named all of mine.
Henry is my big bloke, whom is sick at the mo, boo hoo!

Dougie is my travel scooter.

My rollator is called Wanda.

My stick is Clyde.

Have fun doing up the chair!

God bless, Janelle x
 
Steve, you can never have too many PWCs!

Matt's C300 that had the motor go out is back in the shop again. I suspect our folks didn't troubleshoot as well as yours and missed the gear. It started spinning again the day before we left for this trip we are on. So, the really really old 300 that he picked up off Craigslist to use upstairs is now in the trailer in case of emergency. It doesn't elevate, so it won't get him out of the truck, but it's there just in case.

The X8 Extreme, or Extreme Tillie, sounds exciting! Have fun!
 
I have spent some time working on my latest addition, the used C500. I have adjusted the size for everything that can be done without new parts. I have created an inventory of parts that I need and started searching.

The seat depth needs to be changed from 20" to 21". This requires new unitrack side rails (2) and new seat plates (2). I am going to have to do something about the arm rests. Other than that, it now fits very well.

This is a relatively new chair (manufactured in November 2013) and used parts are not often available for it. I have been told that in a few more years used parts will become available as old chairs get parted out. For now, I am looking at having to buy new at the ruinously expensive Permobil prices.

This chair has manual leg rests. It is easy to switch that out for a power actuator. Unfortunately, the actuator is over $1,000 (new). Wow. For a motor and linear actuator. I can only believe the price because it is a medical item! I need the power leg lifts, so I will have to figure out a cost-effective solution.

I took it out for a spin tonight. It has the regular speed motors, and it tried my patience to only go 5 mph:). My primary chair has the high speed motors (6.5 mph). I went for 8 miles and completely drained the batteries.

I suspect I have a new set of batteries in my future.

I bought the chair with 25 miles on it. It now has over 33:)

It seems like a great chair and is going to be a wonderful backup. My plan is to use my chairs a lot (but not abuse them in any way) and wear them out. I'll post picks of doing so.

Steve
 
We arrived home from Yellowstone yesterday. Today was the chance I had to take a close look at the X8 Extreme wheelchair.

I called Innovation In Motion (the importers of the chair) and they referred me to a dealer. That dealer looked up my serial number and confirmed I have an X4 rather than an X8. That was quite a shock.

They look quite similar and, for my purposes, the X4 should work out just fine. I have not yet identified all the differences, but the top speed and range seem less on the X4. Significantly, it is a 4 wheel drive chair that will do a 14 degree slope (15 degree with a 165 pound rider, which I qualify for).

My friend and I will still have a great time rebuilding this chair. It may take awhile (or longer:)), but I will post pictures when it is working.

I know have the owners manual and service manual.

Steve
 
Have fun, Steve, working on your X4. That's certainly a shock to discover it's not an X8 as you were told. Bummer. Well, with 3 wheelchairs, you'll never run into the problem you had before...being without one. I have a Permobil M300, 2 years old, which needs to get fixed quite often. But it's a life-saver for me. Happy trails!
Charlene
 
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