10 replies to this topic

[rollinmike]

It’s almost the end of January now, and I am well into my fourth season of pushing a chair through all of the snow, ice and slush that comes along with winter in the upper Midwest. This winter, however, has been much snowier and consistently colder than the three prior ones – around here anyway. It seems like almost every time that I leave the house I am having to push through at least a couple inches of new snow – sometimes more. When there is not fresh snow to deal with, it seems like there is always the heavy dirty slush in parking lots to contend with. I was wondering if anyone out there has found some good ways of dealing with their wheelchairs and these weather issues. I have put aggressive BMX-type wheels on my existing rims as I always do. They’re a must have, but they do tend to make a huge mess in my car, house, and on my clothes. One major drawback is that my wheels have the hand rims located in the standard position near the outside of the wheel. This means that every time I push through snow or slush, my hands end up wet, freezing, filthy, or all of the above. Some better gloves would certainly help, if anyone has some good suggestions. What would also help a great deal would be to have a set of smaller-diameter hand rims that could be attached to my wheels at a point further from the tires. So far, I have not seen anything like those. Any help would be appreciated!

[Jackiefff]

this is my first winter getting around in this ISH! i have majic wheels, they seem to get around pretty good for me.. although i have gotten stuck, with the hardware mounted on the bottom of my chair to lock into my car, its pretty low to the groud. if i tip my chair back a bit that gets me through the slush and little better.
i am loosing alot of strength in my left hand due to a syrinx in my spinal cord.. so that makes it tough but so far its been ok. BUT as soon as i recieve my degree(4 years)
i will hopefully have the courage to move from this snow!
i have a honda element which a ramp folds out, and if its too cold it wont even fold out.. pain!
idk how much ive helped you but your definally not the only one with this question, hopefully someone will help you more.

[wheelywendy]

mike have you thought of trying the freewheel attatchment, i havent used it in snow but have used it in deep gravel and muddy tracks, it makes wheeling a lot less effort, theyre from america i'll try to attatch the email of pat that makes them (five of us on this site brought his protypes and shipped them to the uk end of last year) hes a very helpful chap i'm sure he'd be happy to speak with you ref if he thought it might help you or not, i'll also try to post a photo (please note its just the front wheel attatchment not the levers) (although they might help you too theyre nudrive levers there site is http://www.nu-drive.com/nudrive/ )
REF PATS EMAIL ADDRESS I DONT KNOW IF I SHOULD PUT IT ON FULL DISPLAY SO I'LL PM IT TO YOU INSTEAD)
wendy

Edited by wheelywendy, 24 January 2009 - 03:54 PM.

[oldwheelz]

Don't know if this will help or cause frustration. I bought a set of wheels on ebay a few years ago. They have bmx tires on them and the hand rim is three inches off the floor.
I love them and in summer they are much better in dirt or grass. I used to have flats and wear out tires all the time. Never happens with these. I think they are what Sportaid sells as off road wheels. They will leave a mark if you back into a wall.

[Hawkeye]

This is my 28th Iowa winter pushing a chair. I've found the standard grey 1 3/8" pneumatic tires are a pretty good compromise between indoor ease of rolling and outdoor traction for pushing across those frozen parking lots. Up front, 6" soft roll casters. They are a lot easier to push through snow or across rough ice than the smaller casters.

I currently use a GTX chair and have the desk length arms with built in clothing protector panels. These work pretty well for keeping me clean and dry in all but the deepest snow.

Good gloves are a must. I use Bob Allen lightly insulated leather gloves. These are the ones that they market to cold weather shot gunners. I get mine at www.cabelas.com They normally last me 2 years. I also use a leather treatment on them to help make them a bit more water resistant. If you push outside for extended lengths of time, you might want to look at gloves marketed for duck hunters. They are warmer and many are water proof.

Good Luck...

Joe

[Darkghost]

Hi,
Just regarding handwear I have found this site excellent,I have been using the gloves from here since going into my chair and find them suitable for my needs.Worth a look.http://www.globaleather.com/

[edlee]

The hands aren't so much a problem, for me,, as I usually take two pair, at least.

The problem I have is with my sleeves,,,,,maybe my pushing technique is bad,,, but I'm often slopped up to the elbow, before I'm done,,, then that gets transfered to everything else.

Those levers look like they might be what I need in the winter. I think I'll check out their site.

I always carry a hand towel on my lap,,, since the ground isn't the cleanest ,,,, when hunting or when the ground is sloppy,, I move up to a bath towel. It may not be fashionable,, but it is effective.
ed

[edlee]

Sorry,,,,hit the damn button twice,,,, again.
ed

Edited by edlee, 27 January 2009 - 08:47 PM.

[nomis]

Ahh, the trusty towel. I don't have a snow problem but a towel on my lap when working in the garden is essential equipment. Good for carrying things, too.

Edited by nomis, 28 January 2009 - 09:39 AM.

[Bagpuss-wheels]

edlee, on Jan 27 2009, 08:45 PM, said:

The hands aren't so much a problem, for me,, as I usually take two pair, at least.

The problem I have is with my sleeves,,,,,maybe my pushing technique is bad,,, but I'm often slopped up to the elbow, before I'm done,,, then that gets transferred to everything else.

Those levers look like they might be what I need in the winter. I think I'll check out their site.

I always carry a hand towel on my lap,,, since the ground isn't the cleanest ,,,, when hunting or when the ground is sloppy,, I move up to a bath towel. It may not be fashionable,, but it is effective.
ed

Hi Ed,

I find that I get dirty/wet sleeves when it is raining/wet. In the UK, you can get 'sleeve protectors' or 'cuffs', (costing around £8-£11ish) from various places.

I always carry some 'wet wipes' and a small bottle of hand gel. What I hate most is my wrist braces getting wet/dirty. I can't not wear them - without them I cannot push myself at all.

With regard to the problem of dirty cuffs/sleeves, I bought some cheap nylon gaiters in a shop instead of buying 'sleeve protectors'/'cuffs' as they were cheaper and did the same job! (I paid about £3-£4 - I can't remember exactly how much). These are like the gaiters I have: (I removed the strap which is supposed to go under the foot from mine and wear them round my wrists over the join between my gloves and over the cuffs of my sleeves.) It is possible to get gaiters of different styles and lengths.

I find that they are fairly useful but, when it's wet when I set off, I try to wear a waterproof coat/jacket so that it's less of a problem. (It's a case of choosing clothing that has features which will be useful. My 'big' 3-in-1 coat has an adjustable strap at the wrists so it's possible to tighten it around the wrist when necessary. When it's really bad, I've got a waterproof 'apron' style knee cover and I've also got some waterproof 'cycling' over-trousers too. (The waterproof 'cycling' trousers are better than waterproof 'walking' trousers as they have darts sewn at the knees so they are designed for bent legs as opposed to straight legs - as a result they are ideal for sitting!)


You can get 'sleeve protectors' from:
"OT Stores": http://www.otstores....rs-(Pair)-P530/
"Mobility Smart": http://www.mobilitys...ector-p-58.html
"Active Mobility": http://www.activemob...4057cc481fd682c

You can get 'cuffs' from "Able2Wear": http://www.able2wear...08d74c49631efca (transparent cuffs) or http://www.able2wear...08d74c49631efca (for 'warm lined cuffs').

'Sleeve protectors' from "OT Stores"/"Mobility Smart"/"Active Mobility" etc

'Warmlined Cuffs' from "Able2Wear".

'Transparent Cuffs' from "Able2Wear".


Perhaps, if you've got an old waterproof jacket/coat that you no longer need and someone who can sew, you can make your own?


Hope you find a solution which suits you!

Best wishes,

Cat
>^..^<

Edited by Bagpuss-wheels, 16 February 2009 - 04:34 PM.

[Travelling Blackbird]

I use leather motorcycle gloves with a warm lining. They're waterproof, and they come well past my wrist, and flare out wide enough to go over my sleeve, protecting it a little. I've also used a second pair of gloves underneath at times.

I use larger casters in winter than in summer, as larger casters deal better with snow (and gravel, cobblestones and sand too). I also have winter tires: solid, and with better treads.

My mentor had a non-standard grip for winter - it was farther from the tire, so the snow couldn't gather between the tires and the grip.

However, it's still hard work getting through the snow, and everything takes longer. There's no way to have forward momentum: I have to fight for every inch of movement.