Buggy with hand steering for a wheelchair user?

[Alex sanz]

Hi

My name is Alex sanz and I have succesfully taught a friend to kite in a wheel chair I did have a video clip on youtube but an agro xgirl friend took it off, will put it back up very soon. I think you can see it on radsail website.

The wheel chair is the on use for basket ball and it looks great fun, I did get a story on the Melbourne new paper 3 years ago durring the big F1 car race you might search for that story.

The modified buggy is too complicated the other way is 2 wheeled buggies set up like a dirt surfer.

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[wheelchair andy]

Thanks for the info Alex. Those basketball wheelchairs are pretty sweet, unfortunately I've never been a team sports kind of bloke so never got into the whole wheelchair basketball thing, hence no basketball wheelchair. Those things start at around £2000 for a real basic model so adapting a buggy is going to work out a lot cheaper.

I kite from my wheelchair at the moment, but as a vehicle it's next to useless on anything but flat concrete, and even then it's impossible to safely use as a replacement for a buggy. For fairly static kiting the wheelchair is useable, but I'm hoping to hit the desert next year and I think the buggy is the best solution.

A two wheeled buggy? How does that work for a wheelchair user, I cant imagine it'd be practical for me at all.

[Alex sanz]

if you look at the dirt surfer you can see that you steer by shifting you weight, have a look at it see how the dirt surfer works. A wheel chair can only work if onle the big wheels are on the ground if you have the front wheels touching you will fly off. It can be done ! I will look for the video clip it will help you understand

you have to shift you weight for anything to work for you. and it has to be simple to use.

[.Joel]

you have to shift you weight for anything to work for you. and it has to be simple to use.

Andy can't shift his weight as he has no control of his hips. Read a few posts back and get a better idea, he explains it well when sitting on a floor.

Regards,

.Joel

[Alex sanz]

what about a mountain board type set up ? there is a way where always is but it has to be simple. I have seen the sports wheel chair work very well, well enough for me to want to have a go, it's really the only way.... you can use a bar with one hand and steer the buggy with the other but it's complicated. so the risk of injury is much bigger. electronic will work but complicated again. must keep it simple.

[Steve]

A young girl contacted us a few years back about a hand control buggy. She was very determined and I know she eventually had one made for herself and have seen video and photos of her using it.

So it can be done, its not hard to do, just needs someone with metal working skills, and I think it is is the only really workable solution for someone that lives with the challenge of decreased mobility/paralysis.

The 2 wheel buggy is not a practical solution at all, bad idea, and will lead to enormous frustration and possibly further injury. They are hard enough for able bodied people to use!!!

Search google for hand controlled kite buggy/female, ask on flexi forum??

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

[Peter]

Wmail from Libre re hand steering

Dear Peter,

yes, we can rebuild the 4 wheel buggy so that you can steer it by hand .But when he steers by hand how can he hold the kite?

Best regards

Gerti

LIBRE GmbH

Am Fässlesgrund 8

78054 VS-Schwenningen

Geschäftsführer:

Gertraude Hauser

Hans Hauser

Tel.: 07720-33964

Fax: 07720-22177

eMail:Gertraude.Hauser@libre.de

Internet:http://www.libre.de

[Anjii H]

Does this thread still exist? Does Andy still exist? I know its 17 yrs old, but thisbis exactly what I was searching for! I too am a paraplegic,  used to paranoid and would love to find a way to adapt a buggy to work.   I'm so curious how his turned out! 

[nigel]

Where are you based @Anjii H?

USA?  UK?.........

My first step would be to talk to your local wheel chair makers.

Show them a kite buggy, and go from there.

If there are some local kite buggyers around, they might be able to help with supplying a buggy for the chair makers to have a look at.

Not many, if any, buggy manufacturers left.  So I think your local chair maker would be the best start. 

If you were in Australia, I'd even to tempted to have a chat to the crew at  Human Powered Vehicles | Trisled

They make custom made trikes, quads, and even rail bikes!!