Muddy Tracks

[benmk21600]

Just a question to bugerman. In winter after you have been on mud/sand ,how do you clean before home? (just lots of spinning on a mat?) I don`t bother cleaning my old offroad only one (swop in the shed) but your F55 is a mint all rounder. (any plans to build more and ebay them!?)

[Burgerman]

I have a 3.1KW very powerful pressure washer always plugged in and connected at the back of the house. Im muddy or in winter covered in all that salty road crud I just go down the drive and get my GF or a carer to blast it for about 4 mins until everything runs clean. It and not me! Usually works ok... Use car wash and wax with a sponge / car brush with long handle and give it a good scrub now and again. Quick drive up and down the street to dry and in I go!

Even do my shoes and the whole chair other than the armrests. Those get took off and done seperately as needed. I do this at least 50 times a year. Water doesent hurt unless you aim it directly ar the control pod or under the seat controller. Never had any issues. Even if it did I am already home.

Remember that I have a brand new chair ready to go every april though! Then the oldest of my three gets a rebuild!

You have to realise I am a bit OCD too! My 3.5 year old van is cleaner and shinier inside and out than a showroom one too!

My chairs are all fully super smooth gloss hard powder coated (there are many types and qualities of powder coating) down to every single last part. Or its stainless steel. Like all the bearings, bolts, washers etc. Theres nothing to corrode and it washes clean really easily.

[Burgerman]

If I got an order for 10 at 10k I might build them. But doing one at a time takes all of my spare time and energy and is physically draining. I could afford to farm everything out that way.

[benmk21600]

I think a power wash could kill my off-road chair with its 10-15 year old plugs! Although one day when at a car rally i tried going up this muddy track with water running down it and deep 4x4 ruts and tipped onto my side with the joystick control half underwater But after been up righted it still worked
I was looking at new offroad electric chairs but the only one a can find that looks a real offroader is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEyGcpLqf4Q

[Burgerman]

The problem with powerchairs has always been battery power. The lead batteries we use for cost and availability reasons are heavy and dont have much power.

And thats on a smooth surface. Thats why a practical limit is 6mph and about 2/3rds of an average days use for a typical busy person. Speed means taller gearing, which means less torque and more Ah used up even when going slow. Add tank steer (wastes tons of power) and hils and mud/sand and it all becomes very impractical very fast.

Since electric "off roaders" cant go indoors, why bother making them heavy, slow and use petrol power insted? Cant see the point of battery power when you are outdoors!

[benmk21600]

Yeh. think your right! Hydroic for control,engine powered is the way!

[skcollobcat10]

If I got an order for 10 at 10k I might build them. But doing one at a time takes all of my spare time and energy and is physically draining. I could afford to farm everything out that way.

I think quite a few on this forum would probably buy them from you, me included!