How to slow down the chair when manually moving down a ramp?

[snaker]

My adapted car is a raised roof, the ramp is about 2m (7ft) and fairly high. I am unable to drive the chair out the car by myself. My dad has to power it off and pulls it out reversely (with me sitting in). He is now old, weak and cannot hold the chair tightly or manually drive it well. The chair usually moves down fast and goes out of the ramp. Is there any tool that can slow down the chair? I mean something that can keep the chair at a low speed when it is moving down a ramp. So it does not move too fast and my dad can hold it and manually drive it inside the ramp.

[woodygb]

You could perhaps get a 12v winch and put into you vehicle.

e.g.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-V-Electri ... SwB4ha7D33

[Burgerman]

Why cant you just set a profile with a max speed that is very slow? Theres no way to push it down a slope faster than its programmed. So it will decend slowly. That way you can do it.

[snaker]

Why cant you just set a profile with a max speed that is very slow? Theres no way to push it down a slope faster than its programmed. So it will decend slowly. That way you can do it.

The problem is that I cannot drive the chair reversely, my dad cannot neither. Maybe I need to fit a 12v winch.

[shirley_hkg]

I added a diy attendant joystick to a Permobil C500 using PG .

Just a cheap joystick pod and a switch with 5 feet lead. Then your dad can drive at the rear .

[Dan]

I have gone down that many ramps backwards I think I could do it blindfolded. A tip, if you can see over the side at one wheel just keep it about an inch from the edge and you will be OK. Practice driving backwards outside. Try putting a mirror (not glass) in the van so you can see the wheels on the ramp, you just need to be able to see the wheels on one side. Go slow so your dad can give you directions.

[snaker]

I have to drive the chair by my left arm (not hand). I can only push the joystick forwards but cannot hold it to drive the chair reversely. My dad is even worse in driving a powerchair, he cannot drive the chair forwards on flat surfaces at MIN speed. That's why he always turns off the powerchair before touching it

I found shops selling 12V cheap winches. I will buy one and test if it would work.

[Burgerman]

And you drive vast distances!! Even more amazing. You need a girlfreind thats a gamer, joystick expert!

Not that it helps you much, but here in the UK you would be able to get a carer that takes over from your dad, and probably a get a van too. That you can drive yourself or your carer could. So you would be able to get about easily. And your dad could relax.

[pattherat]

So much wrong with that reply.

[Burgerman]

Well I cant see it??

Broken down.

And you drive vast distances!! Even more amazing.

Snaker is our distance record holder, goes 128km or more using his lithium pack and the PL8 charger. He actually ran out of country to drive in. And now we find out that he cannot control the joystick well. Which I found amazing.

You need a girlfreind thats a gamer, joystick expert!

I meant that the correct way!
To reverse him out of the van. Because gamers tend to be able to instantly get joystick on a powerchair without thinking about it. I have had one here!

Not that it helps you much, but here in the UK you would be able to get a carer that takes over from your dad, and probably a get a van too. That you can drive yourself or your carer could. So you would be able to get about easily. And your dad could relax.

Referes to previous conversations regarding the differences between capitalist western countries and previously socialist/or communist countries such as his own. In most capitalist countries we have the ability to employ or use agencies for carers instead of relying on a parent for eg. Socialist economics always fails in every place it has ever been tried just as it is now in venuzuala.

[CPguy]

@ Burgerman: How on earth did you get a hot female gamer (do such females even exist?) as a carer? I envy you. Really.

[Burgerman]

I dont. My carers are not gamers. But I have 3. 2 of them are pretty competant in my chairs. One I woudnt let loose with a manual chair. My ex carer jenny was 19 and she used to practice wheelies in my chairs and was pretty good. While I was drinking a can of lager after midnight in the middle of the main road. At around 1 theres no traffic, and its really deserted and well lit. The one that was a gamer was my ex. She got it straight away.

I was suggesting that you should get one thats a gamer. So she could drive the chair with little practice!

[Burgerman]

Dont do phones or skype!

I am still confused though. A powerchair has its speed control built in. If you are trying to control speed, all you have to do is set a profile that has a max speed of say 6%. Then it cannot go faster than that. Likewise you can set turn speeds very low so anyone can steer it no matter how slowly it happens.

[slomobile]

i can think of a way to make a ramp for a van/high top car that is cable driven and would make the useage very easy to use as long as the car hight is a bit more than the chair is long

If you still remember your idea, lets hear it. I'd love a cable deployed ramp for the back of an SUV.

[martin007]

The solution is complicated...

[slomobile]

I just had the thought of inflatable bumpers on the sides of the ramp. When deflated they don't touch the chair. When inflated they push against the sides of the wheels. This should tend to both slow down the descent of the chair and guide it to the center of the ramp. Unfortunately if the friction between bumper and chair is too high, it could cause the wheel nearest a bumper to stop, which could cause turning mid ramp. I think this is solved with a semi rigid UHMWP (plastic cutting board material) wear strip along the bumper length where it contacts the chair. I'm about to propose this to my friend who's wife is afraid to go down their new ramp. A small electric compressor and solenoid release valve remote controlled would allow her to decide how much bumper braking gets applied.

Still interested in hearing the cable deployed ramp idea even if it is complicated. Have wire rope on hand and logistics track on walls and floor of van for mounting pulleys in arbitrary places for test/tune of the setup. AMFbruns Euro Ramp bifold currently manually deployed from rear of high roof Promaster Van. https://www.amf-bruns-mobility.com/prod ... euro-ramp/

[biscuit]

It would take my chair about a nanosecond to permanently deflate any bumpers.
I reverse down the ramp by watching one drive wheel and keeping it a few cm away from the edge and parallel with it. I ignore the other wheels and have faith that the universe will manage them. I find 1 light is a good speed. Your friend could try that with masking tape stripes on flat ground to get confidence, Slomobile.

[Burgerman]

I cant bend enough to see wheels. No trunk muscle control. But I dont need to.

I know *exactly* where the wheels are to within maybe half an inchor less. I drive into and out of vans, between obstacles, ramps, through a narrow bendy corridor to my room, and never touch any edges. Its all just feel, practice, and linear accurate programming. You get very very precise quite naturally. Just as you dont need to look at your feet to walk over a scaffold plank.

Once the chair is programmed to actually go where its told, and correct joystick technique is used then the rest just omes naturally without a thought over time. Without the correct programming, and chair setup, it never can. Think back to how your chair was before you turned all the turn acceleration/deceleration settings up to max. It wasnt even possible to reliably hit a doorway!

[biscuit]

Yes. What I said presupposes being able to look down at the wheels, also being able to move the joystick correctly, and correct programming or the joystick movement doesn't correspond with the driver wheel alignment.

Left and right turn acceleration to 100%, left and right turn deceleration to 100%.

Then even pudding proprioception such as mine can turn the wheelchair finely, with a very small movement.

[Burgerman]

Just as impoertant MINIMUM turn accel and MINIMUM turn deceleration. Both to max!
And then reduce turn speed, and minimum turn speed to taste.

Please note, if your chair has a gyro, these will not help. It will never steer properly.