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Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 01 May 2017, 21:25
by Rye
So I think Permobil chairs are some of the more attractive looking chairs and have a decent reputation. That's why I keep getting them. I have 2 C350's and a C300. However, the Corpus seating system (CSS) (and I assume other chair brands are similar) is connected to the base via a single centered column. What!? I can't believe it either. There are 4 bolts holding the column to the base and 4 holding it to the CSS. What does this mean? It means that when your footrests bump a wall or a chair getting in your vehicle there is a tremendous amount of force being put on the bottom of the column. How do I know this? Because I've had to have the column replaced 3x on my C350. When I removed the seating I found hundreds of hairline fractures that formed after bumping enough things. One time the column was completely broken and I had to have it re-welded and reinforced. This may have been corrected on the newest models of their chairs, but I haven't examined them to know. This is another reason why I'm building my own seat for my old C300. If one lives alone, he or she needs to be able to move heavy things with these chairs in case something like a sack of dog food or a 5 gallon bucket of pickled pigs feet gets in the way.

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 02 May 2017, 00:31
by ex-Gooserider
I have a friend with an Invacare TDX that has also had problems with her center column seat lift, so I wouldn't say its a problem that is exclusive to Permobil... I think the center post seat mounting concept is inherently problematic. Even on the Jazzy Select 6 I inherited from my father where the seat is mounted on a center post that doesn't lift, the seat felt wobbly

I think the scissors lift type system is much better IMHO as it gives you a more stable platform that is supported at several distributed points on the chair and seating system...

ex-Gooserider

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 02 May 2017, 02:21
by Rye
I second the scissor lift. It would be much more stable than a single center column. I've seen chairs with that style, but never tried one. Have you had any experience with them? Any design problems or weak points?

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 02 May 2017, 14:51
by Burgerman
Of course it depends on how well designed and how substantial the single point is. Image

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 02 May 2017, 16:55
by Rye
Yea for sure, but if its a centered column that doesn't extend anywhere near all four corners of the base, then its bound to fail. Even this centered column design would be fine if when the foot rest are all the way down there was a piece behind them to support them against the base and take the pressure off the column. I'm just saying that like it is it's a bad design.

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 03 May 2017, 01:23
by Burgerman
a 5 gallon bucket of pickled pigs feet gets in the way.


:roll:

Are those common where you live? :o

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 03 May 2017, 02:33
by Rye
I can't tell you how many times that's happened to me (0). lol. I do move a lot of buckets of hydraulic fluid and car batteries pretty frequent as well as lazy nieces and nephews. I don't want my chair to remind me I'm disabled is all.

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 09 May 2017, 07:03
by ex-Gooserider
Burgerman wrote:Of course it depends on how well designed and how substantial the single point is. Image


The column on my friend's chair looked EXACTLY like that... Failure mode was not in the column itself, but in the attachment between the column and the chair frame - it basically ripped loose from the base at the very bottom, and was wobbling back and forth in the frame, pivoting on a couple of bolts up near the top of the battery box... Chair was a US TDX model....

I couldn't get a real clear view of the failure, but it looked like it might have been a weld failure....

BTW, according to Invacare manuals I found on line, it was a 'non-field repairable, must return to factory' failure. My friend ended up getting it fixed by the person that sold it to her, I don't know what they did to it / how they fixed it.

BTW, I also use my chair as a bulldozer quite often.... Necessary the way those able bodied people just keep leaving their furniture all over the place instead of taking it with them like we do.... :roll:

ex-Gooserider

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 09 May 2017, 10:26
by Burgerman
I am not worried about that failing, looks pretty substantial to me. Much more concerned by finding huge buckets of boiled pigs feet all over the place! :o

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 09 May 2017, 22:54
by Rye
Burgerman wrote:boiled pigs feet
? What a weird thing to say? lol "pickled pigs feet" That's what I call my nieces and nephews.

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 01 Jun 2017, 17:07
by Jay_x
Rye wrote:I second the scissor lift. It would be much more stable than a single center column. I've seen chairs with that style, but never tried one. Have you had any experience with them? Any design problems or weak points?


I've got a bounder with a scissors style lift. It is absolutely 100% the way to go.

Previously, I had a permobil m 400 with a Center post that had a lift. Always felt very unstable and like I was going to tip over.

On the bounder scissors lift You can lift up and roll around, no problem. Very stable very safe

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 16 Jul 2017, 16:49
by Rye

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 16 Jul 2017, 21:22
by F3Head
I can't comment on the older Corpus seating system, but the recent Corpus 3 seat lift/elevator no longer uses a single post lifting system.
The lifting system on my Permobil F3 is a much more robust three-point type system. I'm not shilling for Permobil just making a point.

F3HEAD

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 18 Jul 2017, 01:15
by Rye
F3Head wrote:I can't comment on the older Corpus seating system, but the recent Corpus 3 seat lift/elevator no longer uses a single post lifting system.
The lifting system on my Permobil F3 is a much more robust three-point type system. I'm not shilling for Permobil just making a point.

F3HEAD



I was looking at some vids of the new Permobil line and you are absolutely right. They have changed the design. I wonder what you get if you don't order a chair with elevation though?

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 18 Jul 2017, 03:39
by ex-Gooserider
Another thing that would worry me a LOT on BM's chair, I didn't notice it in the picture earlier, is that that column has a Linak label on it.....

I can't claim huge experience with them, but I have been distinctly underwhelmed by EVERY Linak product I've had to deal with.... I've had several actuators fail in different ways - all related to cheesy construction... Plastic mounting ears, flimsy gearboxes with tiny motors much smaller than the case that was fit over them...

At this point, my basic response to anything with a Linak actuator is to roll screaming the other direction, or to immediately start shopping for a replacement from a different brand...

ex-Gooserider

Re: Permobil Corpus Seating System HUGE Flaw!!

PostPosted: 14 Mar 2018, 14:53
by Rye