Shoshiplatypus

Big surprise!

Last week I received a phone call to say that my Trekinetic wheelchair would be arriving this week! I was super-excited, because they told me it would not be with us before the end of July. This means we have got the whole of the rest of the summer in which to enjoy it.

Originally they said it would arrive on Wednesday, but yesterday Mal at Magic Mobility phoned to say that he would be delivering it on Tuesday. Better and better!

The Trekinetic arrives!

Here are the photos from the video. I have annotated them so they are mostly self-explanatory.

You have to fold the foot rest back when transporting the wheelchair, because this way, it takes up less room.

It does take a bit of practice, standing on the foot rest in order to get into the chair. This is not what I would ever do in my other wheelchair! The chair tips forward onto the anti-tip wheels and the whole thing becomes a lot more stable as you get in.

These little rotating jacks on the foot rest are a very clever idea. When they are extended, it raises the large drive wheels slightly and the chair rests on the jacks and the rear caster. This enables you to remove the drive wheels easily, without the chair tipping over. My other wheelchair does not have this feature and removing the drive wheels is difficult.

Obviously you wouldn’t be able to do this while moving around, because you need to have access to the controls, but it might make it easier to get into the chair.

The joystick is very sensitive! I’m getting used to it now I’ve had a bit of practice with the demo wheelchair and then later when we went out for a trial run.

Shame about the umbrella. The first time I saw a picture of the Trekinetic several years ago, it looked so funky and cool with the umbrella! My hubby says he will rig something up for me.

The Yamaha power system is the same as that in my other wheelchair, with the motors in the wheel hubs. They both have the usual quick release button for removing the wheels.

It is useful to be able to fold the push handles down. It makes the chair more compact for transport. Also, you don’t always want to have handles visible because it makes you look more helpless!

It is easy to fold the handles up and latch them into position. They feel very firm.

Of course Lily and Ruby had to photo-bomb this photo shoot! They are very interested in this new monster that has invaded their home.

A radical new design

The design of the Trekinetic is radically different from other wheelchairs. The drive wheels are at the front instead of at the back. On a normal wheelchair, there are two small casters at the front. These tend to get stuck on anything other than the smoothest terrain. Having the large drive wheels at the front, and a single large caster at the back enables the chair to cover any terrain with ease. It is also a lot more stable, because all three wheels are always in contact with the ground.

More photo-bombing from Lily and Ruby!

The shock absorber is filled with pressurised nitrogen and works on the same principle as an adjustable office chair. I makes for a smoother ride and can be adjusted for length. The Safari Kit is an optional extra. More details below.

The “Varicam” feature of the Trekinetic is one of its cleverest features. If you have seen sports wheelchairs, you will know that they have a wide camber for great stability. This is all very well, but it makes the chair too wide to go through doorways, so it is unsuitable for daily use. The designer of the Trekinetic added this feature to change the camber. This means that you can set it in “lean” mode, allowing the chair to go through doorways, and “mean” mode for off-road! Brilliant. It also looks super-cool in “mean” mode. I don’t think there is another wheelchair that is a combination like this.

Adventure awaits!

I hope you have enjoyed the virtual tour of my new cool funky piece of kit. After Mal had gone, we went through the instruction manual (essential before use) and then took it out for a spin. We went along beside the river in Newton Abbot. Not exactly exciting off-road terrain but good for starters! The chair behaved brilliantly.

I am super-thrilled with it. We’ve got the rest of the summer ahead of us, always assuming we are going to get some decent weather. I will be able to go out with my hubby and not be restricted to pavements. I can feel the moors and the seaside and the woods calling!

See you later. Shoshi disappears in a puff of steam.

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