Wheelchair pushers

[Mugshot]

If you decide that bar ends would do the job, I would be happy to donate the pair which I have just removed from my mountain bike. If you think you could use them, PM me your address and I'll get them in the post to you!

View attachment 390680

That's incredibly kind of you Colin, thank you. I shall have a measure

 

[Levo-Lon]

Best solution I can offer is push backwards..your back to the chair as you would a car.
If the person in the chair is of sound mind they will help with direction and warning.

There really bad for anything other than a hospial corridor ..or the likes.

 

[youngoldbloke]

After many years experience of assisting, I'm afraid you'll find the pusher is rarely, if ever, considered when it comes to wheelchair design. For example, unless you are spending £1000s you won't be able to specify height adjustable handles on a chair - and believe it or not (and the wheelchair service physios in our area don't) we pushers are not all the same height. The clinical need of the user comes first and to hell with the pusher - I'm sure I've suffered back and shoulder problems over the many years I've been a carer as a result. Wheelchairs also weigh far more than they should (or could). Again unless you spend loads of money the wheels and tyres are not up to much. My wife now has a lightweight chair with adjustable height push handles, and you could specify folding push handles, but I can't recall seeing angle adjustable ones listed anywhere, and I have never seen a simple attachment.

 

[ColinJ]

The wheelchair in that photo does look an incredibly poor design!

 

[Mugshot]

The wheelchair in that photo does look an incredibly poor design!

I should perhaps point out that that isn't my wife and I in the photo I posted. This is the chair my wife has.

 

[ColinJ]

It does look better, but it still has those dodgy handles ... Being able to push the thing comfortably should have been high in the design specification!

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I sympathise - until my wife switched to a powered chair I suffered badly with sore wrists because of this. Bar ends might offer a bit of relief for periods though.

 

[ColinJ]

I just had an idea ... I wonder if you could use a plumber's spring to bend the handles round more? (It might not work with that type of tubing though.)

 

[Mugshot]

I sympathise - until my wife switched to a powered chair I suffered badly with sore wrists because of this. Bar ends might offer a bit of relief for periods though.

It's only the uphill, arse up head down bits I find an issue. I find I'm looking for someway I can place my hands differently but there isn't one. I think if the bar ends or something similar will fit then being able to have my wrists horizontal rather than vertical will help enormously.
It does seem like it's a common problem though, there's a business opportunity here somewhere.

 

[Mugshot]

I just had an idea ... I wonder if you could use a plumber's spring to bend the handles round more? (It might not work with that type of tubing though.)

I've got a proper pipe bender and that wouldn't solve the issue, I'm afraid. This is the reclining version of my wifes chair,

If you notice there is a bar between the handles on this model which is something to do with the reclining feature, that's the sort of thing I want to replicate, the bar ends could be just the ticket so long as they fit, I have a feeling that the tubing on the wheelchair push handles is quite a bit slimmer than a handlebar though, but I will check.

 

[raleighnut]

I've got a proper pipe bender and that wouldn't solve the issue, I'm afraid. This is the reclining version of my wifes chair,
View attachment 390690
If you notice there is a bar between the handles on this model which is something to do with the reclining feature, that's the sort of thing I want to replicate, the bar ends could be just the ticket so long as they fit, I have a feeling that the tubing on the wheelchair push handles is quite a bit slimmer than a handlebar though, but I will check.

That also has an additional feature of a bar connecting the 2 handles, couldn't something be fabricated similar to this?

 

[Mugshot]

That also has an additional feature of a bar connecting the 2 handles, couldn't something be fabricated similar to this?

Um,

If you notice there is a bar between the handles on this model which is something to do with the reclining feature, that's the sort of thing I want to replicate, the bar ends could be just the ticket so long as they fit, I have a feeling that the tubing on the wheelchair push handles is quite a bit slimmer than a handlebar though, but I will check.

 

[sight-pin]

I've got a proper pipe bender and that wouldn't solve the issue, I'm afraid. This is the reclining version of my wifes chair,
View attachment 390690
If you notice there is a bar between the handles on this model which is something to do with the reclining feature, that's the sort of thing I want to replicate, the bar ends could be just the ticket so long as they fit, I have a feeling that the tubing on the wheelchair push handles is quite a bit slimmer than a handlebar though, but I will check.

Not sure about the tube size of the handles, but how about putting a couple of bends in a piece of 22mm? Would it fit over the handles? I suspect the biggest your pipe bender can take is 22 but you may need 28 if you want to fit over the handles. You could also wrap bike handle tape around it.

 

[youngoldbloke]

These might work - depends how small they can go - usually wheelchair bars are quite small diameter 18-19 mm or so, smaller than MTB. https://www.amazon.co.uk/ETC-Bar-En...m_osnxjsh4oraz7tg_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&s=sports

 

[roadrash]

if the wheelchair handles are smaller diameter than the bar end then wrap the handles with innertube