Sunday, February 26, 2023

Repairs and Preventative Maintenance on My Mobility Chair



Just like a car, things need to be maintained or repaired on your mobility power chair and scooters. It isn't cheap either! Hard to do when you are a person who needs help walking let alone repairing your chair or scooter. Even something that sounds as simple as changing the batteries is not a little thing. Depending on how much you use it though your batteries need to be charged often. I make it a habit to put the charger on it every time I come back from using it. 




Last summer I purchased new batteries because it was not holding a charge very long. I did not want to be stranded somewhere. My friend who drives a scooter had to buy new batteries almost every year because she uses her scooter often. The batteries are not cheap! So it is best to build up an emergency fund for batteries and related repairs on your mobility scooter or power chair. The batteries I purchased were Mighty Max sealed lead acid batteries that are under warranty for a year. Since I got them though I have not used the chair enough to know how well they hold the charge.




I had tire problems and had to have new ones put on and that was NOT an easy fix. Somebody did it for me and getting the wheel off proved to be very difficult. It took weeks to finally get them replaced. These new tires have tubes and give a smoother ride. I keep a tire pump nearby to pump them up when or if needed. 




So I thought I was all set and ready to go! Then I drove to the store and it did not feel right to me. I prayed to get home on it. Turns out the caster wheels, particularly one on the front, needs to be replaced too. This is beginning to remind me of a car or a truck. Well, I have the caster wheels now. Just waiting to put them on. I have been watching YouTube videos on how to do it. I will need a couple of tools to do this. My problem is that I am not very strong so it is hard for me to do. 




So these are the two new castor wheels and hopefully I will get them put on soon. Maybe I can have a friend do it for me. The weather this winter has been good enough that I could have used Jazzy to go to the store. Instead I had to use Instacart and spend more money. Running to the store will not be something I take for granted again. I love my mobility chair and hope to keep using it! It has given me so much independence. I hate to have it sitting in my apartment not being used. Soon I hope to have it road ready again! 




Copyright © 2023 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2023  Kathleen G. Lupole




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