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9 REACHING, LEANING AND BENDING FORWARD
Bending Forward
Position the front casters so that they are extended as far as possible
and engage wheel locks. DO NOT LEAN SO THAT YOUR SHOULDERS
ARE FORWARD OF THE REAR WHEELS.
Bending Backward
Warning
—Reach back only as far as your arm will extend without
changing your sitting position. Reaching back farther will change your
center of gravity and may cause you to tip over.
Reaching Objects on Ground
Position wheelchair as close as possible to the desired object. Point
front casters forward to create the longest possible wheelbase. See
Figure 9.1.
10 DRESSING OR CHANGING CLOTHES
Warning
— Your weight may shift if you dress or change clothes while seated in this chair. To reduce the
risk of a fall or tip-over:
1 Rotate the front casters until they are as far forward as possible. This makes the chair more stable.
2 Lock anti-tip tubes in place. (If your chair does not have anti-tip tubes, back it up against a wall and
lock both rear wheels).
11 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
Warning
1 Use extra care if you must ride your chair on a wet or slick surface. If you are in doubt, ask for help.
2 Contact with water or excess moisture may cause your chair to rust or corrode. This could cause your
chair to fail.
a Do not use your chair in a shower, pool or other body of water. The chair tubing and parts are NOT
water-tight and may rust or corrode from the inside.
b Avoid excess moisture (for example, do not leave your chair in a damp bathroom while taking a
shower).
c If your chair does get wet (from cleaning or otherwise), dry it as soon as possible.
3 Terrain
a Your wheelchair is designed for use on fi rm, regular, even surfaces such as typical interior spaces,
concrete or asphalt.
b Operating your wheelchair in sand, loose soil or over rough terrain may damage wheels, the
footrest, or other components of your wheelchair.
Failure to heed these warnings could result in severe injury to yourself or others as well as damage
your chair.
Figure 9.1
Reaching objects on ground.
Wheel locks (Optional)
Wheel locks
lock the rear wheels and prevent any
undesirable movement of your wheelchair.
1 To engage the scissor-style wheel locks in Figure 19.17, pull the lever
toward the wheel until it locks into place.
2 To engage the push to lock wheel locks in Figure 19.18, bring the
lever forward until it locks into place.
Once the wheel locks are applied, the wheels should not be able to
rotate. If they do, PDG recommends the chair be serviced by a dealer.
Warning
— Never attempt to engage wheel locks while the chair is in
motion as it could cause you to lose control.
To adjust wheel locks
1 Position the chair on a solid level surface and secure the chair so it
will not move when the wheel locks are unlocked.
2 Release the wheel locks as far as they will go.
3 Loosen both screws on the cylindrical brake mounting bracket.
4 Adjust the position of the wheel locks and re-tighten the screws so
that fi rm braking action prevents the wheels from rotating.
Warning
— If adjustments to the position of the rear wheel axle have been performed, the wheel locks
must also be adjusted. Never attempt to adjust the wheel locks with the wheelchair occupied.
Side Guards (Optional)
Your Elevation may be purchased with rigid-articulating or Flexiguard™ side guards. These unique side
guards fl ex inward to protect the occupant’s clothing from contact with the tires and allow easier access
to the wheels for better performance and handling. In addition, when the seat height of Elevation is
raised, the side guards pull inwards to improve the user’s stability.
The side guards must be fi rmly affi xed , as seen in Figure 19.19, to the backrest upholstery, backrest post,
and seat upholstery using the hook and loop straps.
Figure 19.17
Scissor-style wheel locks.
Figure 19.18
Push to lock style
wheel locks.
Rear Strap
Lifting Strap
5mm Allen key
Elastic Bottom Strap
Figure 19.19
Rigid side guard installation.