"Pedal Chair" Marries Wheelchair To Bicycle

"Pedal Chair" Marries Wheelchair To Bicycle ATV'S ATV'S 22-6-17 A homemade "pedal chair" that combines a wheelchair with a bicycle wheel and bicycle forks and handlebars, makes it easy for Ray Funk of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, to get around at farm equipment shows. He can even take one of his grandchildren along with him. "It works just like a tricycle except that the seat is a lot more comfortable. I replaced the original wheelchair seat with a rubber padded one made for a moped," says Funk. A homemade steel frame was built to attach the bicycle fork to the wheelchair frame. The bike fork was modified to fit a motor-cycle wheel equipped with homemade pedals. To keep the pedal chair from oscillating to the left and right every time the pedals are turned, he attached a pair of cylinders between the forks and wheelchair. As the forks turn left or right, the cylinders extend or re-tract to absorb the "thrust" and eliminate any change in direction. "The cylinders work so well that I can sit and pedal without touching the handlebars and the pedal chair will still continue forward in a straight line," says Funk. He mounted a small seat with a backrest and safety belt on back of the wheelchair so that he can carry his 4-year-old grandson. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ray Funk, 7735 Donwick Drive, Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068 (ph 614 755-4351).

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