E-Bike/Wheelchair Conversion.

[Del 80]

Hi,Not been on here for a while........been laid up after operation to remove blood clot, anyway, could do with some sound advise please.......whilst bedridden an idea came to me, I shall need a wheelchair for a while, and I got to thinking about motorising it.........I have in my shed a Powacycle Salisbury, which when last used a couple of years ago was in good order.........from what I can see the only thing stopping me from cutting the frame down to fit the wheelchair, is the fact that the bike is rear wheel drive..........is it possible to convert the Powacycle to front wheel drive ?.......any constuctive thoughts on this would be most welcome..........Del.

 

[Twangman]

You can get a modification for a regular wheelchair that does that. It's basically a front wheel motor with the battery attached above the folks do a search I'm sure you will find examples.

 

[Del 80]

You can get a modification for a regular wheelchair that does that. It's basically a front wheel motor with the battery attached above the folks do a search I'm sure you will find examples.

 

[Del 80]

Thanks for the reply......Yes have seen those.....about a grand and a half each.......money is not really an issue here though, I need something to keep the old grey matter ticking over, and thought this would be an ideal project......it all depends on whether I can change from rear wheel, to front wheel drive......Del.

 

[Del 80]

Basically what I need to do is to take the rear wheel, which contains the hub motor , remove the chain sprockets, and then fit this rear wheel into the front forks..........I just wonder if this can be done ?..........Del.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The motor in a 26" wheel will be too fast. You would need to rebuild it into a 12" rim to get closer to the correct speed.

If you want to start a project, get a 201 rpm front Q100 motor kit from BMSB or GBK, then get a and a kids bicycle with 12" wheels fom a boot sale. Cut the front wnd off and weld on some brackets to attach it to your wheelchair. Rebuild the wheel with the new motor. Make a stem extension. If you can get ghat far, you can gigure out the rest

 

[trex]

is it this sort of thing you want to do?

otherwise, consider an electric tricycle or convert one to electric.

 

[Del 80]

Yes, That is exactly what I had in mind........if it is not possible to use the Powacycle as the motive power, then I may consider buying one of these ''front fork'' thingy's, even though they are outrageously expensive........I am limited as to what I can do at the moment, and don't want to take to much on.........if anyone knows where I can get one of these power drive things cheaper then please do let me know............Del.

 

[EddieH]

I have been toying with a similar idea for putting a 48v Li-on battery in a mobility scooter to improve the speed (purely for use on private restricted land of course) and range but am not sure what else would be needed.

 

[Mysteryman]

I had a customer come into my previous place of work (Asda) with practically the same as the photo above, had a wee chat with him etc, told me about the website, so trawled my favourites as I saved if off..hope this helps.

http://www.cyclonemobility.com/batec

 

[Geebee]

I have been toying with a similar idea for putting a 48v Li-on battery in a mobility scooter to improve the speed (purely for use on private restricted land of course) and range but am not sure what else would be needed.

If it is a 36v unit check the speed controller model number and look up the specs online to make sure it will cope, they are not cheap to replace.
Obviously dont charge with the original charger as it will not end well.
If you go ahead just check the motor for heat with your hand, if you cant hold your hand on the motor you are pushing it to hard.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Del,

If it were an 'off the shelf' go anywhere electric wheel chair you were looking for I would check out Team Hydrid http://www.teamhybrid.co.uk

They are certainly not cheap, but well made and with good quality components including motors from eZee and Heinzmann.

Another brand available in the UK is Batec which are manufactured in Spain with eZee power systems http://www.cyclonemobility.com/batec

 

[Del 80]

Thank you to all for the replies, obviously there is some interest in actually doing a conversion like this..........I now have a date for the removal of second blood clot, so everything is on hold at the moment.........I shall pursue this at a later date...........Del.

 

[EddieH]

Good luck, hope everything goes OK.