That makes a total of six wheels. The driver sits above the power wheels, forward in the chair. This design permits the chair to turn in a radius as short as 19.5 inches. It may now be possible to turn around in your minivan or make that turn into the bedroom at the end of the hall. Seats with reclining backs, power seats that elevate or tilt and seats with adjustable arms are also available.
Some chairs come with a variety of drive controls to accommodate different disabilities.
However, this design has a few drawbacks. Because the driver's weight is forward over the drive wheels, the rear can fish tail when driven at high speeds. The chair can also rock back and forth on the drive wheels if the driver stops suddenly. Wheelchair users can minimize this problem with practice. Custom electronic programming also helps alleviate these problems.