FAQ

With a two-position lift chair, when the chair is reclining and the footrest is going up, the angle between the backrest and the seat does not change. With a three-position lift chair, when the chair is reclining and the footrest is going up, the backrest reclines back farther, opening the angle between the backrest and the seat. The chair can recline more fully into a “sleeper” or “napper” position.

A “split chaise pad” means there is a gap between the front edge of the seat and the footrest. The gap is covered with a piece of fabric called an apron. A “full chaise pad” means there is one continuous piece of seat foam covered in fabric from the very back of the seat all the way through to the front end of the footrest, providing more support and comfort for the legs when the footrest is raised.

Only Golden’s patented MaxiComfort chairs move into the Trendelenburg position. It is very easy to get to. First, use the ZG button to move to the Zero-Gravity position. Once the chair has moved to that position, then use the backrest button to move the backrest down towards the floor. When the backrest stops moving, the chair is in the Trendelenburg position.

Golden’s unique AutoDrive hand controls for our MaxiComfort Zero-Gravity lift chairs feature factory programmed buttons for the TV Watching position and the Zero-Gravity position. With the TV Watching position, the footrest raises up and the backrest reclines very slightly, so that your back, neck and head are properly aligned to watch TV comfortably. With the Zero-Gravity position, the chair moves your body into the Zero-Gravity position to help relieve stress throughout your entire body.

For daily use of your scooters, your batteries should be fully charged. We recommend that you plug the battery into the charger at the end of a day’s use and allow 6 to 8 hours to fully charge. More information can be found in your scooter’s Owner’s Manual.

When the LED light on the control panel flashes, that means there is some type of a malfunction with your scooter. It could be as simple as the scooter being in Freewheel Mode, where it can be pushed instead of driven, or it could be something more complex. The lights flash in a sequence and the flashes should be counted. Then you can refer to your Owner’s Manual, or under-carpet Troubleshooting Guide if your scooter is equipped with one, to determine the cause of the malfunction.

Unfortunately, scooters are not designed for this type of use. Scooters are designed to transport one individual and their personal items, not to exceed the weight capacity of the scooter. It is not recommended to pull a cart or some other type of cargo.

Adjusting the headrest is done the same way as most automotive headrests. At the bottom of the left post that supports the headrest, push in the clamp while pulling up on the headrest or lowering it. Once you have the desired position, release the clamp and the headrest will lock into place.

Center-wheel drive chairs, like Golden’s Compass series, offer users the most intuitive driving but placing the drive wheels directly underneath the user. Center-wheel drive allows the user to turn the power chair in its own space, meaning that whatever the footrest clears, the rear caster wheels will clear when turning in a complete circle. Center-wheel drive chairs are preferable in tight indoor spaces. Rear-wheel drive chairs have a larger turning radius meaning you need more space to turn the chair in a complete circle or navigate in tight indoor spaces.

Daily Users:Charge daily. This applies to anyone who actually uses his or her equipment outside of the home.

Occasional Users:Always be sure to charge before an outing and always after active use. The ideal recharge point is about 50% on a scooter or wheelchair gauge.

To properly charge your mobility battery, follow these simple procedures:
- Use the manufacturer’s automatic charger for all routine charging.
- Never use an automotive or wet-type charger on gel/sealed batteries. (They’ll quickly ruin your battery).
- Never run your battery completely flat.
- Don’t “top off” the battery with frequent charging.

Store batteries fully charged. Check them once a month and recharge as needed. Sealed batteries can hold their charge from 6 to 12 months. Remember, if storing your chair for longer than a couple of weeks, it’s best to charge the batteries and then disconnect them.

MK Gel batteries can be stored in sub-freezing temperatures as low as -25°F without freezing as long as they are fully charged prior to storage. The self-discharge rate of fully-charged batteries is so low in these conditions that they will not require charging for many months; however, if your gel batteries are frozen … they will not always recover.

To attempt recovery the following is the best plan of action:

1. Bring them inside and let them sit at room temperature for two days. (They must reach 60°F).
2. Charge the batteries normally. (Follow standard safety procedures).
3. Run a capacity check either through a quality discharge tester or by operating your power wheelchair in a controlled environment.
4. If you don’t get enough run time then repeat steps 2 and 3.

The Digital Voltmeter is still the most valuable tool in the Mobility Technician’s arsenal for sealed batteries. The starting point for checking batteries is always the charge voltage. In 24-volt systems we know the chances for two bad batteries are less than 1 in 10,000. So what we need to determine is WHICH battery is bad or if either battery is bad. This is accomplished by checking the voltage of each battery separately.

As illustrated in photo 1, voltage for a pair of batteries can read in excess of 24-volts which can incorrectly be assumed to be a good set. However, as shown in photo 2 one battery has a voltage of 12.89 volts while the battery in photo 3 is reading 11.97 volts. Combined, the voltage of this set of batteries looks good, but clearly the battery in photo 3 is bad.

Two batteries in a 24-volt system charge and discharge together almost as one 24-volt battery. A wide voltage separation between two batteries indicates that you may need to replace both batteries. If both batteries read similar voltage, they should be fully charged before doing any further testing.

If both batteries are below 12.0 volts, the question becomes, “WHY?” Is the battery charger working correctly? Could there be a problem with the wiring or other components of the wheelchair?

You can determine the next step in the troubleshooting process once you know the voltage of each battery.

Have you ever had a customer state that their batteries will not take a charge even though the charger was plugged in overnight? When you checked their batteries, you found that they both read 9 volts? This is usually due to a light or a brake being left on for an extended period of time, which drains the batteries.

The reason why the charger is not working is that most wheelchair battery chargers need to read at least 21-22 volts in order to begin charging. This is how the polarity protection system of many chargers works. If the user were to hook up the positive and negative backwards, nothing would happen to the charger or the batteries because the batteries never read any voltage so it never started.

The drawback to this polarity protection design is when a user over-discharges their batteries below the 21-22 volt cutoff. Although the charger is connected, it does not receive the signal to begin the charging process so the batteries never get charged.

The best way to solve this problem is to remove the batteries from the wheelchair and charge each battery separately with a 12-volt battery charger. When each battery is fully charged, they can then be reinstalled in the chair and returned to service. Note: It may take the batteries up to 15 cycles to return to their former capacity if they have been severely discharged.

Generally Recommended Slope Angles:

• 5-degree: This is Americans With Disabilities Act compliant – click here for more information about Roll-A-Ramp and ADA.
• 7-degree: Manual wheelchair users who are independent or who have an attendant with limited strength.
• 10-degree: Manual wheelchairs with a reasonably strong attendant.
• 12-degree: Power wheelchairs or scooters and manual chairs with a strong attendant.
• 15-degree: Restricted space, unoccupied loading/unloading.

Determining Ramp Length:

Measure total rise (how many inches from lower level to upper level) and divide by the slope.

• 5-degree: Rise distance divided by 1
• 7-degree: Rise distance divided by 1.5
• 10-degree: Rise distance divided by 2
• 12-degree: Rise distance divided by 2.4
• 15-degree: Rise distance divided by 3

Example: For a desired slope of 7 degrees with a rise of 12″ (1 foot), 12/1.5 = 8 foot ramp

All insurance companies are different and all have statements written into their policies of whether they will or will not cover wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment. We recommend that you call your insurance company or get a copy of your policy to see exactly what it says about coverage for things like wheelchairs.

We have kept ease of entry and exit in mind when designing this chair. The footrests can either swing around and away or be removed completely. The curved waterfall front of the seat not only prevents leg pinching, but also provides a level area where you can sit before fully entering or exiting the chair. The correct seated posture encouraged in a STRONGBACK wheelchair places the user in a position of strength where it is much easier to stand up – in normal wheelchairs the poor seated posture forces the user into a slouched position making it more difficult to stand and unfold the body into an erect position.

You will first want to fold down the back and then pull up on the center front and back of the seat fabric.

We have three seat sizes available in most models. The smaller seat measures 16"/40 cm across, while the regular measures 18"/45 cm across, and the large measures 20”/51 cm across. Obviously a larger person will need the larger seat. The smaller seat width, however, makes a smaller overall chair, which maneuvers more easily in narrow places such as a restaurant or around furniture in your apartment at home, so you may want to choose the smallest size that still works comfortably for you.