Designed with safety and comfort in mind.

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Compact four wheel & drive makes this truly indoor & outdoor

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Case Studies

Raymond Abbotson 82

I contracted poliomyelitis at the age of 28 and have since struggled with severe weakness in one leg and one arm.  This summer, with my 82nd birthday looming and mobility considerably more challenging, my research into suitable conveyances led to a home demonstration of the Four X. 

With Chris’s patient and valuable guidance I purchased the DLSSS in August and glad I am.  I am now free again, very comfortably so, both physically and psychologically.

Chris insisted I use my weak right hand to control the joystick which, at first, proved difficult and somewhat frustrating, but his advice was sound and with perseverance I have mastered control.

I now go ‘walking’ (‘sometimes ‘running’) independently round places I’ve not seen for years, in comfort and safety on this wonderful machine.

Thank you very much

Raymond A. Abbotson

James Lewis – a case study

Our son James is 23 and has Muscular Dystrophy.  He has had his current electric chair since 2001 and as it is now nearing the end of its useful life, we had been looking around for a replacement.  The key feature of his current chair is the standing function, which is something that he would need with any new chair.  Whilst his current chair has been very good as an indoor chair, it has been somewhat limited outdoors, and in particular is unable to climb even the smallest kerb.  It is also completely defeated by difficult terrain such as rough ground, gravel, mud, sand etc., which restricts his lifestyle quite significantly – we recently tried to go to an event which was held in a field, but we had to abandon because his chair just couldn’t cope with the rough ground.

So when we saw the Four-X chair at Naidex this year, it seemed address all his needs.  A chair that he could use indoors, had a full standing function, but had the versatility of a quad bike outdoors – and with a price tag not too different from the direct replacement for his current chair (which had the same limitations).

We immediately arranged for a home demo and in due course, Chris arrived with a chair and gave James full training in how to use it – not a trivial job as the four wheel steering is quite different to any other type of steering arrangement, but probably more of an issue was showing him how to safely do things he had never been able to do before – like climbing kerbs and getting over really big obstacles – like a six inch high drain cover in the middle of a rough piece of grass (see video on http://www.youtube.com/mybility - James Lewis - wheelchair demo day). 

We then went for a cross country walk – down rough tracks, narrow paths overgrown with weeds, narrow gates and across fields – places that had been completely inaccessible to James before.

Chris then left the chair with us for a couple of days to put it through its paces.  The first thing we tried was to create an obstacle course in the garden.  Some traffic cones to test the manoeuvrability, and then some 4 inch building blocks and finally a big block of 7 by 4 inch wood – no problem at all. 

Then we went for another country walk.  Our village has a couple of hundred yards of asphalt path at the side of the road, and then it changes to grass verge.  Previously, this was as far as James could go, but now he could just carry on, and get to the local reservoir and sailing centre, that previously was only accessible by his minibus.  We tried lots of other things and the chair just took it in its stride with no problems.  Chris says this chair gives you freedom – and he is not wrong.

Having said all that, there are some challenges.   It is a little longer than his current chair and that can be a problem.  It only just fits in the lift that he uses to get access to the club he attends – with only about 5mm to spare.  This additional length plus the four wheel steering (as opposed to two drive wheels and two idler wheels) also makes it less manoeuvrable indoors – where he might previously have turned round on the spot, he now had to do three point turns.

But the need to adapt to these issues is a small trade off compared to the big additional benefits of this chair.  We are now actively planning to raise the necessary funds to buy one (the Four-X DL SSS).

David Lewis

Steve Hopwood

An off-road appraisal of his own buggy by Steve Hopwood and Wendy Talbot.

Written for Walk On the newsletter of The Norwich Artificial Limb User Group.

Loving the open air life and taking my two Labradors for their walks, I needed something to go 'off road' over rough grounds, and yet kind to my back. At the Mobility Roadshow I saw a machine with joy stick control which appeared to fit the bill. This was the Four X All terrain power chair.

So I dug deep and purchased it. Suddenly areas which had been previously 'no go' became accessible. The Four X, ads it is proudly said to be, is a buggy with four independently driven wheels. It can go down grassy slopes without skidding; and it can climb up slopes with ease. All this is possible by a clever sliding bed on which the frame of the seat base sits. To go down hill, simply stop the machine, and press the button to move the seat back. At the bottom of the hill, stop and readjust it to the normal running position. Not only does the seat move back or forwards but it tilts backwards too. This allows the rider with limited or no abdominal control to go down the slope still sitting in a non-frightening horizontal position.

To climb a slope, move the seat base towards the front of the machine and the majority of the weight is then over the front wheels ensuring more grip. Rough ground proves no problem due to the independent suspension.

In fact all 4 wheels can be at different heights at any one time. Deep snow, thick mud, long grass are all easily overcome by the Four X. The only restriction that I've found so far is that the batteries only last up to 20miles. Mind you even a young, fit and healthy person would find that quite tiring in one stretch.

Wendy has a go.

You know, I have never driven anything like the Four X in my life. It is nothing like my dragster but then you wouldn't expect it to be. But it was nothing like my car or even the electric wheel chairs I have driven. It is completely different in every way. I sat in and was amazed how very comfortable it was. It took Steve only a few minutes to explain the hand control to me and then I was off. It steers easily and positively. Stops on the proverbial six-pence, and I felt it would happily take me up the side of a house if I wanted it to. My problem was a simple one. I didn't want to give it back.