Posts Tagged ‘Minitrac’

Annual Review 2018 Part 3

Tuesday, January 8th, 2019

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Annual Review 2018 – Part 2 Mallorca

Monday, December 31st, 2018

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Sunday, January 1st, 2017

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It’s all a question of hardware…!!!

Today I was on tour with my Minitrac (see older blogposts) for the first time in the snow.

With its tractor tyres it is a perfect technical aid.

Translator BL

Wheelchair Tuning Part XXXIII

Saturday, March 9th, 2013

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Strictly speaking, a wheelchair is nothing else than a shoe!!!

It is not owned by yourself, but by your medical supply store.

Refurbishment and reconstruction are only allowed to be done by the medical supply store for insurance reasons ;-) ;-) ;-)

Except for cleaning you are not allowed to do anything officially…!!!

However I also recommend regular greasing and oiling (see older blogpost).

With a newly prescribed wheelchair you are usually allowed to select the colour, but this is the utmost individuality you can get.

Of course a wheelchair has to fit primarily from a medical point of view, but where is it written that it should not look stylish as well.

The look of the wheelchair reflects the soul of its owner
 ommm


I really have to work on my meditation
 eh, medication, well, this is a little bit right however
!!!

The easiest way to change the appearance of your wheelchair is to fix spoke protector discs with motif on the running wheels.

The original reason for spoke protector discs is that such a “buckled finger” like me doesn’t clamp his fingers in the spokes.

Children get these quite expensive discs with logos from football clubs or motifs from Princess Lilifee and other kids characters paid by the health insurance, and the kids are very proud how great their wheelchair is looking.

As old guy you have to pay the discs yourself or drive around with the original health insurance shopper look.

Depending on the company, you have a choice of dozens of motifs “ready-made”, but you can get almost every picture printed on the discs as well.
Believe me, I have seen quite weird things.

You can let your creativity “run wild“.

I have now got my own discs produced, in fact according to my own design with personal reference:

With such an eye-catcher the wheelchair is not so much seen as medical device anymore and can even ease some situations. Especially kids react unbiased to the motif and don’t have any fear of contact.

I have got the discs produced at an innovative family company (contact on request at rollinator@eigude.de).

If you are on 25.-27. April 2013 visiting the REHAB in Karlsruhe, keep the eyes open if you discover my motif at one of the booths ;-)

A physiotherapist noticed once with expert’s eye that the lion is an above-knee amputee…
I was just in this moment in the swimming pool, forgot to move the arms and was almost drowning.

Translator BL

Wheelchair Excursion Mallorca Part V

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

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In Palma Nova there is a very long promenade which is dragging on over three beaches.
Good floor plates, the wheelchair is rolling and rolling and rolling…

On two of these three beaches there is a special roofed

beach area for handicapped like me and …ehhh… babies…

There is a

beach wheelchair

on each in which you get transferred from your own wheelchair by two nice helpers from the Spanish Red Cross and pulled across the beach into the water.

I knew these special wheelchairs already from Tenerife see older blogpost, but with a water temperature of 15°C I deferred a test series of these models for an indefinite time.

If you are only allowed to use this beach area as wheelchair user when you have got a baby with you???

Translator BL

Wheelchair Excursion Mallorca Part IV

Monday, July 2nd, 2012

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The hotel complex Ponent Mar in Palma Nova is definitely recommendable. It has 3 accessible one room apartments and plenty of ramps with the known

Spanish 6° gradient.

(see older post)

Rampe

The hotel is up on a hill on a steep coast from which you have a great view to the beaches of Palma Nova.
A wheelchair tractive like my Minitrac to climb the hotel hill is beneficial.

Alternatively it should be considered to take along a well-trained human wheelchair pusher before booking. The hotel is approached by taxis as well which are available within short time.

Mallorca

Mallorca

Someone has really put good thoughts in the furnishing of the accessible rooms:

On grade shower with separable shower screens, adapted kitchenette, extra wide sliding door with extra ramp to the balcony, clothing hooks in hobbit height and even lowerable clothes rail in the closet.

Mallorca

After we have noticed on the first evening in the hotel restaurant that the tables were not high enough for my wheelchair I was routed on the next day by the good-humoured waiters with several holas:”

Without further ado they had placed a slightly higher table strategically well and reserved it for us for the duration of our stay.

You can quickly start a conversation with the other hotels guests in the languages Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch and English. German is rather uncommon.

I have been to Mallorca for the first time, but not one of my stereotypes was fulfilled:

The Sangria was only available in glass carafes and even without colourful straws.

Unfortunately I had to do without the battle with the English for the sunbeds at the pool, there were more than enough sunbeds available. Furthermore the other guests were deeply relaxed


Not even the English rocked the corridor each night until 3:00 h.

Malloca

As single wheelchair user I was unasked “totally included” in the hotel, even though most of the hotel staff and guests probably never heard the word inclusion before 8-)

To be continued


Translator BL

Wheelchair Excursion Mallorca Part III

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012

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I recommend to each wheeler to ring around 30 minutes before landing for the flight attendant, provided that you can reach the buzzer
 and point out that you need assistance at destination to leave the plane.

To be on the safe side I ask additionally that my wheelchair and Minitrac, like officially tagged “Delivery at aircraft” (see older blogpost), should please stay at the plane and not be treated as piece of luggage.

If the wheelchair is lying on the belt for bulky luggage and you are still sitting in the plane the whole thing gets a little annoying.

I also ask for the reason that the pilot can leave some time because he has to wait until I have left the plane.

This can easily take 30 minutes until a kind assistant is coming who might even ask you if you are the “wheelchair“ and able to walk
 everything already experienced!!!

During this waiting period you can kill the time by joking with the crew, bumming some nuts and watching the cleaners at work.
Don’t forget to send a crew member down the gangway to look for the wheelchair so that nobody throws it to the baggage cart.

Well, fine
!!!

We were on Mallorca!!!

As usual it took a little longer to leave the plane. I was pleased to hear from a flight attendant that my wheelchair was still standing in front of the plane. Ufff


I could receive my Minitrac, as “NOT desired” at the baggage claim in the terminal.

A lady from the Spanish handicap service at the airport

sin barreras

with which I already made very good experiences in Tenerife and Lanzarote accompanied me to the baggage belt.

She reminded me a little of the stereotype about the grumpy Spanish waiters
!

The luggage was found quickly, it is anyway always the last on the belt. After the 50th round the sun lotion turns into butter ;-)
The lady wanted to back off already, but there was still something missing, where was my Minitrac!!!

There was no real consent where the Minitrac could be.

After around 20 minutes “Gate 2“ opened and I had won, my Trac was found. Yippie


Quickly got out of the terminal, the taxi service to the hotel was already waiting, and in record time I was in the hotel in Palma Nova in my room!!!

To be continued

Translator BL

Wheelchair Excursion Mallorca Part II

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

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I was standing in the more or less private bus with my Minitrac in front of the plane on an outside position at Frankfurt Airport.

As often before, I was waiting for the

lifting bus

to beam me up to the plane.

Meanwhile my Minitrac was loaded to the plane.

In the meantime also the other passengers had arrived with busses and were waiting on the other side of the plane which I didn’t know.

The lifting bus didn’t have its best day and acted a little stubbornly. It absolutely didn’t want to lift upwards. After at least 10 minutes I finally arrived at the door of the plane.

Then everything went fast. Two strong paramedics lifted me on the small plane wheelchair which is nothing else than a sack truck in chair format and pushed me almost through the whole plane to my seat.

Then they lifted/threw me as usual across two other seats on to the window seat.
I learnt on the return flight from a flight attendant that as of late due to the anti-discrimination-law you don’t have to necessarily accept a window seat even as wheelchair user.

What a nonsense
 the seat neighbour on the window seat in the plane would certainly be happy if I had the middle seat and he would have to proof his sportiness in high and long jump when going to the toilet!!!

In each aircraft there are specially labelled handicap seats with pictogram on the wall. My intelligence wasn’t sufficient yet to understand why the seats are so far at the rear end of the plane.

This time I didn‘t have one of these labelled VIP seats, what a shame!

(photo from return flight.)

After I was finally “stowed away” properly in the plane the other passengers were allowed to board as well.
It was my fault again, we had about 15 minutes delay.

Short before take-off there was as usual an announcement from the cockpit, roughly like this:

Dear passengers,

We are pleased to welcome you on board of the flight from Frankfurt to Palma de Mallorca.

I would like to apologize that you had to wait in the busses.

We have a wheelchair user on board for whom the boarding took a little bit longer!!!

Ehhh…… I have been in a plane quite often, but a, let’s call it personal welcome from the captain was new to me.

I was a little sorry for the two pedestrians who were sitting two rows ahead of me on the two VIP seats with handicap pictogram on the wall, they probably got some nice looks ;-)

I was briefly considering to ask a flight attendant if they had smoked something up front in the cockpit, but I didn’t, I was in a good mood and had a good day.

I plead guilty as aircraft take-off delayer.

Translator BL

Inconceivable
!!!

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

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Post a comment!!!

I don’t have a description for “this” any more!!!

Translator BL

Training and Test Week Tenerife Part II

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

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Readers who are following my blog know that I was travelling to Tenerife in February for the sole reason to test extensively the modifications and offroad suitability of my Minitric with its new

Tractor Tyre Traction Technology

(see older blogpost)

Exactly one year ago I had purchased the Minitrac over there so that it was running in its home stomping ground again for 12 days.
The Minitrac never showed any difficulties with the hilly landscape of the volcano island yet.

Solid ground, also with stones to a reasonable extent, is manageable quite well for the Minitrac with its special tyres so that hiking trails in the alps should not be too big challenges either.


(Fake!)

With its two new batteries of each 12 V /52 AH you don’t have to worry about distances of easily 25 km.

Rides on the soft sand beach are not possible, the Trac is too heavy, the wheels would spin.
If you urgently need a full-body exfoliation I recommend to drive with the Trac into the sand of a nudist beach and apply full throttle, the flinging sand will do the rest ;-)

The special feature from Swisstrac and Minitrac is that you can move up and down curbs which is still possible with tractor tyres.

Because of the new tyres, the rather friendly-appearing Trac suddenly has got a rather grim appearance which has the additional positive effect that each pedestrian looks a bit puzzled and immediately takes a safety distance in order not to be overrun by my rolling offroad power box.

A cross design on the instep of the foot doesn’t seem to be currently in fashion.

Of course the Minitrac was tested in civilization as well. Due to the rather big turning circle shopping in supermarkets and department stores is a bit inconvenient. The rear exit of the supermarket uncommonly has an 8 meter long tiled ramp with 20° gradient which of course I had to test. Also this ramp could be managed without human push from behind the wheelchair.

A great camouflage, in this row of children’s fun rides I don’t really stand out :-)

In a special area of the beach promenade almost all of the floor tiles were broken so that I was glad that I had also equipped my wheelchair with mountainbike tyres for the test week.

The Minitrac has passed the tests with flying colours, and additional planned modifications can be realized. Firstly the headlights which were damaged on the return flight will be replaced.

I will still report about the battle Minitrac vs. Powergolfer in Tenerife!!!

Translator BL

Training and Test week Tenerife

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

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After spending the last few days almost exclusively with my hobby as office communication specialist (make phone calls, pay invoices, scan, hole, file or shred documents, ok, everything is occupational therapy as well) I’m ready to continue now:

The hotel Mar y Sol in the south of Tenerife is one the most known wheelchair hotels.

Why it necessarily had to be built on top of a hill can only be explained so that according to someone’s opinion the wheelchair pusher should exercise a little bit as well.

Many “fresh wheelers” spend their first holiday there, because with the medical supply store “Lero” next door offering 24 hrs nursing services as well and renting out virtually all needed equipment it is possible to book the carefree package. At the same time you will never hear the word “patient” from the nurses, one is referred to as guest, and this is how one is treated. The nursing costs can be settled with the German nursing insurance, depending on the care level. The “pain providers“ from the physiotherapy facility „Terralava“ torture with additional charge on German prescription as well. Plenty of electric wheelchairs and scooters are present, as one would like to go down to the handicapped beach as well (see older blogpost).

The hotel has 2 pools, one of them heated to 32° C.
A “lifeguard” helps with the transfer to the chair of a pool lifter and winds one down as if he would water a ship’s boat. With a little bit of luck he also helps to come out of the pool again ;-)

Almost all guests are repeaters, some overwinter there for 3 months, so that the stay is always a bit like a class reunion, you know each other


It is a bit crazy if the wheelers stand in each other’s way at the buffet. You always find a way very relaxed and without stress. There is no fight at the buffet, on the contrary you help each other according to your handicap.

There is also animation and some program in the evenings, but I am missing the classic “club dance”.
The tradition of 1-sheet-bingo and 10-question-quiz for a bottle of sparkling wine is held high here.

This time I was there for the 4th time.

On the day of arrival I heard something about a gym
, did I miss something???

When I was there last year there was already knocking and hammering in the side building. They have built a sports hall (and not a small one!), without asking me, what a cheek!!!

I suspected the worst:

Would I have to be involved in sporting activities, although I actually travelled there for a Minitrac-tractor tyres-test week?

To be continued


Click on tag “Tenerife” to view older blogposts!

Translator BL

Back from Tenerife!

Friday, February 24th, 2012

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Unfortunately the Minitrac has not survived the flight undamaged again!

Apart from that I have collected enough material for new stories, more to come shortly.

Wheelchair Tuning Part XXVIII Minitrac

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

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I have reported about my wheelchair tractive type Minitrac

already several times (click below under “Tags” on Minitrac to read older blog posts).

After re-importing the roundabout 15 year old Minitrac from Tenerife back to its home country one year ago, replacing all wearing parts and a set of new batteries the Trac was completely ready for use again.

This was proven in June 2011 at more than + 30° Celsius in Crete.

Technically ok again means for me that the Trac can be modified now.
I am still a bit indecisive about the final appearance.

But I had to realize the tip of S. Jakober, the chief engineer of Swisstrac ((similar tractive).

You might call me insane, why you need in Frankfurt/Main

Tractor wheels for Minitrac

Even here sometimes snow is falling, sandstorms are more unusual.

Yippee
, finally it is here, my test snow!!!

At the moment it is snowing since 2 hours at minus 9° Celcius, well, better than Kelvin


When we have reached a snow depth of min. 10 cm, I will voluntarily leave my cosy warm flat even at – 30° Celsius and drive around outside with the Minitrac, so that I can write a truthful test report, if I will survive it.

OK
, I have to admit that I only need the tractor wheels because our pub quarter in Alt Sachsenhausen has cobble stones. ;-)

Translator BL

 

I have reported about my wheelchair tractive type Minitrac

already several times (click below under “Tags” on Minitrac to read older blog posts).

After re-importing the roundabout 15 year old Minitrac from Tenerife back to its home country one year ago, replacing all wearing parts and a set of new batteries the Trac was completely ready for use again.

This was proven in June 2011 at more than + 30° Celsius in Crete.

Technically ok again means for me that the Trac can be modified now.
I am still a bit indecisive about the final appearance.

But I had to realize the tip of S. Jakober, the chief engineer of Swisstrac ((similar tractive).

You might call me insane, why you need in Frankfurt/Main

Tractor wheels for Minitrac

Even here sometimes snow is falling, sandstorms are more unusual.

Yippee
, finally it is here, my test snow!!!

At the moment it is snowing since 2 hours at minus 9° Celcius, well, better than Kelvin


When we have reached a snow depth of min. 10 cm, I will voluntarily leave my cosy warm flat even at – 30° Celsius and drive around outside with the Minitrac, so that I can write a truthful test report, if I will survive it.

OK
, I have to admit that I only need the tractor wheels because our pub quarter in Alt Sachsenhausen has cobble stones. ;-)
Translator BL

Technical Aids Test Week Lanzarote part one

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

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This time, the compatibility of my wheelchair-tractive “Minitrac”

with my leg orthosis should have been primarily in focus of this technical aids test week.

Well, this masterplan could not be realized hundred percent.

Following the freightage chaos with my Minitrac from Crete back to Frankfurt (see older post) in June I started a new attempt.

This time everything should have been organised better, I wanted to estimate all eventualities, the destination were the Canary Islands, Lanzarote to be precise.

The only plane that flies from Frankfurt to Lanzarote on Sundays already leaves the ground at five o’clock in the morning

And if it is Christmas day, to say December, 25th 2011, this case gets an extra kick.

My medical devices, the wheelchair and the Minitrac (a weight of roundabout 70 Kg) were registered at TUIfly by my travel agency. These medical devices are transported by airlines for free when you register them previously, but the Minitrac was not mentioned on the confirmation of TUIfly.

After an inquiry at the TUIfly Hotline they confirmed the registration, but only the IT-System knows why only half of the medical devices registration arrived at my travel agency in black and white (or: in writing).

Because I live nearby the airport (the sound of the new runway is an insistent proof of this outstanding infrastructure) I considered a pick-up time by the transport service at 02:45 o’clock reasonable. Therefore the giving time of christmas gifts on Decembre 24th had to be a little bit shorter…

Already a couple of months before I fixed this pick-up time with the wheelchair transport service. I repeat: Decembre, 25th 2011 at 02:45 o’clock in the morning. That’s a point


Three days before departure I wanted to have a confirmation for this appointment again – I enjoy making phone calls often to chase things up.

Nobody could remember the date to pick me up at home for transport to the airport.

The wheelchair taxi that we have in our luxury city Frankfurt is at night on duty by direct call only, which makes sense when you have a flat tyre or are „flat“ in another sense while you are “on tour” in the middle of the night. Unfortunately making a reservation is not possible.

With assistance I can get on and off a normal taxi.

Heavy hearted I decided to postpone my planned Minitrac-leg orthosis-compatibility-test, because I won’t expect any taxi driver to heave my Minitrac in and out of the car boot, sniiif…

I almost wanted to discharge my technical aids test travelling, but then I hoped to get some cognitions about the accessibility on Lanzarote.

I explained to the employee at the taxi office my handicaps in an explicit way, and that I couldn’t manage the height of the seat of an Opel Zafira. With an extra ordered „Stuttgartian estate car“ (Mercedes Benz (translator’s note)) the fifteen-minute-expedition to the airport, leaving my Minitrac at home, should start.

Wonder of wonders, after having a sleep for minimum one and a half hours, the taxi arrived very punctual at 02:40 o’clock. I went down the stairs with my stair lift (sometimes I will introduce that thing too) and was struck dumb at the sight of that stuttgartian car…!!!

My estate car with the star turned out to be a bus named „Vitara“. Seat height – no comment


Now I know that at taxis busses and estate cars are the same and that you have to specify your wish when you order one. Strange thing…

With push, tear, press and shoveI I managed to get in and out of the bus still alive at the airport.

At the desk of TUIfly it was, like in the whole airport, still quiet at 03:15 o’clock in the morning. Checking the IT my medical devices weren’t registered at all.

Why am I calling hotlines at all??? However, my wheelchair was then declared without further ado.

At the security check my wheelchair was tested for explosives by adhesive strips. My question what will happen when I come back on January 1st and there were residues of gun powder from new year fireworks on my wheelchair, was answered succinctly, that I have to explain that to the German Federal Police then. And I wanted to get back from Lanzarote sometimes even before I got there.

The lifting bus took us to the plane and I was transferred to the airplane-wheelchair.

For me it is a bit of cheek when the aircraft is already fully occupied and you as a wheelchair user, placed on an airplane-wheelchair, are as the last passenger torn by two airport-employees through the corridor of the plane and thrown on the window seat .

As a crowning conclusion that plane had a special painting. I don’t have anything against the Peanuts or the “Maus” (German TV-comic mouse (translator’s note)), but why did it have to be this football club from Hannover?!? For me as a citizen of Frankfurt an absolutely no-go!

I would never have entered a plane with a label of Bayern Munich!

To be continued!!!

Translator Teo

Addendum to the fairy tale from June 29th

Monday, July 11th, 2011

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Where are the 70.000 workers at Frankfurt Airport???

I would keep you up to date about my correspondence with Fraport (operating company of Frankfurt Airport) (see older blog post).

I received a reply to my e-mail quickly that the background needs to be investigated first which is quite reasonable, but which could last for a while due to holiday season.

I had to smile a little, again nobody was there…, which actually was my challenge* after the landing in June.
Enough whinging!!!

Yesterday a very nice lady from Fraport called me.
I was very surprised how exactly she had investigated this incident.
She expressed extraordinary understanding for my situation at that time and explained to me plausibly that there have been conversations with the responsible staff, and such a thing should not happen again.

I repeatedly experience that one is able to move something if you take the effort and draw attention to a nuisance, or other little fouls.
With the internet you can find the correct contact person/ e-mail address within seconds, and an e-mail with photo is quickly written.

* There are no problems, there are just challenges and a big challenge is a project.

Translator BL