By Greg Traynor
Let’s review the Action TrackChair all-terrain wheelchair. First let’s take a look at it straight from the factory, and its specifications.
Figure 1 “Photo” The Action TrackChair with grass pattern camo.
Specifications:
Height: 38 inches
Width: Model SM: 33″, Model ST: 37″, 39″, 41″, and 43″
Length: 42″ / 48″ w/ rear idlers
Weight: 350 lbs. approximately
Seat height: 24 inches
Tilt angle of chair: 20 degrees each way – ST Model Only
Track size: 6.5″ x 90″
Batteries: Two 12 volt Wheelchair Batteries
Controls: Wheelchair Controls
Motors: 24 volt DC 24:1 ratio high thrust motor
Speed: 4-6 MPH
Turning radius: Zero
Width between armrests: Model SM: 14″, Model ST: 18″, 20″, 22″, and 24″
Ground clearance: 3.5 inches
Battery charger: 8 Amp
Range: Variable up to 10 Miles
Foot rest: Adjustable Standard or Flip up
Accessory holders: Two on each side and two on back of chair
Lap belt: Standard
Warranty: 1 year
For a paraplegic or an individual with upper body movement, this chair is perfect right from the factory in my opinion.
It is extremely well designed and capable of going over, through or around most types of terrain the average individual would like to traverse. Unless you were purposely trying to get this wheelchair stuck, I believe you would be very pleased with its abilities.
The chair has five speeds which range from extremely slow (in order to climb over logs etc.) to moderately slow (#5) in order to cross fields or flat terrain. None of the speeds are fast, but that is not what this wheelchair is designed for.
The Action TrackChair comes with an onboard battery charger which is extremely quiet when charging the two dry cell batteries overnight. Some wheelchair battery chargers are very noisy, thankfully this one is quiet. The batteries were fully charged and ready to roll after 12 hours.
This chair operates flawlessly in the outdoors. It is surprisingly quiet while moving over leaves, grass, mud etc. It would be impossible to try and stalk game, due to breaking sticks etc. but it is quite getting to the ground blind.
I live in southwestern Pennsylvania, we have a variety of hunting land. I can honestly say I can now go almost anywhere I choose to hunt thanks to the Action TrackChair. It crosses small streams, goes through mud, high weeds, gravel or loose stones without spinning a track.
Now let’s look at my Action TrackChair, after we made a few customizations. In order to get it ready for bow season. Being a high-level quadriplegic I thought it was necessary to make a few changes that would enable me to hunt for long hours.
The first thing we did was install a four-point harness because I have no trunk control. These straps will easily slip over my shoulders and connect at the chest, securing me into the chair. Then we replaced the standard cone joystick with a “T” handle joystick controller.
The third thing we did was remove the standard seat cushion and install the base plate for my Be Adaptive hunting rig.
Figure 2 “Photo” The Action TrackChair (front view with seat cushion removed). The third thing we did was remove the standard seat cushion and install the base plate for my Be Adaptive hunting rig.
Figure 3 “Photo” The Action TrackChair (front view with seat cushion). Next we put on a much better pressure relief seating system. The Roho Quatro seat cushion, this is the seat cushion that I use every day on my standard permobil C-500 Wheelchair. This will be much better than sitting on the standard foam seat originally installed while hunting for many hours in a ground blind.
Figure 4 “Photo” The Action TrackChair (front view with adapted hunting rig). And finally we installed the adapted hunting rig from Be Adaptive, now the only thing missing is getting this fantastic wheelchair into my hunting spot. I am so ready for Bullwinkle. (See picture at end of review)
When I became paralyzed from the chest down in 1999, I thought I would never be able to go bow hunting again. I gave away all of my hunting equipment and gave up the idea of enjoying the outdoors that I love so much.
It took me many years to get strong enough to want to experience hunting again. Then the challenge became getting the right equipment to enable me to hunt as independently as possible.
Groups such as Dreams Become Reality. WILD Jaeger.com and companies like Be Adaptive.com provide the resources and volunteers necessary to help individuals with disabilities get back to the outdoors.
Having the right equipment gets me into the ground blind where I have the opportunity to harvest a mature whitetail buck or old Tom turkey. Good luck to all of you disabled hunters, don’t let what you can’t do influence what you can.
Figure 5 “Photo” Greg Traynor in his Action TrackChair with his first whitetail deer of the 2011 season.
