What to know about differences in scooter and powerchair wheel drives

Though the overarching goal of all scooters and powerchairs is the same — to expand your horizons and boost your independence by increasing your mobility — there are several tweaks within to help riders find the best fit for them, depending on circumstance, preference or style.

How exactly the chair propels is one of these. Scooters and powerchairs fall into three categories: front-wheel drive, mid-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive. Each serves a different purpose. Here are some differences therein and how to discern which is best for your own needs.

Front-wheel drive

Scooters and powerchairs with front-wheel drive operate with the front wheels pulling the whole wheelchair forward — similar in nature of how front-wheel drive automobiles work. This affords top-notch traction and the most complete control of the machine by the user, owing to the fact that the wheels doing the propulsion are also the wheels that will be first to encounter the ground you are covering when moving forward.

So, unpacking that — front-wheel drive models are best suited for riders prioritizing the smoothness of their ride and the responsiveness of the chair’s handling.

Rear-wheel drive

Scooters and powerchairs that boost from the back are best known for their feeling of stability. They are, after all, the first power wheelchairs, although granted a highly evolved version of the original, which propelled from the rear with motors and batteries.

Rear-wheel drive chairs are also among the most effective power chairs in the great outdoors because of the location of the load-bearing wheels. They push instead of pull, making it more likely they can propel through obstacles than their front- or mid-wheel drive cousins.

It’s worth mentioning here that these chairs typically have the widest turning radius, and thus are best suited for wide-open spaces and homes and buildings with plenty of room to maneuver.

Rear-wheel drive chairs are ideal for riders who are more concerned with being stable in their chair than its maneuverability.

Mid-wheel drive

Mid-wheel drive chairs are the most modernized of their kind. As one might deduce from their name, mid-wheel chairs have wheels near the middle of the chair, with the idea to keep the center of gravity as near the rider as possible.

This increases stability, traction and maneuverability, which in turn boosts mid-wheel drive chairs’ turning ability. This also shortens the learning curve for how to operate the chair, due to their ease of access and use.

Mid-wheel drive chairs work well for riders who value speed and maneuverability.

Learn more about our line of scooters and powerchairs here!

Though the overarching goal of all scooters and powerchairs is the same — to expand your horizons and boost your independence by increasing your mobility — there are several tweaks within to help riders find the best fit for them, depending on circumstance, preference or style.

How exactly the chair propels is one of these. Scooters and powerchairs fall into three categories: front-wheel drive, mid-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive. Each serves a different purpose. Here are some differences therein and how to discern which is best for your own needs.

Front-wheel drive

Scooters and powerchairs with front-wheel drive operate with the front wheels pulling the whole wheelchair forward — similar in nature of how front-wheel drive automobiles work. This affords top-notch traction and the most complete control of the machine by the user, owing to the fact that the wheels doing the propulsion are also the wheels that will be first to encounter the ground you are covering when moving forward.

So, unpacking that — front-wheel drive models are best suited for riders prioritizing the smoothness of their ride and the responsiveness of the chair’s handling.

The Jazzy Elite HD

Rear-wheel drive

Scooters and powerchairs that boost from the back are best known for their feeling of stability. They are, after all, the first power wheelchairs, although granted a highly evolved version of the original, which propelled from the rear with motors and batteries.

Rear-wheel drive chairs are also among the most effective power chairs in the great outdoors because of the location of the load-bearing wheels. They push instead of pull, making it more likely they can propel through obstacles than their front- or mid-wheel drive cousins.

It’s worth mentioning here that these chairs typically have the widest turning radius, and thus are best suited for wide-open spaces and homes and buildings with plenty of room to maneuver.

Rear-wheel drive chairs are ideal for riders who are more concerned with being stable in their chair than its maneuverability.

Mid-wheel drive

Mid-wheel drive chairs are the most modernized of their kind. As one might deduce from their name, mid-wheel chairs have wheels near the middle of the chair, with the idea to keep the center of gravity as near the rider as possible.

This increases stability, traction and maneuverability, which in turn boosts mid-wheel drive chairs’ turning ability. This also shortens the learning curve for how to operate the chair, due to their ease of access and use.

Mid-wheel drive chairs work well for riders who value speed and maneuverability.

Learn more about our line of scooters and powerchairs here!