Wheelchairs

Claim 1

A motorized wheelchair which includes a pair of said members between which the seat portion and the backrest of the chair are disposed; a pair of electric motors carried one by each side member, each electric motor having a housing from which an output shaft projects, each output shaft being supported at one of its ends within the housing and the other end of the output shaft carrying a driving wheel of the chair, said other end of each output shaft being unsupported and affording the sole support for said driving wheel, said driving wheels being located at the front of the chair; a pair of castor wheels provided at the rear of the chair, the castor wheels being releasably fastened to the respective side members; each side member having a support plate secured thereto, the housing for the associated electric motor being releasably secured to one side of the support plate with the output shaft projecting from said housing and the driving wheel carried by the output shaft being disposed on the other side of the plate, the housing for each electric motor including an elongate bearing sleeve receiving and supporting said one end of the output shaft and a plurality of socket members projecting from the housing, each support plate being formed with a plurality of apertures aligned one with each of said socket members of the associated housing, each aperture receiving a threaded fastener engaging with the socket member aligned with said aperture, the free ends of the socket members lying in a common plane and abutting said one side of the support plate, and each driving wheel including a cylindrical bushing receiving the associated output shaft and having a keyed connection therewith whereby each driving wheel is rotatably fast with its associated output shaft.