15 MPH is enough for me, 5 minute mile is what I am after. Ive know people to gear up old belt drive chairs to go at lease that fast.
I need to mount both sides of the wheels? Doesnt this make it hard to change a tire? I think I can make a swing bar like a vertical fork to support it. I hope to add some type of suspension. I plan on mounting both levers together to operate them with one hand. Main concern is with forward motion and braking. I can always use my hands on the wheels to roll it back or use it in tight areas where the motors may be too powerful to operate. I am thinking of going with 18 inch wheels and mounting hand rims to them so it is still useful if the drive system fails. Thanks alot, most companies when they refuse to tell more info untill I tell them the project or craft, when I say wheelchair, they disconitue the conversation. jeff http://www.wheelchairmodifications.org Ok easy questions first. If a vehicle has a top speed of less than 20 mph, it's not considered a motor vehicle (at least not at the US Federal level). Whether you need a license or not will depend on your state/city. These wheels are NOT designed to be supported from only one side (like a wheel chair) so you will need mounting brackets on both sides of each wheel. Since these are brushleszs DC motors you should be able to reverse direction by swapping two of the three power leads. The question then becomes, how do they sense motor RPMs and is this reverseable? Your best bet would be to ask the company selling them. Also ask about whether or not they will freewheel, my guess is that they will, but it's best to check and make sure. These motors are rated to produce approx 600 watts continuously, combined that gives your 1200 watts. At 15 mph you should be able to pull a loaded bike trailer and still not overheat. FWIW 1200 watts is roughly equivelent to the continuous power that 10-12 average american adult males can produce, or 4 to 5 males in excellent physical condition or 2-3 elite atheletes (Tour de France level cyclists). Joystick steering is possible but complicated with these type of controllers, especially if they aren't designed to reverse. Perhaps you could use "Tank Steering" with two levers?
