Wheelchair Camber: Pros and Cons

In this video I discuss what wheelchair camber is and the benefits and drawbacks to negative camber. Depending on your needs camber can be beneficial for providing extra stability, however, it will add additional width to the base of the chair which could cause problems with navigating tight spaces.

[@FatCriple]

jusr wanted to add a couple points. camber gives you further reach on your push rim without your arm touching your wheel, allowing for a bigger push. when not on hard surfaces like sand camber makes you dig in and bog down making it harder to push.

[@ReyOfLight]

I had 4 degrees on my first chair because I wanted it to turn easily, but on my second and now my third chair I’ve opted for 0 degrees as I just wanted my chair to be as compact as possible instead, and turn wise I don’t notice all that much of a difference to be honest as I can turn my 0 degree chair on a dime just like I did with my 4 degree chair. For me personally, 0 degrees is better as it enables me to get through smaller spaces and easily adjust myself by “hopping” around in my chair to get into a small elevator and still have space in there for a friend in a chair so that we can go together and not have to go one by one, and my 0 degree camber also helps in the car as I just lock my brakes and toss the chair sideways into the back of the Volvo V70 (I can walk a little bit) and it just lays there, with camber it would maybe not stay in place as well and I could possibly be forced to fold the back down and have my chair standing up instead during transport, and that would mean extra steps of messing with side guards and all that stuff that is nice to not have to do when having a station wagon type of car. Drove a Volvo 940 for the first 3 years of using a chair and had to take the whole chair apart every time, it’s so nice to not have to take anything off or apart any longer. At the most I may remove my cushion as the Velcro on my cushion doesn’t match the Velcro on my Panthera U3 chair (fit perfectly in the U2 and S2 chairs from same brand though) so the cushion falls off often during transport and then falls to the ground when opening the back of the car to take chair out lol I really need to do something about the Velcro situation because it’s maddening!

[@evercuriousmichelle]

Your videos are so high quality--chock full of really useful info. :)

[@morgancalvi6675]

I agree, but lately he is non-eistant 😪.

[@SitDownPerspective]

Good information, I like the 2% camber too. Still get through most doorways and have some stability! Thanks Brian, hope your having a great Thanksgiving! Randy

[@jennkatlee]

Your videos are so helpful--thank you for sharing!

[@Vosara]

Great Video!! I made the same video in german... two months ago and today i found yours😄👍 Best wishes and keep on rollin

[@andysteen7376]

Camber also allows for greater power transfer I.e. straight line from arm through wheel.

[@toddd7444]

thanks for the info

[@eileen1820]

Hi - I happened upon your vids bc I was researching to learn about the different aspects of living with spinal cord injury. I have two colleagues and a friend who use wheelchairs; two bc of injury and another because of neurological disease. I wanted to understand more about their respective needs without being too intrusive. Mainly like if I have someone over what I could do to make it easy, you know? So anyway, it's Christmas Eve, so Merry Christmas from San Francisco! HNY 2016 too!

[@Wavewolfaroha]

Quick answer! Very gracious of you to want to invite friends over and make accommodations for chair. Each person has unique requirements, so these questions can be asked to each one. 1--If there are any steps to your door from where they will park, this will be a hindrance that is not fixable. Perhaps there is an alternative entrance that will not involve steps? 2--Getting over your threshold may require assistance, especially if the doorway is a tight fit. Backing through is often easier if you are assisting. Offer to help to avoid hand injury--will be appreciated by most people. 3--Measure your doorways so you can let them know that their chairs will fit, especially to bathroom! 4--Ask what kind of support they might need to use bathroom: this varies greatly among wheelchair users, and you may need to provide a detailed description of counter location, access to toilet, etc.. 5--If it is rainy or snowy outside, place towels inside door to get stuff off wheels with initial roll-in. I am very upset if my wheels track junk onto carpet of my host (so I bring towels to lay down). 6--Ask what clearance they need under table. Depending on size of wheelchair wheels and "dump" (angle of seat), this may not be an issue. If they cannot roll under table, ask if they can transfer to your chair, so they can bring an accommodating cushion if needed. Or, place small blocks of wood under table legs to raise it for needed clearance. Not being included socially is one of the most disturbing things for me now that I am in a chair. I applaud you for asking for ideas!

[@skn31]

I hope my English is good enough ... : While playing wheelchair-basketball the camber also protects the fingers from getting pinched between your "wheel" and the "wheel" of the opponents during a fight head-to-head ! (it´s not the "wheel", but I don´t know the English term for "Greifring" - maybe it´s "hand-rim") Greetings and all the best from Germany - and Thank You so much for all your fantastic videos, Brian !

[@ParalyzedLiving]

+Sonja K. Hi Sonja. Yes , you are correct and your english is very good!

[@VulcanOnWheels]

+Sonja K. I believe what you're talking about is called a hoop.

[@skn31]

+Bert Visscher Oh, I thought "hand-rim" was the part of the wheelchair, where we sometimes pinch our fingers during a wheelchair-basketball-match !? I mean those "rings" outside of each wheelchair-wheel, were we push forward to roll or get more speed ! (I found "hand-rim" on a website of a wheelchair-manufacturer as term, when I changed the language from German into English :-) ! Is it wrong ? )

[@skn31]

Maybe I should look for a (children´s) book which shows all parts of a wheelchair in English - because I only know "the breaks" for sure :-) !

[@supermanhills]

You're right, they're the pushrims or hadnrims. Also, they're called brakes not breaks :P Impressive english though!

[@SalveMonesvol]

2 degrees seems ideal. However, if you have a lot of torque and rear wheel drive, it could lead to oversteer if you accelerate out of a corner.

[@hyedenny]

You're joking, right?

[@oveesvlog]

This Video was really very helpful and i was looking for exactly one like this :) I would like to change my camber to 0 degree! Currently using Quickie Xneno one..Is it possible? i am from London anyways. Do you have any idea where shall I get this kind of service?

[@spacemansabs]

is it harder to push with negative camber? if so at what angle do you start to notice the extra resistance?

[@AdamPepiton]

👍🏼

[@liquid79]

What about turning radius? Does a 0 degree camber allow for quicker and easier turns then a 2 or 4 degree?

[@morgancalvi6675]

Bryan, I have a manual Colours Spazz-G and am in Canada. Colours is a horrible company to work with and here in Nova Scotia Canada, they will not work with a Colours wheelchair. I am going from a 2˚ camber to a 0˚ camber and Living Spinal is sending new camber plates (right now, I am having a toe in on one side and a toe out on the other side)...can you explain or do a video on how you change camber plates please?

[@JoeRolls]

Hey, Bryan! Great video. I know you've already done two of these, but any chance of you doing another wheelchair to car transfer video? Any difference with your new chair compared to your old chair?

[@ParalyzedLiving]

+JoeOnWheels Hi Joe! The new chair is very similar in size to the other so the transfer is basically the same. The lighter weight has definitely been helpful though. I also notice the balance point is slightly different when holding the frame from the lower bar. This is mainly because my carbon fiber backrest is much lighter than the metal one on my older chair.

[@paullaw6988]

@@ParalyzedLiving Hi Brian, great video!!! I know you’ve done two of these, but any chance of doing another wheelchair to car transfer video? Any difference with your new chair compared to your old chair? Kind regards, from, PaulLaw.

[@danacraft3724]

Great video! Can you please clearly list the names of the two wheelchairs in the video. Again, really great video!

[@ParalyzedLiving]

Thanks! It’s a TiLite ZRa. I also use a TiLite ZR which is just the non-adjustable version of the same chair.

[@maynardglam]

Good advantage with 2-4 degrees is you go faster

[@burningmanmike]

hi bryan/brian- what do you think about a wheelchair with two tubes mounted at the same time? i'm asking because i'm thinking 4 degree camber for outdoor use, and zero camber for indoor use! mount the tubes one in front of the other. say you hope out of a car, and snap on the wheels on the 4 degree cambered tube, then when you get inside, you swap to the other zero camber tube for indoor use, and narrow door & hallways! does this already exist? already available at retail? mike

[@ParalyzedLiving]

+BurningMan Mike Having one camber tube mounted in front of the other would change the center of gravity or "tipping point" of the chair which I think would cause a bigger problem than how much camber the wheels have. There may be some way to make a "quick release" axle for these scenarios but I don't believe they exist. You could look into it though. Good question!

[@paullaw6988]

@@ParalyzedLiving Hi Brian, thank you for your fantastic video. Kind regards, from, PaulLaw.

[@TheRivrPrncess]

I have a new wheelchair and they took off the camber and gave me smaller castor wheels. I previously had 6 in. castor wheels. When outside on uneven surfaces I don't feel i'm going to tip sideways but do feel I am going to tip forward. Is this due to the lack or camber or because of the smaller castor wheels?

[@morgancalvi6675]

I would say both.

[@VulcanOnWheels]

I realize this is not really related to this video, but if you don't mind me asking...how are you able to make ends meet?

[@ParalyzedLiving]

+Bert Visscher I have a full time job. I work as a manager at a law firm.

[@skankytrick]

Bert Visscher You're a moron. How are YOU able to make end's meat?

[@paullaw6988]

@@ParalyzedLiving Hi Brian, it’s good that you have a job working as a lawyer. Kind regards, from, PaulLaw.

[@toddd7444]

I need some help. I have a colors spaz model wheelchair need to buy a new Seat Cushion? i have a zoid i hate it thanks wheelchair larry

[@ParalyzedLiving]

I prefer RIDE cushions. The Java has been my favorite for stability and pressure relief. I’ve tried many.