Two-piece side frame assembly for small wheelchairs

Abstract

A sideframe for a wheelchair has a top frame and a separate bottom frame. An axle plate extends between and is attached to both the top and bottom frames. A caster plate is attached to the sideframe. The top frame and the bottom frame are removably attached to one another. In particular embodiments of the invention, the top and bottom frames each comprise a plurality of bolt apertures. The axle plate and the axle extension plate may each comprise a plurality of bolt apertures. The sideframe may support a rear-mounted major wheel, with the axle plate being to the rear of the sideframe and the caster plate being in the front of the sideframe. Alternatively, the sideframe may support a front-mounted major wheel, with the axle plate being to the front of the sideframe and the caster plate being to the rear. To mount the top frame to the bottom frame, the top frame may have a downwardly extending portion with a concave end piece extending therefrom. The concave end piece is adapted to engage with the bottom frame, which may be a tubular member. Two sideframes may be interconnected to form a wheelchair frames. Left and right sideframes are removably connected to one another by at least one connecting member extending in between and connected to the first and second sideframes, respectively. The structure of the presently-preferred embodiment of the sideframe permits the construction of very short sideframes for use in wheelchairs for small children.