Mobility Management spoke with Jeff Wallace, ATP, National Sales & Business Development Manager – West, about Freedom Designs’ new Freedom CGX.
Q: Describe the Freedom CGX’s main features & benefits.
A: Freedom Designs Inc. recently introduced the Freedom CGX — a new center-of-gravity, tilt-in-space wheelchair and the first chair of its kind built from the ground up to be cable free!
Cables, with their inherent limitations of stretching and wear, are a constant source of service for adjustment and replacement. The Freedom CGX’s cable-free design results in fewer moving parts and less maintenance, and provides worry-free mobility. The foot-activated tilt lever, located on the rear base of the frame, is positively linked to the tilt release and positioning device, providing the caregiver a smooth and nearly effortless tilt motion. The foot lever also has a user-operated safety lock-out device to eliminate unintentional tilting.
The entire tilt mechanism is comprised of three curved tubes located under the center of the chair and not on the sides — adding to the aesthetics of the chair and protecting the system from debris, fluids, etc. Two outer anodized-aluminum curved tubes are sandwiched between 1 1/8″ OD x 1/2″ ID stainless steel wheel bearings, providing stable and smooth travel as the Freedom CGX tilts from -10° to +50°. The third tube, constructed of solid anodized aluminum located in the center, has multiple beefy grooves that positively lock into a spring-loaded dual tooth, 1/4″ stainless steel hold and release shaft. Each groove equals approximately 3° of tilt.
The Freedom CGX offers a flared front end for greater stability, allowing for 90° front riggings without caster interference while providing ample room for footplates, wide shoe holders and footboxes. The spring-loaded pop-up hangers are an extra benefit that allow any one-piece footrest or footbox to be easily removed as a single unit.
The bracket that attaches the rear canes to the seat rail was also designed to make adjustment of the back angle easy; it eliminates the need for curved spacers. Moving the canes for growth has never been faster or easier!
Other features include an open design with 1″ seat rails to easily accommodate all types of hardware and seating; adjustable back angle (80°, 90°, 100°, 110°, 120°); up to 4″ of width x 4″ depth growth-adjustment built in with an optional 2″ rail plug for additional depth on the Medium and Wide frames; transport readiness and WC19 crash-tested; standard depth-adjustable axle plates to reduce caster loading or increase stability; optional vent tray.
Q: What target customer will benefit most from the Freedom CGX’s features and functionalities?
A: Clients who have received benefit from this rigid tilt-in-space are those that generally require mild to maximum seating and positioning, rarely are self-propellers and either will grow or experience fluctuations in weight. A mobility base that tilts has long been proven to be instrumental in providing pressure relief to bony prominences, assists with respiratory and digestion, uses gravity to assist with positioning, places line of sight at optimum angle for interaction and provides a comfortable angle for rest.
The CGX is available in three growable width and depth ranges for 18″-and-under sizes and has a 200-lb. maximum client weight capacity. The width/depth ranges are Short (10×10″ to 14×14″), Medium (12×12″ to 16×16″) and Wide (14×14″ to 18×18″).
A very recent addition is the growable Extra Wide 18×18″ to 22×22″, 300-lb. weight capacity CGX-XW. The CGX-XW includes two inconspicuous tilt assist/control cylinders, making it easy for even the smallest caregiver to tilt the largest person. These cylinders are similar to those that assist opening the rear hatch of a van.
Q: What sets the Freedom CGX apart from its peers?
A: Freedom Designs is known for innovations in both seating and wheelchair frame designs. In the CGX, Freedom has used an innovative approach to build, from the ground up, the first tilt-in-space frame designed completely around a foot-activated tilt lever.
All design considerations were centered on making the cable-less CGX simple to operate, extremely durable with a solid feel, and engineering out costly, annoying repairs while creating an attractive and non-clinical appearance.