Hi everyone,
We have now fitted the Excel Aries strap system!
Andy (at Koller), was very helpful and arranged for them to be sent within a week for us.
It works very well with a small-wheeled Breezy transport wheelchair.
All we needed to do was the following (some pictures included):
The factory fitted rail-stopper (inside the rail behind the bench seat) was moved all the way to the back of the rail and retightened, which was a bit fiddly because it managed to fall over inside the rail and we spent a while fiddling around with screwdrivers to get it stood back up again. I would suggest moving the one in front of the bench seat first, so you know how it works
The bench seat headrests need to be put in the lowered position, then push the bench all the way to the back, underneath the over head locker.
Lift the plastic cover at the front of each rail (using a screwdriver or the ignition key, like California Chris does in this video:
Rail system - California Chris)
Slide the short aluminium cover plates out of the rails (as in the same video).
Remove the rail-stopper in front of the bench seat (in the rail nearest the kitchen) to allow the locking system to be slid into the track.
Follow the instructions for fitting the 4x clamping bolts of the system into the rails, which is very easy.
We used 2m extending ramps up to the side door (the person has to duck their head on entry - don't forget to warn them) and also be careful not to kick the kitchen cabinets...
A bit of a '15-point-turn' to rotate the chair to face forwards (or if they are light, you might be able to slide the rear wheels sideways) then use the straps to secure the chair.
There is still space to fit 2 people on the bench seat behind the transport wheelchair we use, but with the larger self-propelling wheels, I don't think there would be...
I am looking at how to put some removable (dense foam) padding on the o/h locker, to protect the heads of the rear bench seat passengers (in case of mild-whiplash scenario) and also going to get an aftermarket clamp-on headrest for the wheelchair for the same purpose.
Using the supplied aluminium tool, it is easy to loosen and then remove the connecting bolts from the floor again.
Altogether, very pleased with how it works and the ease and speed of fitting and removing it.
So grateful for all of the wonderful ideas on this forum!
JP
(Tamsin's hubby)
