TiLite TR chair aaarghhhhhh

[NW-Will]

Just need somewhere to scream !


The bolt that the caster forks bolt to, to attach the caster forks to the chair has bent!

Looks like it's held in place by an allen(hex) bolt to the chair frame.

Turns out you have to send your chair back to the factory to have those bolts changed.. otherwise you break the warranty of the chair!!!

That is my aaargh.

Anyone ever change those bolts themselves?

How long is a warranty on a tilite frame anyway?

So when I throw my DME into the mix I'm guessing I'll be without my chair for 2 weeks. brilliant bloody brilliant .. damn city broken concrete sidewalks.

[nonoise]

Do you have a single sided fork? And are you talking the bolt holding the wheel on or the caster swivel bolt? Either way you do have a problem and it irks me your DME can't resolve it at their shop.

[NW-Will]

regular two sided fork.

the bolt that the caster swivels around. it's attached to the frame of the chair.

Suddenly making the quickie design look really good .

[Jim]

Is this a TR3?

How the heck did it bend?

[Oddity]

Is that what they call their "bullet caster housing", or something like that? Must be something touchy about installing those fork stems. Since it's a hardened steel stem threading into a titanium frame I bet it's easy to strip. Strip that thing out and the frame is ruined. Understandable why they'd want to do it themselves. It's a clean look but I'm not a fan of the design. While you're at it, why not upgrade to their titanium stems? Fork stems are notoriously heavy little parts. Ti may be less prone to bending also. Better "memory" when flexing, doesn't micro-crack, etc. So I've heard. I'm not a metallurgist.

[chasmengr]

Yes, upgrade to titanium stems if you send it in.

[NW-Will]

It's a TR2 they couldn't get the dump my PT required with a TR3 !!
That curved piece at the back on a TR3 didn't allow the axle to be in the right place.

It got bent when the caster got caught in some broken concrete that is supposed to be a city sidewalk.

So just spoke to the DME, by the time they've got the insurance coding, they think the paper work will take 30-45 days.. I forgot to ask if that's business days !!!
I called tilite, and they said if you do it yourself it voids the warranty.

Someone out there must have done this themselves, I wouldn't have thought twice about undoing the hex bolt and pulling it out myself, if the DME wasn't fixing something else on the chair and he said they could fix that too!

of course they didn't really know!

And what are you supposed to while they have your chair... luckily I have a spare ... but if this was my only chair?

So what happens if your chair is europe? you have to send it back to Washington ?

And the warranty, how longs it last ? and what does it really cover.

According to the DME they charge to do all this. and then shipping ? what a joke.

good side.. unbent stem bolt


Bent stem bolt



and the allen(hex) bolt that I presume holds it in place.

[spinner]

I just look up the part numbers on Tilite's web site and order the parts from Sportaid and do it myself. I had problems with a caster bolt so I changed out the entire caster mount assembly I have an old Zra and they had changed the entire assembly and I couldn't get the old parts. It was a lot easer to do it myself than deal with the DME and insurance. It was probably just as cheep, after the DME adds their markup and insurance dicks around for six weeks my copay would probably have been almost as much as I paid out of pocket.
A. LIFETIME
TiLite warrants the wheelchair frame (including the cross-braces, if any) against defects in materials and workmanship for life, so
long as the original purchaser uses the wheelchair. The expected life of the frame is five years.
B. ONE YEAR
Subject to the Limitations and Exclusions below, TiLite warrants all TiLite–made wheelchair components, including the Tension
Adjustable by Straps Backrest Upholstery, against defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase,
provided normal use. A replacement product or part that has been installed in accordance with TiLite’s instructions assumes the
remaining warranty of the original product or 90 days from the date of repair or replacement, whichever is longer.

[Oddity]

Yeah, I'd change that bad boy myself too, but I'm a rebel without a clue, so there's that.

[elarson]

Ditto for me. Especially living in Europe as you mentioned, it would not be worth it to ship the chair and wait.

Yeah, I'd change that bad boy myself too, but I'm a rebel without a clue, so there's that.

[Andy]

. The expected life of the frame is five years.
.

Just caught this...I guess they have a sense of humor with the 'lifetime' part.

Anyway, looks like they put a hefty piece of titanium that the castor shaft resides in for the shaft to bend like that, and the titanium tubing not fracturing. Impressive. I sort of get the feeling some red Loctite or similar might be found in that caster shaft barrel. Might be a good idea to have a propane torch handy to heat that up if it gets combative during the extraction process.

Regarding warranty (5 years), when I broke my 1st TR, it took a month or two to break it. If yours made it past this timeframe, it'll probably be good for much longer.

[nonoise]

...clip...Regarding warranty (5 years), when I broke my 1st TR, it took a month or two to break it. If yours made it past this timeframe, it'll probably be good for much longer.

What broke on yours Andy? It might influence NW Will.

[nonoise]

So just spoke to the DME, by the time they've got the insurance coding, they think the paper work will take 30-45 days.. I forgot to ask if that's business days !!!
I called tilite, and they said if you do it yourself it voids the warranty....clip...

Will you or the insurance be responsible for shipping costs? I ask because I have no clue who pays, but the total out of pocket expense to me would weigh in my decision to risk the loss of warranty.

[NW-Will]

I just look up the part numbers on Tilite's web site and order the parts from Sportaid and do it myself.

Sounds good.. but the tilite parts page does not list a number for that part.. the part is there in the pictures, but no number.
I called tilite to get the part, and they said it had to be sent in !!!

[NW-Will]

Will you or the insurance be responsible for shipping costs? I ask because I have no clue who pays, but the total out of pocket expense to me would weigh in my decision to risk the loss of warranty.

Insurance.

At this point it's the time that is annoying.
and rolling on a bent caster bolt, is really annoying, surprisingly annoying. I love how nobody in the industry cares, I get more sympathy getting the car fixed.