Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair

Trotter Heavy Duty Special Needs Pushchair

If your child is too large for the more lightweight and compact Maclaren Major Elite or Excel Elise pushchairs, and you need it to be more robust, more resistant to the stress of an uncooperative child and their de-stabilising behaviour, then the Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair is a good choice.

If your child is a cooperative occupant then the Ergo Lightweight Pushchair may be a more practical option for you and more comfortable for them; lightweight, compact and with an ergonomic seat.

IMPORTANT CHOICES

If you 'play safe' and chose a more heavy duty pushchair than you really need it will last longer, but it will be more cumbersome to use on each trip especially if you are yourself a small person. A heavy duty pushchair is heavy, it has a steel frame which is very strong, very rigid but almost double the weight of a Maclaren Major Elite or the Ergo Lightweight Pushchair. You will feel the weight when you lift it into a car. You may feel the weight on a sloping surface - e.g. the camber of a road or pavement driveway, as something with swivel wheels will always tend to go downhill taking more effort from you to steer in a straight line.

If you chose a lightweight pushchair designed for a cooperative occupant it may be more user friendly and practical, but may not last as long if the child is uncooperative with challenging behaviour.

As you can see there are lots of 'ifs'. We are keen to help you choose the product which is right for you, the best solution to your problem, and that will require you to really think through the essential things you need to achieve.

OVERVIEW

In order to best describe the Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair we hope it will be helpful to compare it to a pushchair which is more widely known, as a 'benchmark', and for this purpose we will use the Maclaren Major Elite.

The Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair is available in four seat width sizes 12", 14", 16" & 18". All sizes have a built in five point harness unlike most wheelchairs which only have a Lap Belt.

It is very rare for anyone to buy the 12" as a child who could fit into this would be a suitable size for the more lightweight and compact Maclaren Major Elite. The exception to this might be a child who needs a Crash Tested pushchair which can be used to transport them in a vehicle. The 14" is the most popular size as it suits a child who has either outgrown the Major Elite (legs too long) or whose behaviour is too challenging for a lightweight pushchair (they could overturn it or break it).

The Trotter 14" seat to footplate length can be adjusted to give an extra 20cm (8") of lower leg (back of knee to base of heel), compared to the Major Elite, which is huge - enough for someone over 6' tall. Similary the seat is 10cm (4") deeper compared to the Major Elite so the child is less 'perched' in the pushchair.

The Trotter 16" seat takes the maximum weight capacity from 45kg (7 stone) to 77kg (12 stone). The Trotter 18" seat takes the maximum weight capacity 113kg (18 stone).

Note that the larger models have a larger footprint on the floor which adds to their stability in use but also size when folded for transportation.

The Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair has adjustable footrests, the footrest mount is fixed at a level with quick release pins, the footrests can be fitted at the bottom of the mount or the top and the bracket on the frame which the mount locates into can be inverted 180 degrees - so there is huge range of adjustment. Note that quick release pins can be useful if a pushchair is routinely used by different children and so needs regular and quick adjustment. When used by one child adjustment is infrequent and some users prefer to replace the quick release pins with bolts...before helpful little fingers remove them.

The Trotter can be folded with the footrests turned out, it isn't necessary to remove them before folding.

The seat depth is adjustable, under the fabric at the side the seat is a button which allows the front of the seat to be extended or withdrawn by up to 5cm (2").

The Trotter seat is a fixed angle it cannot be reclined. The angle of the seat can be altered by moving the position where the seat back joins the seat base but this requires some technical ability to do, and reduces the depth of the seat. Similary the angle of the base of the seat can be changed but be ware that any changes to angles will change the size of the pushchair when folded. The seat fabric is a very durable wipe clean material.

For a child requiring postural support you can use a seat insert with the Ergo Lightweight Pushchair, for example a Stabilo or BodyMap Vacuum Support Cushion System.

A quality five point harness shoulder straps are height adjustable to seven levels and the crotch strap has 4 positions. It has a substantial buckle BUT the bright red release button is very obvious you may need to supplement the harness if you have an escapologist. Reversible harness covers (velour/fake fur) make the waist, shoulder and crotch straps more comfortable, they are removable and washable.

The wheels have sealed ball race bearings which make them very free rolling. 10" rear wheels and 8" swivel front wheels have hard wearing but flexible foam type tyres providing some shock absorption but are puncture proof.

The Trotter pushchair has dual lever operated brakes on the rear wheels, these are not accessible by the child. Kerb assist steps on bopth left and right help you lift the front wheels up a kerb.

The Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair has relatively small wheels, 20cm front and 25cm rear, which are best suited to smooth surfaces, it is not suitable for use off road and with a larger child may struggle even on a cobbled street so it is essentially an urban pushchair. The relatively small 'footprint' of the Trotter makes it much more suitable than the other pushchairs for use around town, inside shops or other places indoors, e.g. School.

The Trotter is Crash Tested it can be used as a seat in a vehicle adpated for this purpose BUT you will need to add a some optional accessories: Bus Transit Ties (the loops the vehicles strsps fit through), a Headrest Extension (to protect from possible whiplash injury) and maybe also Ankle Supports (rarely required).

Robustly made the Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair has a Lifetime Warranty on the pushchair Frame & Cross braces (see conditions), with One Year Warranty on other items (e.g. wheels/fabrics/brakes, excludes wear & tear to tyres and grips.

We can supply a range of accessories for the Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair e.g.; Rucksack Storage Bag, Headrest Extension, Lambskin Comfort Liner, Wheely Mac, Sun Canopy, for a full list see Accessories./BR>
Whilst the Trotter Heavy Duty Pushchair may be used for someone with special needs the seat may be unsuitable if they have a physical disability which requires postural support management. If in doubt please seek the advice of your physiotherapist.

KEY FEATURES

Frame

steel frame, robust but heavy min 15kg

folds easily - see the Specifications pages for folded sizes Specifications

four models seat widths 12", 14", 16" & 18"

low maintenance

Lifetime Frame Warranty (fabrics & wheels 12 months)

Crash Tested
can be used as a seat in a vehicle, you will need to add some accessories

Bus Transit Ties

Headrest Extension

and possibly:

Trotter Foot & Ankle Positioner

Wheels

8" swivel front wheels with foam filled tyres , good manoeuvrability in small places, not lockable, good shock absorption, puncture proof, poor on rough ground