A loose armrest, a flat tire or a footrest that won't lock doesn't mean you need a new wheelchair. Most of the time you need one part. The trick is ordering the right one, because Drive Medical makes many wheelchairs and transport chairs that look alike but take different parts, and even the same chair comes in different seat widths, arm styles and legrests. The fastest way to get it right is to start with your model number.

Where to find the model number on your wheelchair

Drive Medical puts a white or silver label on every wheelchair and transport chair. Fold the chair partway or tip it back gently, and check these spots:

• On the cross brace under the seat. The X-shaped brace that lets the chair fold is the most common spot. Look on both bars.
• On the back of the frame. Check the rear frame tubes and the backrest posts, just below the push handles.
• Under the seat upholstery. On some chairs the label sits on the seat rail, hidden by the edge of the seat sling.

Use your phone's flashlight. Labels on older chairs can be faded or scuffed, so a photo you can zoom in on helps.

How to read the label

The label lists a few numbers. The one you want is on the line marked REF or Model. The label also shows a serial number (often marked SN). Write it down too. Drive sometimes changes parts partway through a model's life, and the serial number tells us which version you have.

Common mistake: many customers send us "HX5 9JP" as their model number. That's the postcode of Drive Medical's UK office, printed on the label, not your model.

What your model number tells you

Drive wheelchair model numbers are built from three pieces, and each one matters when you order parts.

• The letters at the start are the chair. For example, SSP1 is the Silver Sport 1, SSP2 is the Silver Sport 2, K3 is the Cruiser III, CX4 is the Cruiser X4, BLS is the Blue Streak and STD is the Sentra heavy duty line.
• The number after it is the seat width in inches. SSP118 is an 18" Silver Sport 1, K316 is a 16" Cruiser III and STD20 is a 20" Sentra. Seat and back upholstery are sized to this number.
• The letters at the end are the arms and legrests. DDA means detachable desk-length arms, ADDA means adjustable-height detachable desk arms, FA means full-length arms and FBD means flip-back desk arms. After the dash, SF means swing-away footrests and ELR means elevating leg rests.

So SSP218DDA-SF is a Silver Sport 2 with an 18" seat, detachable desk arms and swing-away footrests. If you're ordering an armrest, footrest or seat, those details decide which part fits.

No label? How to tell your chair apart

If the label is gone, these details narrow it down:

• Rear wheel size. Large rear wheels (usually 22" to 24") with hand rims mean a standard wheelchair you can push yourself. Small rear wheels (about 8" to 12") mean a transport chair that someone else pushes.
• Seat width. Measure the seat from side to side, between the armrests. Common sizes are 16", 18", 20" and 22". Wider seats (20" and up) are usually the Sentra heavy duty chairs.
• Armrests. Do they come off, flip back, or stay fixed? Are they full length or shorter desk length so you can roll up to a table? Do they adjust up and down?
• Legrests. Footrests that only swing away are "SF." Legrests that lift and have a calf pad are "ELR."
• Frame color and weight. A silver steel frame is typical of the Silver Sport and Sentra. A lighter, painted aluminum frame often points to the Cruiser X4, Blue Streak or a lightweight transport chair.
• Does the back recline? A tall back that reclines with a headrest is likely the Deluxe Sentra Full Reclining chair.

Still not sure? Send us a photo of the whole chair, one of the armrest and one of the footrest through chat, and we'll identify it for you.

Find your part

Once you have your model, open its parts listing. Each one has Drive's parts list, and most include the official parts diagram. Find your part's number on the diagram, then click Choose part.

Wheelchairs

• Silver Sport 1 wheelchair parts
• Silver Sport 2 wheelchair parts
• Cruiser III wheelchair parts
• Cruiser X4 wheelchair parts
• Blue Streak wheelchair parts
• Rebel wheelchair parts
• Viper Jr. wheelchair parts
• Sentra extra heavy duty (bariatric) wheelchair parts
• Sentra EC heavy duty (bariatric) wheelchair parts
• Deluxe Sentra full reclining wheelchair parts

Transport chairs

• Steel transport chair (TR37 / TR39) parts
• Fly-Lite aluminum transport chair parts
• Super Light folding transport chair parts
• Travelite transport chair parts

Don't see your model? Browse all Drive Medical replacement parts or use the search at the top of that page. Have a rollator too? See how to find your rollator model number.

The parts people order most

• Armrests and arm pads. Cracked or torn arm pads are the most common wear item. Match the arm style (desk or full length, fixed or detachable) from your model number.
• Footrests and legrests. Bent hangers, broken footplates and worn calf pads. Order the side you need, left or right, and check whether you have swing-away footrests or elevating leg rests.
• Front casters and rear wheels. Wobbling casters or worn tires make a chair hard to push. Replace casters in pairs so the chair rolls straight.
• Wheel locks. If the chair rolls when the brakes are on, the wheel lock may be worn or out of adjustment.
• Seat and back upholstery. A sagging or torn seat sling is uncomfortable and unsafe. Order it to match your seat width.

We can help

CSA Medical Supply is an authorized Drive Medical dealer. If Drive makes the part, we can usually get it, even when it isn't listed yet. Unused parts can be returned within 30 days. Chat with us or call 855-272-6335 with your model and serial number, and we'll find the right part.