Friday, April 30, 2010

Astounded by His Miracles

"Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the Lord" (Ps. 40:3 NLV). This is my prayer for those who encounter HWI. The Lord has astounded me by His daily miracles. Read some of the older posts and see His miracles. As a result, my faith is growing.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

HWI Global Trike Division






His Wheels International (HWI)

Global Hand-Pedaled Trike

A picture sparked HWI’s Global Hand-Pedaled Trike Division. “We need these throughout Africa,” an international leader stated in 2005. Throughout the world many people have been affected by polio, hit by landmines, and have other physical disabilitiesA month after hearing about the need for trikes, Alice met Kevin at a party. Alice showed him a picture of a trike HWI bought in Africa. She said, “I hope to take a welding class to learn how to weld and build trikes” Kevin said, “I’m a mechanical engineer. Can I design, build and pay for the trike prototype?”


The HWI Dual Offsett Tube Trike (DOTT)

Our goal for trike distribution and production is to provide transportation and create dignity for the recipient. It is also a tool for expanding Christ’s Kingdom. Building materials required includes bicycle parts, steel tubing welded together, and a choice of various wheel options. The trike is highly maneuverable, and has a very sharp turning radius. Ergonomically it is adjustable to fit the user. It is designed for inexpensive production. Contact HWI about the different trike options available.

“These trikes take someone from an animal existence and gives them humanity”

Steve Saint, Founder of I-TEC


How Your Organization Can Build The DOTT Hand-Pedaled Three-Wheeler

It is HWI’s goal to facilitate small trike business ventures benefiting the local population. In conjunction with the DOTT trike we can provide assembly fixtures, a complete manufacturing process, drawings, documentation, training, and technical support. Our fixtures hold each part of the frame in perfect alignment during welding. This allows continuous trike production making employment opportunities for the able and disabled possible.

Yellow painted parts are the Complete DOTT assembly fixture set. Silver parts are chassis frame tubes for welding.


Construction

HWI Dual Offset Tube Trike (DOTT) is most easily built from round or square steel tubing, welded together. It uses relatively common, rugged bicycle parts for the drive train; and equally rugged sealed ball bearings and flat-free wheelbarrow wheels to avoid the spoke breakage and flat tire issues common on rough roads and paths. HWI uses plywood for seat surfaces, but thin steel, woven surfaces, or other seat surface options can be employed. This design can be modified to use different types of wheels, and suit local needs.

Ergonomics

The DOTT design has adjustability in the seat back angle, seat depth, leg length, knee angle and ankle position to properly fit the user. Crank arm length and gearing have been selected to help prevent elbow & shoulder joint strain. The offset frame tube design makes transfer from a chair or wheelchair easier.

Performance

The DOTT is highly maneuverable; it can nearly pivot around the rear wheels. The “direct drive” front wheel allows the trike to be pedaled in reverse for added maneuverability in tight situations. No active brake is provided for this reason as the hand pedals are used as the brake. The substitution of a coaster brake equipped front wheel (a 16” rear bike wheel) is recommended for hilly areas to provide better braking on steep terrain.

A parking brake is available to prevent movement of the trike when the transferring from a chair or similar objects.

Cost

Costs will vary depending upon the availability of local parts, logistics and location. HWI estimates that the basic material costs will range from a low of $100 per trike or less; to a high of $270 per trike if most or all parts must be imported from the US, and all options are included. Cost estimates do not include shipping.

The Assembly Fixtures

Along with the development of the DOTT trike, assembly fixtures were also created. HWI has developed and tested a manufacturing process that can make it possible for local organizations to build these trikes.

These four fixtures allow each part of the frame to be held in perfect alignment during the welding process. They simplify the most difficult part - construction, making it possible for some to build such a trike in as little as 10-25 hours.

In the picture above, a complete DOTT assembly fixture set is shown. The round tubing seen on the large fixture is a trike chassis ready to be welded together.

These fixtures, along with a welder, tube bender, notcher, drill and various smaller tools are enough to equip a trike manufacturing shop for production. A reasonably experienced welder is recommended. All other production operations can be learned relatively quickly.

Drawings And Documentation

HWI can make many types of documents and drawings available to support trike production:

· Pictures

· Standard blueprints

· Exploded assembly views

· Individual part drawings

· Bill of material

· Parts sources

· Fitting manual

If desired, a highly detailed 3D AutoCad model of the trike is available.

Production Training

HWI is currently producing a trike assembly video. Future plans include a week long “Trike Building Experience” training course available to those who can come to the Chicago area.


Trike Crate Shipped








4/27/10 Today we sent out our first crate filled with one completed trike and 15 trike part kits to Ethiopia. We sent the crate to the state of Washington where they will be loaded onto a container and shipped to Soddo Christian Hospital (SCH) in Ethiopia. SCH has an orthopedic surgeon who does surgery on many patients in need of a trike. The hospital also has a workshop on the grounds and a local welder who will weld them together.

SCH is also one of the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) is one of the teaching sites in Africa where doctors in this surgical program come for training. Having the trikes at SCH will increase visibility throughout the world as African doctors in the PAACS program come and visiting professors from many nations give courses for PAACS students at SCH.

Here is a story from Dr. Duane, SCH’s orthopedic surgeon about the impact a trike had four years ago on Melessa, a young man with polio deformities. After operating on him a few times, “Melessa came to me with a request for a new set of crutches,” Dr. Duane asked him to help pay back some of the work by volunteering in the Operating Room (OR). He did, only he worked until 11 pm. So I thought I will hire this young man not knowing his language ability. Wow. What a blessing he has been to me personally. There is no one more loyal than him to me and the LORD. Praise the LORD for Mellessa.

“Melessa continues to be a blessing to us here in Soddo. He now speaks 6 languages-Kambata his native tongue, Amharic(the national language), Hadia, Alaba, Wolaitta(he has picked it up in one year and translates for me in this tongue as well and prays fluently in it as well) and he is very good in understanding English. He is heavily involved in

Bible study, sharing the gospel and doing anything and everything for me in my clinic. He takes off casts, arranges patients, translates into all these languages and holds the hands of frightened people in the OR when no one else knows their language. He makes rounds with me at 7am, goes to school at 8, returns at noon from school (fifth grade) works in our OR doing whatever and stays until my clinic is over anywhere from 5-7pm. Despite his disability he does everything that he can.

Thanks to a sponsor they bought Melessa a trike built in Ethiopia that cost $450 U.S. dollars. SCH has experienced the blessing of giving a trike with dignity and receiving a blessing by having Melessa give back for the trike. We are excited to see all that God has planned for the 16 HWI trikes headed over to SCH.


Bike Store Owner Miracle

4/26/10 “I wish I knew a former bike store owner looking to unload their inventory,” I thought since we signed the lease to our new headquarters. Back in 2006 we had a former bike store owner allow us to come and pick whatever inventory we could use. So, I was thinking of all the things needed to set up a shop and store bikes that we couldn’t use then, but could use now.

Today I received a call from Dan. He said, “I had a bike store several years ago. I have much of the inventory in my garage. I am wondering if you could use it.” It isn’t often that I’m found speechless, but this left me speechless. I said, “This call is a miracle. We just moved into our new headquarters and I’ve been wishing for a contact just like this. When I told him we were setting up our new headquarters and could use that type of equipment he began telling me some of his inventory. He told me he has set up several bike shops and most recently helped lay out a wheelchair manufacturing facility and would love to help us set up our shop. May 4th Dan is coming to help us set up our headquarters.

Dan heard about us on National Radio through Crown Ministries in 2006. He has been receiving our newsletter since then but I didn’t have any idea who he was or where he heard about us from.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Trike Crate Packing Continued

My birthday week continues. A God sized dream of sending trike kits around the world will be headed off to Washington State where it will be loaded onto a container headed for Soddo Christian Hospital in Ethiopia. Only God could orchestrate all the pieces of this adventure.

Mr. Trike at the beginning of a long day of figuring out how everything will fit in the crate

Pondering how to fit the pieces of the trike kits puzzle into this crate.

Feel free to take your camera and leave anytime Alice!

Trike Crate Packing Continued

A crate full of 15 trike kits, and one completed trike

Securing the waterproof liner

Looks like Kevin made i!.

Trike Crate Packing Continued





Trike Crate Packing Continued

The delicate work of fitting 15 trike kits and an assembled trike into a crate

The work of Kevin, our mechanical engineer-Mr. Trike himself

Filling the crate

How will this all go in?

The beginning of a long day. The result of years of prototyping and planning

Packing the First Trike Kit Crate for Ethiopia

Parts packed for Ethiopia

Lots of work goes into this process. Thanks Kevin for all the work

Wheels and an empty crate

Crate with a water proof liner

Empty crate awaiting packing

Birthday Celebration Continued



I sure had fun. As a Physical Educator and sports fan, I learned some new things about baseball sitting this close to the field and watching the game go on.


Thanks Sox for a winning game
It is only appropriate that my birthday celebration this year include fireworks. Indeed this week has been a fireworks kind of week.

Eat all you want guys.


Enjoying strawberry cobbler as my "birthday cake". What a fun group to hang out with at the game.






Birthday from a Champion

A one of a kind birthday week! My party was watching the Sox win, from the 5th row, behind home plate. Dinner began before the game and went on after fireworks with desert my "Birthday Cake" at the park being a delicious strawberry cobbler and chocolate chip cookie complete with a happy birthday flag. I also received a 2" soft baseball toy since my group didn't catch a real baseball for me.


Dinner in the Clubhouse

One of the buffet tables

A couple of my group

We had to wait to go to the clubhouse until the umpires came out of the tunnel

I'm in all my glory

Friday, April 23, 2010

Birthday Celebration Just Starting

  • Wow, I began the day with a phone call from my twin. What a joy to have such a great bro.
  • Bagels for Breakfast from one of my bike mechanics
  • Many facebook happy birthday wishes
  • This verse from one of my donors: "For you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, Which God prepared in advance for you to do." -Ephesians 2:10
  • Voice mail from my favorite nephew
  • A team of three prepared six bicycles that are heading to Mexico, by car, with a missionary who will lead bicycle camp trips for high school students.
  • My first round of "curbside shopping" in Glen Ellyn which yielded:
  1. A nice round table
  2. 2 bookcases,
  3. 2 hefty pieces of steal needed for hanging inventory
  4. 4 bins for inventory
  5. Bathroom Mirror
  6. Extension Cord holder
  7. A microwave
  • This is a good beginning seeings the shopping doesn't really get going until Saturday night or Sunday. Some came from stopping by my cousins in G.E. I got pre- curbside viewing and dibs
  • Now off to the White Sox game with four scouting tickets compliments of a generous donor. This means dinner, drinks (except I don't drink), and seats behind home plate. However, it has already begun to sprinkle, so maybe it will be rained out, but at least we will go down for dinner. Then if the game is called for rain, then I'll get a second round of tickets off the first set. I like gifts that keep on giving.

Just Wondering




What will my garage look like with out all this? It will take some of the challenge of shoving it all in the back 1/4 so I can get my car in the garage at night. Yes my car is parked in this garage when HWI mechanics aren't occupying the space
I'm not sure we will know what to do in the winter. As you see there are 2 heaters in the bottom left of this picture. We can only dream for the garage to get above 48 degrees. If it is below 30 outside, we don't attempt to work in the winter.

This is one of our faithful mechanics that has helped us twice a week or more since 2005

Richard, another one of our faithful mechanics. He found us in the local paper and tracked our articles for about three months and then joined us back in 2006



Thursday, April 22, 2010

Pictures of HWI Headquarters


His Wheels International
New Headquarters
4/22/10

21W162 Hill Ave. in Glen Ellyn, IL
Our New Headquarters-View from the Street, on the South Side of Hill
We have rented both levels but are looking for someone to sublease the upper part, or even an office on the upper level.
Our sign will go in the upper right corner of the picture

This view is from the southwest side of the building


South East Side of the Building. On the ground floor we have a 48" door so we can get skids in and out for shipping trike containers

Our first skid ready to be packed with 15 trike kits and one completed trike. Heading for Soddo Christian Hospital via a container leaving from Idaho.
The white cover is a waterproof liner in hopes of keeping all the steel dry while traveling by ship



HWI Headquarters Miracle #2

4/22/10

I got a call this morning and found out someone is designing and paying for our signage on the building (after we approve the design). The sad thing is that according to zoning rules, the sign needs to follow the color scheme of the other signs in this industrial area. Unfortunately their color schemes are reds, browns, and yellows so it cannot be in our colors.

I definitely wanted a sign soon, but due to budget priorities, I was planning to wait a few months to get it. God is blessing HWI and I beyond belief this week. I have to say I am sure having an awesome birthday celebration week.

I will celebrate my birthday tomorrow at Cellular Field with three other friends. I was given four scouting tickets, right behind home plate, complete with dinner, and parking.

Then this weekend is the Glen Ellyn Trash Sweep. I have a list of what our new headquarters needs, so I hope to do all my shopping at Glen Ellyn’s curbside shopping this weekend.