Workers at Trac Fabrication work on off-road wheelchairs Wednesday at the company's facility in Grove City. The company manufactures about 20 chairs per week and is expected to sell about 300 this year. The chairs allow people with disabilities to continue doing the things they love outside, including hunting and fishing.

GROVE CITY — A conventional electric wheelchair works great on hard floors and paved surfaces.

However, once they get on grass, dirt or sand, they move poorly. For people with disabilities who like activities such as hunting and fishing, this can be a problem.

Because of that, Trac Fabrication in Grove City makes off-road wheelchairs that use tracks rather than wheels.

Owner David Kennedy came up with the idea in 2012 after hearing stories from his wife, a physical therapist at Butler Memorial Hospital, about some of the people she treated who were in wheelchairs and not able to do activities they once loved to do.

He and his cousin took his grandmother's scooter and modified it. They put the finished product up for sale and it went quickly.

They were left with several people requesting their own version of the chair, so they started building more.

“It hasn't slowed down since,” said Kennedy, 32, of Volant.

The chairs weigh about 385 pounds and can travel up to 5 mph.

It uses a 24-volt, high-torque motor. Kennedy said the company tried to use conventional wheelchair motors, but they “burned up” during testing.

They have a suspension under the seats, which can be adjusted to decrease vibrations from riding on harder surfaces.

The chain driver can be set according to a rider's weight. Automatic brakes instantly stop the chair if the user lets go of the joystick.

The basic model is 36 inches wide. There also is a thinner model, which Kennedy said is intended for people who want to use it as a full-time chair.The chairs have two battery options. The lithium battery costs more up front, but Kennedy said it gets 10 miles per charge, charges more quickly and lasts more often. The traditional wheelchair battery costs less, but gets 6 to 7 miles per charge and has to be replaced more often.The chairs also can be customized by color and by adding accessories, such as fishing rod holders, gun holders, cup holders and clamps to hold items like crutches. Headlights also are a common request.The company has 14 employees at its locations on Lincoln Avenue and Barkeyville Road.It manufactures about 20 chairs per week, and Kennedy said he likely will sell 300 chairs this year.He said people who see people in wheelchairs often are either really nice to them or shy away from them. This leads to people in wheelchairs being more withdrawn.But sometimes, Kennedy said these chairs often attract people to talk to people who are using them.“It's kind of a really neat ice breaker,” said Kennedy, who has a bachelor's degree in technology management from Slippery Rock University.Much of the company's business comes from veterans' groups, which buy chairs in bulk and donate them. Kennedy said being disabled can be tough for young veterans, who technically should be in the prime of their lives but instead have serious limitations.“(The chair) gives them their independence and freedom back,” Kennedy said.For information, visit <a href="http://www.tracfab.com/" target="new">www.tracfab.com</a>.

Trac Fabrication owner David Kennedy discusses one of the company's off-road wheelchairs Wednesday at the facility in Grove City. Kennedy got the idea for the wheelchairs after hearing stories from his wife about people with disabilities who were not able to do activities they once loved to do such as fishing or hunting.