Handicare SlingBarSpreader M, Pair

The Handicare SlingBarSpreader M, Pair is Handicare's pair of aluminium sling side bars for a two-point sling bar, manufacturer code 70200042, rated 300 kg (660 lb) per couple. They hook onto an existing SlingBar and the sling hangs from them instead, which opens the sling out and lets the user sit back further. Westin Healthcare ships them across Canada and our technicians can fit them on a service visit across Brampton and the Greater Toronto Area.

They are supplied and used in pairs. Handicare prints it as one of the manual's important-information points: SlingBarSpreader may only be used in pairs. The catalogue ordering unit is 1 Pair, and one spreader on its own is not a usable product.

What they do

A two-point sling bar holds the sling at two points, and how far apart those points sit decides how open the sling is. Spreaders add a step beyond the widest bar: instead of the sling hanging from the bar's own hooks, it hangs from side bars that reach out from them.

Handicare's description is short and worth quoting: SlingBarSpreader M is a sling sidebar that is used in pairs in combination with a slingbar on an overhead or mobile lift, and sling sidebars are used to enable more space in the sling, particularly for heavy or pain-sensitive patients. In the Eva series manual the effect is put another way: they open up the lifting sling and provide for a more reclined position.

• Users who find an upright sling painful, where a more reclined position takes load off the shoulders and chest
• Broad or heavy users, where the sling would otherwise close in around them
• One user on a shared lift, because spreaders come off in seconds when the next transfer does not need them

They are aluminium, like the bar, and their lift hooks carry the same safety latches. Handicare publishes a total width of 450 mm (17.7 in).

Fitting them the right way round

This is the part to get right, and Handicare marks the product so you can. Each spreader carries a head symbol.

• Hook the suspension loops to the lift hook on the sling bar, then do the same on the other side.
• Check that the head symbols are on the same side of the sling bar.
• Place the sling's back loops on the side of the SlingBarSpreader marked with the head symbol. The leg sections go on the other side.
• On a sling with three-point suspension, the middle loop goes on the same side as the back loops.
• Suspension loops must not be twisted.

They are not a sling bar. Handicare states that SlingBarSpreader may not be used as a slingbar and coupled to the link on the lift unit. They hang from a Handicare-approved sling bar, on a Handicare-approved overhead or mobile lift, and you need the bar as well.

Which sling bars they fit

Handicare states that SlingBarSpreader M is always used in pairs in combination with a Handicare-approved slingbar, and that it can be used together with all models of SlingBar. The catalogue description is "Side bars for SlingBar S/M/L". Those are the SlingBar S at 35 cm, the SlingBar M at 45 cm and the SlingBar L at 60 cm, all rated 300 kg (660 lb).

The lifts those bars sit on are the Eva600EE, the Eva450EE with low legs, the Carina350EE and the Carina350EM, plus Handicare's ceiling lift units.

Handicare's rule governs the whole assembly: different products on the same lift system, and Handicare names the lift unit, the sling bar, the sling, scales and other lifting accessories, may have different allowable safe working loads, and the lowest one always determines the safe working load of the assembled system. Check every part before use.

Handicare SlingBarSpreader M, Pair specifications

Handicare does not publish a weight or a reach dimension for the spreaders beyond the total width, so none is claimed here. If you need a figure for a facility record, ask us and we will request it from the manufacturer.

Spreaders or a wider bar?

Both open the sling; they are not the same decision. Moving from a SlingBar M to a SlingBar L takes the bar from 45 cm to 60 cm and changes every transfer done on that lift until somebody changes it back. Spreaders sit on whatever bar is already fitted, open the sling further than any bar does on its own, and come off in seconds.

If most users on a floor need a wider sling, buy the wider bar. If one user needs a reclined position and the rest do not, buy the spreaders. If you are not sure, call us on (905) 451-7743 and we will work through it with your team.

Related sling bar parts

The bars these hang from are the SlingBar S, SlingBar M and SlingBar L. For a user with uncontrolled movements there is the SlingBarWrap, a soft protection for the middle of the bar. For horizontal lifting the bar changes entirely to the StretcherBar, and if the floor weighs residents on the lift the Charder MHS2500 lift scale hangs in the load path.

Full-body slings include the Handicare Universal Sling and the hammock sling, and the range sits under full body slings. Other spare parts and lift hardware sit on the lift parts shelf.

Delivery in Brampton and the GTA

Westin Healthcare ships this pair across Canada and delivers it across Brampton and the Greater Toronto Area. Shipping terms are on the shipping policy, and any charge is confirmed on your order.

If our technicians already service your equipment, ask us to bring it on the next visit and fit it while we are there. Call (905) 451-7743 or book through service and repairs. You are also welcome to pick it up at our Brampton showroom.

Service, repairs, and warranty

When something on the equipment needs work, you call the shop that set it up, not an overseas parts desk. Westin Healthcare has a service and repairs department. Our technicians come to the home or workplace.

Handicare inspection and warranty position

Handicare asks for regular checks of the condition and function of the product: check that the material is free from damage, check that nothing is worn or faded, and discard the product if there are signs of wear.

No warranty year count is printed in the manual. Ask us for the terms that ship with your order and we will handle a claim with you.

Handicare's broader instruction applies here too: always read the manuals for all assistive devices used during a transfer, keep them where the people using the product can reach them, trial fit the sling carefully, and never leave the user unattended during a transfer.

Frequently asked questions

What does a sling side bar actually do?

It widens the sling at the top. The spreaders hook onto the lift hooks of an existing SlingBar and the sling then hangs from them instead, which pulls the sling's attachment points further apart. Handicare's own words: SlingBarSpreader M open up the lifting sling and provide for a more reclined position.

Who is it for?

Handicare states that sling side bars are used to enable more space in the sling, particularly for heavy or pain-sensitive patients. The more reclined position takes pressure off the shoulders and the chest, which is what a user who finds an upright sling painful actually needs.

Do I have to buy two?

They come as a pair and they must be used as a pair. Handicare supplies SlingBarSpreader M in pairs and prints the rule in bold in the manual: SlingBarSpreader may only be used in pairs. One is not a usable product.

Can I use it instead of a sling bar?

No. Handicare is explicit: SlingBarSpreader may not be used as a slingbar and coupled to the link on the lift unit. It hangs from a sling bar. You need the bar as well.

Which sling bars does it fit?

Handicare states it can be used together with all models of SlingBar, and the catalogue description reads "Side bars for SlingBar S/M/L". The bar itself must be a Handicare-approved sling bar on a Handicare-approved overhead or mobile lift.

Is there an orientation I have to get right?

Yes, and it is the thing to check every time. Each spreader carries a head symbol. Handicare's instruction is to place the SlingBarSpreader so that the head symbols are on the same side of the sling bar, and to hook the sling's back loops to the lift hook marked with a head, with the leg sections on the other side. On a sling with three-point suspension the middle loop goes on the same side as the back loops.

Do the suspension loops need checking?

Handicare says they must not be twisted. That is one of the four important-information points in the manual, alongside the pairs rule, the do-not-use-as-a-slingbar rule and the head-symbol rule.

What is it rated at?

Handicare prints the rating on the manual cover as SWL 300 kg per couple, which is 660 lb, matching the SlingBar it hangs from. Remember that the lowest rating in the assembly of lift, bar, spreaders and sling determines the rating of the whole system.

Should I just buy a wider sling bar instead?

Sometimes, and it is worth a conversation. Going from a SlingBar M to a SlingBar L is a step from 45 cm to 60 cm and it changes every transfer on that lift. Spreaders open the sling further still and come off in seconds when the next user does not need them. If one user in a floor of twenty needs the extra room, spreaders are usually the better answer.

How do I clean them?

The same way as the sling bar they hang from: warm water or rubbing alcohol when necessary, and no cleaning agents containing phenol or chlorine, which Handicare warns can damage the material.