Looking for a mobility scooter / powerchair recommendation

sallybbw82 · 10-12-2010, 03:46 AM

Does anyone have a recommendation for a mobility scooter or power chair for an ssbbw? There seem quite a lot of choices and I wondered if people have had any good / bad experiences with different models.

Any thoughts on how to transport them? Like a rack on the back of the car for example?

Thanks for any advice.

Webmaster · 10-12-2010, 07:23 AM

Scooters can be a wonderful, mobility-enhancing tool that opens up access and makes life easier. But they can also be a total pain in the neck. So picking the right one is very important.

The one we used was a Rascal, a very heavy-duty model. We bought it with an electric lift that the salesman said would easily install in the trunk of a sedan. The lift essentially was a pole with a crane-like arm. You could then fasten the Rascal to it via a cable and lift it up with a wired remote control. Problem was that the Rascal had to be half dismantled in order for it to fit into the trunk of the car, and there was no way that could easily be done every time you put the thing into the car. Oh, and in a sedan, the lift itself had to be taken apart.

So just because of the Rascal, we had to sell the car and buy a minivan. The lift installed fine there, and it became relatively easy to attach the Rascal without disassembling it, lift it to the level of the minivan's cargo area, rotate it into the van, and lower it into position.

The next problem was that the Rascal's arms were too close together, and they could not be lifted up. So we had to replace those with new arms that could be moved out of the way, airplane seat style.

We eventually got good use out of the Rascal for years. It definitely was a learning process as many things tended to go wrong, like inadvertently draining the battery, batteries that no longer held the charge, things that wore and broke, etc.

Overall, there is no one right choice; you need to find a model that fits your body, needs, mobility, abilities and circumstances. Whatever you choose needs to be able to safely and reliably hold you, yet also be as light and handy as possible, else it'll be difficult to load and unload and you may again lose the independence you're trying to gain with the purchase of a scooter.

I hope people will chime in with their own experiences and recommendations.

Indy · 10-12-2010, 02:28 PM

I have a Pride Maixima and a VMI crane lift installed in my Nissan Quest Van.
On the positive side, once a grounding problem on the initial installation was resolved, the crane has worked flawless even though it sits unused for weeks at a time as I only use my scooter at places where alot of walking/standing is involved. Also my scooter holds it charge for months riding around in my van.
On the negative, you have to be able to stand fairly long to load the scooter, it's tricky getting it through the hatch opening...as for the scooter, the seat is large and comfy but it makes it very hard to dismount, swinging my leg past the tiller is hard (the seat turns to the left) and the seat has only 3 height adjustments. I ordered the maxima because I had rented one and really like it but they had changed the model, so when it arrived I was a little disappointed. I have a friend who has the lift that hangs off the back, it served them fairly well but she couldn'd operate it alone. Also they had the scooter fall off a couple of times which led to repairs.
I suggest you go to a show room and try them out. If you're only using one occasionally you might get one with less capacity, they are lighter and easier to get on/off but you'll run the battery down faster.
Good Luck! deb

sallybbw82 · 10-13-2010, 03:32 AM

Thanks for the advice. We have a Honda Odyssey mini van so I'm hoping I'm OK from a space point of view. I hadn't realized that there were cranes available to lift a scooter in. I will try to get to somewhere to look at a few in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for the advice.

Webmaster · 10-13-2010, 08:39 AM

A crane/lift is pretty much a necessity. Installing one in an Odyssey would be very simple. Ours was installed in a Toyota Sienna. It's just a pole with a small electric motor that bolts on in the left rear of the vehicle. When not used, the arms swings out of the way and cargo space is virtually unaffected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sallybbw82

Thanks for the advice. We have a Honda Odyssey mini van so I'm hoping I'm OK from a space point of view. I hadn't realized that there were cranes available to lift a scooter in. I will try to get to somewhere to look at a few in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for the advice.

10-12-2010, 03:46 AM	#1
sallybbw82 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 8	Looking for a mobility scooter / powerchair recommendation Does anyone have a recommendation for a mobility scooter or power chair for an ssbbw? There seem quite a lot of choices and I wondered if people have had any good / bad experiences with different models. Any thoughts on how to transport them? Like a rack on the back of the car for example? Thanks for any advice.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

10-12-2010, 07:23 AM	#2
Webmaster The Chief Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sacramento, CA area Posts: 5,669	Scooters can be a wonderful, mobility-enhancing tool that opens up access and makes life easier. But they can also be a total pain in the neck. So picking the right one is very important. The one we used was a Rascal, a very heavy-duty model. We bought it with an electric lift that the salesman said would easily install in the trunk of a sedan. The lift essentially was a pole with a crane-like arm. You could then fasten the Rascal to it via a cable and lift it up with a wired remote control. Problem was that the Rascal had to be half dismantled in order for it to fit into the trunk of the car, and there was no way that could easily be done every time you put the thing into the car. Oh, and in a sedan, the lift itself had to be taken apart. So just because of the Rascal, we had to sell the car and buy a minivan. The lift installed fine there, and it became relatively easy to attach the Rascal without disassembling it, lift it to the level of the minivan's cargo area, rotate it into the van, and lower it into position. The next problem was that the Rascal's arms were too close together, and they could not be lifted up. So we had to replace those with new arms that could be moved out of the way, airplane seat style. We eventually got good use out of the Rascal for years. It definitely was a learning process as many things tended to go wrong, like inadvertently draining the battery, batteries that no longer held the charge, things that wore and broke, etc. Overall, there is no one right choice; you need to find a model that fits your body, needs, mobility, abilities and circumstances. Whatever you choose needs to be able to safely and reliably hold you, yet also be as light and handy as possible, else it'll be difficult to load and unload and you may again lose the independence you're trying to gain with the purchase of a scooter. I hope people will chime in with their own experiences and recommendations.

10-12-2010, 02:28 PM	#3
Indy Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 144	I have a Pride Maixima and a VMI crane lift installed in my Nissan Quest Van. On the positive side, once a grounding problem on the initial installation was resolved, the crane has worked flawless even though it sits unused for weeks at a time as I only use my scooter at places where alot of walking/standing is involved. Also my scooter holds it charge for months riding around in my van. On the negative, you have to be able to stand fairly long to load the scooter, it's tricky getting it through the hatch opening...as for the scooter, the seat is large and comfy but it makes it very hard to dismount, swinging my leg past the tiller is hard (the seat turns to the left) and the seat has only 3 height adjustments. I ordered the maxima because I had rented one and really like it but they had changed the model, so when it arrived I was a little disappointed. I have a friend who has the lift that hangs off the back, it served them fairly well but she couldn'd operate it alone. Also they had the scooter fall off a couple of times which led to repairs. I suggest you go to a show room and try them out. If you're only using one occasionally you might get one with less capacity, they are lighter and easier to get on/off but you'll run the battery down faster. Good Luck! deb

10-13-2010, 03:32 AM	#4
sallybbw82 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 8	Thanks for the advice. We have a Honda Odyssey mini van so I'm hoping I'm OK from a space point of view. I hadn't realized that there were cranes available to lift a scooter in. I will try to get to somewhere to look at a few in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for the advice.