Transporting Your Scooter Or Wheelchair With SUV or Van

Transporting Your Scooter or Wheelchair Via SUV or Van

There are vans that are designed to allow someone in a wheelchair to be lifted into the van. A platform lowers and raises the occupied wheelchair for convenience. While this is certainly an option you have, there is no separate device or lift that we sell that's designed to lift an occupied wheelchair or mobility scooter into a van. You'll need a van that's custom-designed for this type of use, as well as a lift for specialty vehicles.

To use a standard van to transport an unoccupied mobility scooter or wheelchair, however, you can use a number of different types of lifts. You can choose between boom or platform lifts that can run on a battery--either your van's battery or a separate battery pack that you can use without having to hook anything into your car's electrical system.

Platform lifts secure the mobility device for you, though they do stay permanently in the rear of the vehicle. A lift with a boom mechanism will typically cost less than a platform lift, and naturally the price goes own as the weight limit of the lift goes down. Here's where it pays to know how much your mobility device weighs. You'll want a lift that can handle that weight without the need to go much beyond it. If you plan to change your scooter for a different model anytime soon, you may wish to look into the weight limit of that model and similar ones before you purchase a lift. That way you'll end up with a lift that will still work for your new scooter or electric wheelchair.

Before you shop for a lift for your van or SUV, measure the size of the opening carefully. Be sure to note both height and width. Then fold down the seat of your wheelchair or electric scooter seat and measure the height and width of the device. Keep in mind that each lift requires a little extra height clearance, as well. Platform lifts like the Ameriglide Extender Plus take up about 4" in height where they're mounted onto the floor. They drop down from where they're mounted over the bumper and reach to the ground, where they lift the chair back up and into the SUV or van. And boom-style lifts require that you attach a device that takes a little extra space, as well, which varies depending on which lift you choose. Because there are a number of different sizes and options, please call our specialist to help you get the right vehicle lift size for your needs.

You can also opt to load your mobility device into the side of an SUV or van, like with the Ameriglide 275. This type of side-lift is mounted behind the driver's seat with hardware that's designed to be used there, so there's most likely not going to be any type of drill holes needed. With the simple press of a button the lift will drop to the ground so you can load up your electric wheelchair or mobility scooter. And once again, we'd like to stress that any time you load a scooter or wheelchair, it needs to be empty. You should never load an occupied mobility device with any of these lifts.

For Free Help in Choosing The Lift That's Perfect For You Call 1 (800) 346-1699 Today

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