Using an electric mobility scooter is a great way to improve your mobility around the house, but it can also help you get out and about. If you are a senior or someone with limited mobility, you can certainly understand how important it is to get out, socialize and have fun. Fortunately, electric scooters can help by allowing you to do just that. With a mobility scooter and the means to transport it, you’ll be able to go wherever you want and keep up with your friends and family.
The easiest solution to ensure that you can travel with your mobility scooter is to purchase a dedicated scooter for travel. Portable travel scooters can be compacted or broken down into multiple pieces to fit in the trunk of a car. They then snap back together quickly and easily when you reach your destination, so you can hop on and ride the rest of the way. Travel scooters are very useful for that reason, but they also have some limitations. They are lighter and less robust and will generally not be appropriate for off-road outdoor use. Also, their maximum weight capacity is usually 250 pounds, and you probably shouldn’t buy one if you weigh 220 or more. If you are a bigger person, you feel more comfortable and stable on a medium or heavy scooter. Unfortunately, they can be a bit more difficult to transport, but there is a solution for that too.
You can purchase a lift that attaches to the back of your vehicle to transport your scooter. This method is appropriate for scooters that are too heavy to lift or too large to fit in your vehicle. There are several types of scooter lifts: manual lifts that won’t break the bank, in-vehicle lifts that move the scooter from the ground to the inside of an SUV or van and back, and outside-of-vehicle lifts that store the scooter. behind the vehicle.
Manual lifts are basically a platform mounted to the rear of the vehicle that can be tilted and extended to ground level to create a ramp. Simply get off the scooter, drive the scooter up the ramp, return the ramp to the horizontal position, and secure the scooter. This type of lift is the most economical, but it can be cumbersome to load since you have to maneuver the scooter up the ramp while you’re not riding it. Exterior vehicle lifts are similar, but the platform stays horizontal and lowers to the ground at the touch of a button. You can simply drive up to the platform, get off, secure the scooter and get back on the platform with another push of a button.
In-vehicle lifts are a great option if you own a truck, van, or SUV. Van and SUV owners should immediately note that once their scooter is inside, they can leave them in there and still be protected from the elements. Of course, whether it is summer or winter, the extreme temperature will affect the battery life, so you should only leave the scooter in the vehicle during mild seasons.
