ECV rental question

[suzzzze]

Do any of the scooter rental companies also rent and help install a car carrier for the scooters? I would have my own car, just can't lift even a 50lb scooter alone. I'm 72 and going by myself.

Thanks for any info

 

[Evita_W]

Do any of the scooter rental companies also rent and help install a car carrier for the scooters? I would have my own car, just can't lift even a 50lb scooter alone. I'm 72 and going by myself.

Thanks for any info

Sadly no, not that I have found; however, you may be able to call your car rental company and see if they have it as an option.

Alternatively, if you are going to rent a minivan or similar sized vehicle, here is an option I have found:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B002VWK3XO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_GAN87FGYK3XBZC3QASM2
Basically, it is an affordable, portable wheelchair ramp, there are many other varieties of them, this is just one example that weighs about 2 lbs. You can then out the scooter in neutral and push it up or try to maneuver it backwards up the ramp if you need power. The ramp holds a total of 600 lbs, so standing on it while loading the chair shouldn't be an issue.

Just make sure you get one that is long enough for the vehicle you are renting, so you don't have too steep of a ramp. But if no one is on the scooter, it will be easier.

You should be able to ship it straight to your resort.

As for what to do with it afterwards, it is cheap enough you can just factor it in as the cost of the rental and maybe leave it with your rental company for others to use. Alternatively if it would be helpful at home, there are many that fold up to a checked bag size and can simple be checked in with your airline.

Another choice is you can rent a pickup truck or the smallest enclosed truck from U-Haul and they do have a lift and/or ramp as an option.

Another alternative is rent an accessible vehicle, but those are expensive.

Those are the options that I know of, you can of course always call your mobility company of choice (I recommend Gold Mobility) and ask for their opinion as well.

 

[mamabunny]

I would reach out about the actual weight of that ramp - the listed weight on that product page is 1.37 pounds, and I know that cannot be true. Those types of portable ramps can easily exceed 35 pounds in weight, and can be difficult to safely utilize without a second pair of hands.

@suzzzze, I would check directly with any rental vendor you are considering using - ask (for example) Gold Mobility if they have any units that can be broken into smaller "sections", and what that heaviest section weighs.

Lifting that heaviest section into your car from the ground, and back out of your car down to the ground is what you have to overcome.

Remember that you will have to be able to assemble that ECV on your own in the parking lot, and then take it apart at the end of your visit when you are ready to leave for the day. If you think that is not possible, I would strongly suggest that you consider staying on-site at one of the WDW Resort hotels, and using Disney's free internal transportation for your rental ECV; that way you don't have to worry about anything but your personal comfort when choosing a rental device.

 

[Evita_W]

I would reach out about the actual weight of that ramp - the listed weight on that product page is 1.37 pounds, and I know that cannot be true. Those types of portable ramps can easily exceed 35 pounds in weight, and can be difficult to safely utilize without a second pair of hands.

@suzzzze, I would check directly with any rental vendor you are considering using - ask (for example) Gold Mobility if they have any units that can be broken into smaller "sections", and what that heaviest section weighs.

Lifting that heaviest section into your car from the ground, and back out of your car down to the ground is what you have to overcome.

Remember that you will have to be able to assemble that ECV on your own in the parking lot, and then take it apart at the end of your visit when you are ready to leave for the day. If you think that is not possible, I would strongly suggest that you consider staying on-site at one of the WDW Resort hotels, and using Disney's free internal transportation for your rental ECV; that way you don't have to worry about anything but your personal comfort when choosing a rental device.

I have reached out to a couple of the manufacturers out there and there are some that are indeed under 5 lbs. I wouldn't expect them to last long, but for the length of a trip would likely be possible. I am definitely not saying they would be high quality at that weight or price point for that matter.

And yes, portable scooters may help, but the heaviest part will be the batteries which can be very heavy, so I was trying to suggest other alternatives.

But yes, I agree onsite and using Disney transportation would likely be the easiest.