ECV transport to parks during an off-site stay

[Euby]

Can anyone supply info (and photos) of what they use to transport their ECV mobility scooter when they stay off-site? I'm hoping that my new truck (Ford Maverick Hybrid) will be built and delivered in time for a trip to Flower & Garden in the spring. I normally stay on property and rent and ECV from Gold. However, this upcoming trip I'm planning to use some time-share points and stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. I know they have 3 shuttles to the parks (2 of which can accommodate an ECV - or so they said). I really don't want to be at the mercy of the shuttles schedule. I'd also rather not try to rent one of those Tanks that the parks call a scooter (too spoiled by Gold). I'm also not comfortable with breaking down the scooter into parts for transport. My back is one of the reasons that I use an ECV at Disney, so lifting 50-lb pieces of a scooter aren't an option (nor is having someone else do it).

I've tried to look online for places that rent an ECV carrier (that you attach to a hitch) but have not been successful. So, it looks like I may need to purchase one. A power one is cost prohibitive, though. I'd really like suggestions from the DIS family. Another option is to get a ramp to push the ECV into the bed, but with a 30-inch tailgate height, I'm not sure how feasible that would be. From what I have seen I would need a 10-foot-long ramp. Pretty sure Disney parking won't like that.

If anyone can share what they use (with pictures), I'd really appreciate it.

 

[ZellyB]

We have a trailer we bought from Amazon a year or so ago that we used when we drove to WDW in February. It worked great. I'm trying to get a picture from my husband I can post. It wasn't cheap, but it was wonderful to have. I will say it's also not especially easy to load it on and off the trailer since you have to push it up the ramp and control the descent when you take it down. Do you have someone else to help you? I think this was the ramp we bought.

ECV trailer ramp from Amazon

This last time we didn't drive and rented from Gold and disassembled it and put it in the back of our rental minivan. I had two men with us and they even had some difficulties managing it, so I'd say you are right to consider a trailer if you don't want to use the shuttles.

NOTE FROM MODERATOR: edited to fix loading of link

 

[SueM in MN]

If you would not be able to lift an ECV/ECV parts, a ramp is probably not a reasonable option for you.
For a 30 inch rise, you would need a 13 to 21 foot ramp according to this ramp length calculator . The shorter the ramp, the harder to push something up it.

Portable ramps do fold (or roll up in the case of that company). Even though the ramps are made of aluminum and are listed as light weight, an average 8 foot ramp weighs close to 50 pounds. So, you would still be dealing with getting a heavy ramp into and out of your vehicle.

 

[Selket]

Maybe not at all what you'd want, but if you go to WDW often enough or could use it other places, perhaps a lightweight portable scooter like the "TravelScoot" - I think @mamabunny has one? I think the heaviest piece is 22lbs. I know at this point I've probably spent over $1K renting ECV's at Disney. I am fairly sure I've seen these in use by people at the parks and also locally at the mall. They seem like a good value.

I thought about staying off-site for my last trip but the ECV rental/transportation issue keeps me at WDW resorts and usually keeps me from going to other parks like US/IOA, SeaWorld, etc.

 

[Bete]

I think you have three reasonable choices. First one is to buy a lightweight, portable travel scooter which can be expensive. These scooters typically are 50 total pounds in weight or less and some breakdown. They really don't have the comfort level that the regular scooters have. Second choice is to rent at the parks and arrive early to secure one. Third choice which I think is the best is to use the shuttles provided by Bonnet Creek and then you can get whatever scooter you may want to rent. I would rather get use to the resort shuttle schedule then using a hitch, or ramp or whatever. Worse to worse, you could use a car service to get you back and forth with the scooter if the shuttle times don't suit everyday.

 

[Jay-Jay]

I bought this aluminum rack from Amazon a little over 2 years ago:

MAXXHAUL 80779 Aluminum Hitch Mount Cargo Carrier with 47" Long Ramp, 1 Pack , Grey
It is *just* long enough for the Pride Victory 10 3-wheeled scooters that are good for users up to 400 lbs. I have a compact car (2019 Toyota Yaris sedan), so we take the batteries off and put them in the trunk when we transport the scooter around town, but those with a van, SUV, or truck would not have to do that. We also have a hitch converter that lifts the rack up 2", since the car sits so low to the ground. Even with that rise, it is pretty easy to disengage the motor and roll the scooter up and down the ramp for loading and unloading. We secure it with 4 ratchet straps. I will try to remember to take pictures in the morning before we head out - it's our last day of the trip.

 

[Evita_W]

Since you are talking about having a truck, you can always use a portable wheelchair ramp like these:
https://www.ezaccess.com/collections/portable-wheelchair-ramps
Note that there are many brands and sizes out there, this is just an example. This seems to be one of the easiest and cheapest methods if you have enough room in your vehicle.

 

[Jay-Jay]

Here are some photos of my setup, with and without the Pride Victory 10 3-wheel scooter loaded.

(Edited to remove link, which didn't appear properly, and add the actual photos.)

 

[Euby]

Thanks for the pics!

 

[Lewisc]

Mears has accessible taxis.

 

[Goldelpack]

Just some input regarding the lightweight scooter option - I have one that I use all the time at home - the heaviest part is the battery and the most bulky part is the lower part. It folds nicely into the back of my very small Honda Fit. I do take it with me from NY/NJ to WDW and lift it into the LYFT vehicle I hire. No problem. BUT! At best the battery lasts 4 hours and needs twice that to charge back up. To solve this, I rent a heavy duty model (from scooterbug) which has a battery that can last all day with just some boosts. I did entertain the idea of purchasing an extra battery to have charged, but it's really way too bulky for me to do so. My current issue is making plans to go from Universal to WDW parks using mears and having an accessible vehicle to do so..