Question for ECV owners (or renters)

[starshine514]

My husband has MS and cannot walk around the mall without severely losing mobility/stumbling/falling. So, doing a Disney park was out of the question without an ECV. We took our girls to Disney World last January and rented a Victory scooter - we were very impressed with its battery life! Now, we (Arizona residents) are planning a trip to Disneyland and considering purchasing annual passes. As I research prices and think of renting a scooter for each trip, I'm considering purchasing a scooter (we will drive to Disneyland each time, so we won't have to worry about fighting with the airport). Can anybody give me tips on good (or bad) scooters for a 230 lb man? I can't really tell by looking at the websites how good the battery will hold up, if the scooter is a good quality, etc. and I would appreciate any advice in this area. Price is (of course) a factor and our health insurance won't pay anything on it...

Thanks!

 

[bedogged]

My husband has MS and cannot walk around the mall without severely losing mobility/stumbling/falling. So, doing a Disney park was out of the question without an ECV. We took our girls to Disney World last January and rented a Victory scooter - we were very impressed with its battery life! Now, we (Arizona residents) are planning a trip to Disneyland and considering purchasing annual passes. As I research prices and think of renting a scooter for each trip, I'm considering purchasing a scooter (we will drive to Disneyland each time, so we won't have to worry about fighting with the airport). Can anybody give me tips on good (or bad) scooters for a 230 lb man? I can't really tell by looking at the websites how good the battery will hold up, if the scooter is a good quality, etc. and I would appreciate any advice in this area. Price is (of course) a factor and our health insurance won't pay anything on it...

Thanks!

I just bought an ECV for my son-in-law who also has MS with the same symptoms as your husband. After much looking, I decided to purchase him a Pride GO GO Elite Traveler Plus HD. I chose this because I wanted a scooter that was easy to disassemble, light weight and that would have a battery that would last all day. I purchased the HD model because I felt it would increase the range because it will carry a person up to 325 pounds and is only about $100.00 more than the non-HD model. He has taken it on a trip and was very impressed with the battery life. Be sure you only look at scooters that have the 18 AH batteries. If you are interested in this model, I would look online for the best price including any coupons the web sites will email you and then take that printed out price to your local mobility store. Our local store matched the price. If you have a prescription from your Doctor, you should not have to pay any tax. The total I paid was $1,100.00.

 

[peemagg]

I also have a Pride Go-Go Elite Traveler Plus, and I love it! I have had it for almost 3 years now and have not had an issue once with battery life and I weigh almost as much as your husband (and has been heavier). It is a nice little scooter and very easy to assemble and disassemble.

 

[starshine514]

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely research that model online and see if our local store can match the prices I find. I didn't realize that having a prescription for it would make it so we didn't have to pay tax, so I'll make sure he gets that as well.
Thanks again!

 

[iuki]

I also have a Pride Go-Go Elite Traveler Plus, and I love it! I have had it for almost 3 years now and have not had an issue once with battery life and I weigh almost as much as your husband (and has been heavier). It is a nice little scooter and very easy to assemble and disassemble.

I just purchased the exact model you have and love it! I chose this particular model based on info provided in this forum. I did much research and purchased online from SpinLife.com. However, if you request a catalog online, when you receive the catalog, you'll get an additional 10% off when you actually purchase the scooter online.

I wish I purchased this a long time ago rather than renting a scooter.

 

[starshine514]

As I'm comparing prices, I'm wondering what the differences are between the Go-Go Elite Traveller (with an upgraded battery) and the Go-go Elite Traveller Plus. If my husband is below the weight limits of both, is battery life the only consideration, or do you believe that the non-Plus model is an inferior product? It looks like after upgrading the battery, there will be about a $200 difference in price.

 

[peemagg]

From what I have seen is that the Elite traveller is an older model and has a smaller battery and looks to be a bit smaller than the Traveller Plus.

I can tell you from experience that the Traveler Plus is a nice scooter. I have had it for almost 3 years now and it is on the original battery. I have never had an issue with it running out of power for me and I use it almost daily in ways it was never intended to be used. If your husband is 250 lbs or less the Traveler Plus should work fine for him. I was over that weight at one time after getting it and like I said no issues what so ever.

There is also a HD model out there, but unless a person is close to 300 lbs I wouldn't spend the extra money for it.

 

[bedogged]

I agree with Peemag. I would go with the Elite Plus for $200 more. My son-in-law is about 250 pounds and we chose to go with the HD model because it was only $100.00 more. I don't know if we needed it, but I can say that it is a zippy little scooter with a battery that just never seems to go down. It has made such a difference in his life. I hope it does for your husband as well.

 

[icouldlivethere]

I also have the Pride Go Go Elite Traveller Plus model. If you look at the specs on the Pride website you will see there are a few differences between the plus and non plus models besides battery size. The plus model has bigger tires and is a little longer and wider than the non plus model and because of this it weighs a little more. I went to our local mobility store and tried both out. I found with my long legs I was more comfortable on the plus model even thought there is only a 3 inch difference in length. I also found the 3 wheel model to have more room to stretch your legs than the 4 wheel model. I highly recommend going and sitting on one before purchasing.

If you see the plus model and the non plus model side by side you will see the difference in size in the battery case. What surprised me was when I was just at WDW last month I sat next to somebody who had a Go Go Elite Traveller Plus HD model and her battery case was even bigger than mine and it had HD for heavy duty right on the battery case. I didn't realize you can get even bigger 20 AH batteries for this scooter. She said she had rented it from Apple scooters.

As far as battery life goes, I can tell you that while the battery is very good it does not last as long as the batteries on the larger size scooters I used to rent from Buena Vista scooters. I only weigh about 140 and my backpack on the back probably weighs under 10 pounds on a scooter that will take up to 300 pounds but I do start to run low on batteries at the end of the day and once the battery starts losing power it goes down quickly.

My DH has no problems walking and he tends to hop, skip and jump all around the parks going from one side to the other and back again. He also likes to walk from BWV to both Epcot and DHS. On the scooters I used to rent I could follow him around all day and not lose any power. Now I have to plan our day out a lot more and not allow him to backtrack or go from one end to the other and back. We have to think more about where we are going or my scooter will start to lose power by the end of the day. I'm thinking about looking into getting a 20 AH battery upgrade now that I know that is possible.

I do love my scooter though. It has allowed me to go many places I haven't been able to go to in decades. I wish I would have made the decision to buy one long ago. I like the small size of my scooter. It is very maneuverable and fairly easy for my DH to lift in and out of the car for me.

 

[POOHsie]

I also have the Pride Go Go Elite Traveller Plus model... As far as battery life goes, I can tell you that while the battery is very good it does not last as long as the batteries on the larger size scooters I used to rent from Buena Vista scooters. I only weigh about 140 and my backpack on the back probably weighs under 10 pounds on a scooter that will take up to 300 pounds but I do start to run low on batteries at the end of the day and once the battery starts losing power it goes down quickly.

My experience with scooter batteries is that they last about one year, then they lose their strength and die quickly during use before recharging. I have had two scooters, the first an earlier Pride Go-Go with 12 AH batteries, and then a Pacesaver Passport III Jr. (medium size scooter) with U-1 (32 AH) batteries. IMO, the batteries really must be changed by one year's time, regardless of the fact that they still have power in them. I believe manufacturer's guildelines suggest a one-year battery life.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I do not kniow the name, but there are new Fed rules on size limits of scooter on buses, including the WDW buses.......there is only one model that they will not let you take on the buses.....best to check it out!

AKK

 

[POOHsie]

Check out the Sticky at the top of the DISabilities Forum, "Policy about size of scooters on buses." There is great info in there. The other Stickies at the top of the page also contain a lot of useful information.

 

[starshine514]

Thanks for all the info! I ordered him the Go-Go Elite Traveller Plus from Spinlife (thanks for the tip regarding the 10% off coupon when you order the catalog). I really appreciate all the tips!

 

[KPeveler]

I do not kniow the name, but there are new Fed rules on size limits of scooter on buses, including the WDW buses.......there is only one model that they will not let you take on the buses.....best to check it out!

AKK

Actually the laws did not change, disney is just starting to enforce the law that has been part of the ADA since the beginning. There are very few scooters made which do not fit, and the only one rented in the area that will not fit is the "Dream" scooter.