To battery operated scooter vets

[honeydiane1953]

We need to order an ECV for the first time. We will get a "carriage" I guess to put on back of car. DD weighs close to 300 lbs. and with Medicare, private insurance we think we will be ok. Need one for shopping, going to WDW but not so far the the house. He needs one for groceries, targets, etc. Any advice will be helpful. We do not have to go the cheapest route but what a good one. PLZ give input.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Hi There!

I am not by any means a expert, but there was a thread a week or so ago that noted there is a scooter for large folks, that is to big for the Disney tranportation. I am sorry I dont remember the name or manufacturer..........you may want to check it out if your coming to WDW and want to use the buses!

Have a great trip..........AKK

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have an ECV and a lift on my car. Here are some photos.

The most important thing if you are going to have any sort of outside carrier is that the carrier will have to be mounted through a trailer hitch and you have to know the capacity of the vehicle. A factory installed hitch is much stronger than aftermarket, and is (a) done correctly and (b) the tow package includes certain engine items stronger than standard. Normally the allowed "tongue weight" is about 10% of the two capacity.

My Ford Edge has a tow capacity of 3,500 pounds and the specifications show a tongue weight of 350 pounds. The combined weight of the lift with the swing-away plus the ECV is 328 pounds, so I am within the allowable weight.

Here is the lift all the way up with the clamp holding the ECV.

Here is the lift just raised a little.

And here is a view of the lift up without the ECV and the swing-away partially open.

I would suggest going to one (or more) local Durable Medical Equipment or mobility suppliers to look at both ECVs and carriers. And if you try to use a vehicle which cannot properly handle a lift and ECV you can do severe damage to the vehicle.

 

[lovetoscrap]

It sounds like you are asking about buying a scooter, not just renting one for WDW, correct? I am not really familiar with how insurance works, but have you talked to them and to a Mobility supplier to know what your insurance will cover? They may only allow certain ones so you may not have much choice.

You will need one that is able to accommodate higher weights so be sure you pay attention to that. If you get one that lists 300 as the top end of what it can hold then you will have a less performance than one that is able to handle weights higher than that. Speed and battery life will be affected, so be sure that you are looking for ones with the higher capacity.

You want to look at battery life-- how long can they go on one charge? For around the town errands it isn't as big of a deal but for WDW you want to be sure that it will last the entire day.

Also how are the batteries charged? For my scooter the battery comes off and plugs into the charger separately so I just bring the battery in and leave the scooter in my van. For many you have to plug the charger directly into the body of the ECV so you would need to plug it in while it is still on the lift or get it down every time and move it to where you can charge it. If you have a garage that will fit your vehicle and the lift then that it will be easier to just plug it in on the carrier, but if you will have to park outside then that may be more difficult, particularly in bad weather.

Different models have different speeds. While a higher top speed may seem cool, think about if you really need that. When would you actually need/want to go 10mph in it? And how is the speed controlled, by a dial or electronic buttons? I personally prefer the dial because I feel it is easier and more responsive. I had rented one with electronic keys (not sure how to describe it exactly) and hated having to keep pushing up or down every time I needed to change speeds, especially when I needed to do so quickly. But that is just personal preference.

Most important is to try if at all possible to test drive before you buy. I went in set on getting one thing and when I sat in it realized it was very uncomfortable for my needs. This is a huge investment so be sure that it is comfortable and can accommodate all of your needs. You may want to look for one where the seat can swivel sideways to make it easier to get in and out. Think about if you want armrests or not. Check to see how much the tiller (the control piece) moves back and forth and how it is adjusted. Some are not easy to adjust quickly.

This is all I can think of right now that we considered before purchasing. Maybe others will have some more ideas. Good luck! I really am happy with mine and the amount of independence it gives me.

 

[Bete]

If Medicare agrees and you have met their qualifications you will be allowed one mobility unit and that's it on their tab. I found this out recently myself. If you think you will need a power chair in the house eventually you may want to opt for that option, now instead of a scooter. Power chairs can run double the price of a scooter.

There are some portable travel scooters that boast they can handle 350 pounds. One such example is Pride To Go Elite Traveller Plus HD (heavy duty). These are smaller scooters which make them easier to handle then the standard ones. If it's going to be used all the time you may want to opt for a stronger one. Pride has a variety of scooters. Some will have double batteries; so, one charge lasts a while.

 

[honeydiane1953]

I have an ECV and a lift on my car. Here are some photos.

The most important thing if you are going to have any sort of outside carrier is that the carrier will have to be mounted through a trailer hitch and you have to know the capacity of the vehicle. A factory installed hitch is much stronger than aftermarket, and is (a) done correctly and (b) the tow package includes certain engine items stronger than standard. Normally the allowed "tongue weight" is about 10% of the two capacity.

My Ford Edge has a tow capacity of 3,500 pounds and the specifications show a tongue weight of 350 pounds. The combined weight of the lift with the swing-away plus the ECV is 328 pounds, so I am within the allowable weight.

Here is the lift all the way up with the clamp holding the ECV.

Here is the lift just raised a little.

And here is a view of the lift up without the ECV and the swing-away partially open.

I would suggest going to one (or more) local Durable Medical Equipment or mobility suppliers to look at both ECVs and carriers. And if you try to use a vehicle which cannot properly handle a lift and ECV you can do severe damage to the vehicle.

wha is he name of ur scooer/

 

[honeydiane1953]

It sounds like you are asking about buying a scooter, not just renting one for WDW, correct? I am not really familiar with how insurance works, but have you talked to them and to a Mobility supplier to know what your insurance will cover? They may only allow certain ones so you may not have much choice.

You will need one that is able to accommodate higher weights so be sure you pay attention to that. If you get one that lists 300 as the top end of what it can hold then you will have a less performance than one that is able to handle weights higher than that. Speed and battery life will be affected, so be sure that you are looking for ones with the higher capacity.

You want to look at battery life-- how long can they go on one charge? For around the town errands it isn't as big of a deal but for WDW you want to be sure that it will last the entire day.

Also how are the batteries charged? For my scooter the battery comes off and plugs into the charger separately so I just bring the battery in and leave the scooter in my van. For many you have to plug the charger directly into the body of the ECV so you would need to plug it in while it is still on the lift or get it down every time and move it to where you can charge it. If you have a garage that will fit your vehicle and the lift then that it will be easier to just plug it in on the carrier, but if you will have to park outside then that may be more difficult, particularly in bad weather.

Different models have different speeds. While a higher top speed may seem cool, think about if you really need that. When would you actually need/want to go 10mph in it? And how is the speed controlled, by a dial or electronic buttons? I personally prefer the dial because I feel it is easier and more responsive. I had rented one with electronic keys (not sure how to describe it exactly) and hated having to keep pushing up or down every time I needed to change speeds, especially when I needed to do so quickly. But that is just personal preference.

Most important is to try if at all possible to test drive before you buy. I went in set on getting one thing and when I sat in it realized it was very uncomfortable for my needs. This is a huge investment so be sure that it is comfortable and can accommodate all of your needs. You may want to look for one where the seat can swivel sideways to make it easier to get in and out. Think about if you want armrests or not. Check to see how much the tiller (the control piece) moves back and forth and how it is adjusted. Some are not easy to adjust quickly.

This is all I can think of right now that we considered before purchasing. Maybe others will have some more ideas. Good luck! I really am happy with mine and the amount of independence it gives me.

wha is he name of our scooer///

 

[honeydiane1953]

Cheshire and LovetoScrap what is the name of your scooters? For some reason my keyboard froze up. ty sooo much

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Mine is a Pride Celebrity-X.

But I had done a lot of research into both lifts and ECVs. I narrowed down to about six ECVs and two lifts and then sent out a "Request for Proposal" to about ten DME suppliers in the area, asking them for pricing as a "best and final" offer including installation of the lift and which lift and which ECV they were selecting.

Note that if you are also buying a new car (which I did) just about all of the major manufacturers will give you a rebate of the cost of modifying the vehicle for disabled access which is the cost up to $1,000. This is in addition to anything related to the purchase; the modification must be done within a certain number of days of purchase and having a lift install is included.

 

[lovetoscrap]

This is mine: http://www.rascalscooters.com/index.cfm/mobility/products.detail/scooter/Fold-and-Go®-370/id/15

The Rascal Fold and Go. I got it by a resale so I got a great price. However it's weight capacity is 250, and at 220 I am able to tell that there is a reduction in battery life and performance over when I bought it and weighed 200. (holy moley, cant' believe I just published how much I weigh!-- keep this between us, okay )

 

[peemagg]

I have the Pride Go-Go Traveler Elite Plus. I love it!

Thank-you Cheshire for posting the pictures of your lift and scooter on it. On Tuesday I am finally getting one for our van. My health has finally gotten to the point that I cannot lift it anymore. I can't wait for that lift!