Using a mobility scooter or power chair means you have to have a way to transport it with you when you ride in a vehicle. There are a variety of options available to help you transport your scooter either inside your vehicle or outside it. Even if you have a scooter that breaks down for travel, the convenience of a lift can come in handy when you’d prefer to leave your scooter intact and ready to go. Choosing the right lift means more convenience. As a general rule, the more you pay for a lift, the more of the work it does for you.
Manual Lifts
Manual lifts, also called hand-operated lifts, are an economical choice. These cost less than electric lifts but do require a little manual labor. These lifts come with a ramp that you lower to load the mobility scooter onto them. They attach to a trailer hitch, so you’ll want to make sure the model you’re interested in works with the type of hitch you have on your vehicle, as not all models work with all types of hitches.
You should also consider whether the cost savings is enough to warrant the manual operation of the lift. Someone a bit unsteady might have trouble lowering and lifting a steel ramp, for instance, and loading the scooter onto the lift. In that case, a model with a steel frame and undercarriage for sturdiness but a lighter weight, aluminum ramp will probably be much easier to manage. Someone with hand mobility issues may want to avoid this type of lift altogether and opt for one that does more of the work.
Electric Lifts
There are two basic kinds of electric lifts available: drive-on lifts and swing-arm or boom lifts. Drive-on lifts work much like a manual lift. These transport the mobility scooter on the back of the vehicle or lift it inside the vehicle. These lifts are ideal for people who want to avoid lowering and lifting a ramp and loading the scooter by hand. Instead, they offer drive-on convenience. Simply drive the scooter onto the lift and it automatically raises it off the ground and locks it in place behind the vehicle, or lifts it into the back or side door of the vehicle. This is one of the most convenient lifts you can buy, because it’s as fast and easy as driving your scooter on any surface.
Boom lifts use a swing-arm to lift the scooter into a vehicle or into the bed of a truck. As with the other lifts, it’s necessary to make sure the lift you choose can support the weight of your particular scooter. Some models are more heavy-duty than others and can handle 300 to 400 pounds, or more. These can typically be installed inside a trunk or cargo area of a vehicle, or they can be freestanding outside the vehicle. They lift the scooter automatically and allow it to be moved, via the arm, into the vehicle or truckbed.
Another option is a pull-behind trailer which can allow you to take a scooter along even with the smallest compact car. Loading is manual, so it might not be the best option for people with hand and upper-body mobility issues.