Motability Car compatible with powered wheelchair

P4ula

I am posting this on behalf of a friend in case anyone can help:

I hope I am posting this in the right place.

Basically the problem is I need to use a powered wheelchair and need a motability car that a powered wheelchair will lift into in one piece. I mostly have no one with me to assist, so need to be able to hoist in/out without any assistance.

I currently have a Electric Mobility Turnabout 312 which is an ideal chair for me. However the problem I have is that it will not hoist into my current motability car whole. It needs the seat lifting off prior to hoisting the base unit into the car. The lifting off of the seat (and putting it back on) is getting too difficult for me to do alone. This is because the chair with seat folded is too high for my current Focus Estate (the folded chair height is 84cms).

I am due to replace my Motability car imminently and having done some detective work with hoist manufacturers but it seems the only cars my current chair will go into one piece is the Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner/Fiat Doblo, all van based and to be honest not comfortable for me at all.

I am thus willing to buy another powerchair but would like to find out if anyone knows which powerchairs will lift into which vehicles in one piece (or with just taking the headrest off and folding the seat forwards, not lifting the seat off or other heavy 'dismantling')?

Regarding choice of vehicle, I need an automatic, but am not really too bothered about the Advance Payment but obviously the lower AP the better. Re the powerchair needed, range is not too much of a problem as I don't go far from the car, perhaps upto a total of 5 miles or so. I also weight 16 stones so need a relatively powerful chair. A scooter is not an option due to my disabilikty, it must be a wheelchair.

I have looked into the WAV options but they all seem to be for either travelling in the chair in the rear, or even the drive from wheelchair models do still require a second person to use the tie downs, sort out the ramp etc.

Has anyone any ideas which car/powered wheelchair combination would be suitable for me to use alone without having to dismantle the powerchair?

Thanks

Lifeforms

My mum is looking at a vauxhall meriva se as a motorbility car with her powered wheelchair. BUT we're not sure if will actually fit in (wheel chair seat back down for definite though) She's looking at the diesel auto. With out a hoist, but with ramps for her.

We can't check right now because she can't get access to ramps etc, but measurements suggest that it should be possible if it can be turned on the side (due to steering tiller) when it gets in the car.
It may require one of both of the back seats being down however (also removal of the stabilising stubby things at the back may allow it to be straight drive up ramps, park facing forwards, 1 seat down, rather than a turn.) Chair I'm not sure about, but a travel typed chair. HOWEVER prolly one she wouldn't recommend as it has a tendency to veer a little on cambers and pavement drop offs.

I can't really offer you a definite answer, but you could try looking up a vauxhall meriva se and see if it's too van like (supposedly people carrier, but only 5 seats) or if it's a possibility.

Oliver14

Speak to Allied Mobility. They have branches countrywide. They are supplying our WAV vehicle they also though do a lot of adaptations etc to cars to enable wheelchairs to be transported. They will happily talk through all your options about what will suit you for a motability car. Don't be put off by the WAVs on the website they do more than that

http://www.alliedmobility.com/

P4ula

Lifeforms wrote: »

My mum is looking at a vauxhall meriva se as a motorbility car with her powered wheelchair. BUT we're not sure if will actually fit in (wheel chair seat back down for definite though) She's looking at the diesel auto. With out a hoist, but with ramps for her.

We can't check right now because she can't get access to ramps etc, but measurements suggest that it should be possible if it can be turned on the side (due to steering tiller) when it gets in the car.
It may require one of both of the back seats being down however (also removal of the stabilising stubby things at the back may allow it to be straight drive up ramps, park facing forwards, 1 seat down, rather than a turn.) Chair I'm not sure about, but a travel typed chair. HOWEVER prolly one she wouldn't recommend as it has a tendency to veer a little on cambers and pavement drop offs.

I can't really offer you a definite answer, but you could try looking up a vauxhall meriva se and see if it's too van like (supposedly people carrier, but only 5 seats) or if it's a possibility.

Hi,

Thanks, I have passed it on, but I think the problem he would have is with lifting the ramps once the chair is loaded into the car (he would not be able to bend down to lift them up or manoeuvre them by himself). He has tried this option on various cars and is just too difficult for him. Plus then he would need to manoeuvre the ramps to be stored onboard so a no no really. Your mum may need to consider this if she is looking at ramps. Hence he uses an electric hoist to lift the chair in/out so he doesn't have to bend down.

The hoist with balance bar and lifting straps takes about 6 inches of 'headroom' in the boot so the car needs to be high. I know he looked at the new Vauxhall Meriva at the Mobility show in Peterborough but it was a no go sadly. Even the higher Zafera seemed a no go as the roof tapers down quite sharply towards the boot. He measured the zafera with the chap from autochair but that was not high enough for his current chair or what they could recommend at the time.

Thanks anyway.

P4ula

Oliver14 wrote: »

Speak to Allied Mobility. They have branches countrywide. They are supplying our WAV vehicle they also though do a lot of adaptations etc to cars to enable wheelchairs to be transported. They will happily talk through all your options about what will suit you for a motability car. Don't be put off by the WAVs on the website they do more than that

http://www.alliedmobility.com/

I know he has been in contact with Allied as he had a test in their 'drive from wheelchair' Peugeot Impulse using a borrowed powerchair that fitted the car.However being 6ft 3 his head was stuck to the roof! The windscreen eyeline at 48 inches maximum (in the wheelchair) was also a problem. Even the sales gadgy said it was too small for him.

He will give them another ring though to see if they can offer any ideas.

Thanks

Rodders53

Although not a powered wheelchair, my wife has a Ford Galaxy fitted with 4-way hoist (manufactured by Brig-Ayd) and this lifts her mobility scooter (Pride GoGo Elite Traveller Plus 4-wheel) in and out with only the seat back folded down (the arms stay on, the front basket stays on, and tiller is set for use). Difficult to measure accurately but the top of the tiller is over 80cm from the ground although the seat-back folded is significantly less (c.70 cm). The scooter fits in the back of the Galaxy easily leaving space for shopping and the other 5 seats (inc driver) usable.

I'd think a power chair would maybe fit in a Galaxy (it depends on what is 84cm on the chair... and where / how it is attached to the hoist 'spreader bar'? You'd ideally need to find a vehicle with hoist already fitted to try (or a supplier who'd previously tried to fit one to a Galaxy for your chair). It would be pretty tight, though (on height clearance for wheels and floor).

Sadly, even if it's suitable for you, the Galaxy is a £2k advance payment and the hoist will be another £1k or so? Comfort for driver and passenger is very good, though!

why_d

i drive a gmcoachworks Volkswagen Caravelle Nevada

it allows you to either drive from your wheelchair or transfer once your powerchair is inside the car.

it's a great motor with loads of head room as i'm quite tall also

simonkey

You should try jubileemobility.co.uk

simonkey

You should try jubileemobility.co.uk they are Europes biggest stockists of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles and Mobility Cars, Jubilee Automotive Group has over 200 Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles in stock and can adapt to your own needs.

Richie-from-the-Boro

simonkey wrote: »

You should try spam

- that's why we have rules on newbies posting links - spam
- Simon Key Registrant = spam

Richie-from-the-Boro

simonkey wrote: »

You should try spam

- that's why we have rules on newbies posting links - spam
- Simon Key Registrant = spam