WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A MOBILITY SCOOTER
Like many products on the market these days, the quality of mobility scooters can vary considerably. Here are a few things to check when purchasing your next mobility scooter.
Power – Mobility Scooter Climbing Grade
Ensure you check the climbing grade of the mobility scooter, particularly if you intend to use the device throughout hilly terrain. Electric mobility scooters can vary in motor power and torque considerably. Some smaller mobility scooters may have a climbing grade of aboutn 8 degrees, where as larger more powerful mobility scooters may have a climbing grade of up to 15 degrees.
Mobility Scooter Carrying Capacity
Ensure the mobility scooter has the appropriate carrying capacity for your weight and always remember to include the weight of any extras you may include such as shopping, accessories or even your pet!
Mobility Scooter Chair – Comfort & Adjustability
Mobility scooter chairs can range from being very basic right through to including many additional features. When looking for a mobility scooter, it’s important to ensure the chair also suits your needs. Features of mobility scooter chairs may include:
· Adjustable head rest;
· Adjustable back rest;
· Adjustable arms, both up and down (for easier access) and in & out;
· Forward & back seat track system;
· 180 degree or 360 degree Swivel seat (for easier access);
· Accessory point at the back (refer Accessory Options paragraph below);
· Raising and lowering the seat to suit your height.
Your comfort is important, so ensure you can appropriately drive the mobility scooter and reach the controls from your natural sitting position without over stretching yourself.
Mobility Scooter Steering Column
The steering column (or tiller) is another component of the mobility scooter that is used each and every time you drive your scooter, so it’s important that it is set up to suit your own needs. Ensure the mobility scooter you purchase has an adjustable tiller. This adjustment combined with an adjustable seat will assist you to determine the most comfortable position to drive your electric mobility scooter in. Always ensure you can reach all the scooter controls easily, and check your arms are relaxed (not stretched), when steering your scooter.
Mobility Scooter to Height Ratio
Your height may have a bearing on the type of electric mobility scooter that suits your needs. If you are very tall, you may find that you feel cramped when attempting to drive a smaller mobility scooter and if you are shorter, then you may find that you are stretching to touch the mobility scooter floor, or possibly may not be able to touch the floor at all.
When selecting your electric mobility scooter, ensure you can rest your feet firmly on the floor of the device when in the comfortable sitting position. Remember, you may be using your mobility scooter for long durations, so it is vital you feel comfortable when seated in the mobility scooter.
Mobility Scooter Night Driving and Lighting
You may need to carefully consider if you will be using your mobility scooter at night, and if so, select a mobility scooter that includes lighting. Head lights and parking lights are often available in mobility scooters. Some mobility scooter are installed with standard lighting, where as others may include LED lighting.
Mobility Scooter Indicators & Hazard Lights
Indicators are an excellent way to tell people around you what you plan to do, especially if you are in built up areas such as shopping centres or busy streets.
Hazard lights can be very helpful if for some reason you may need assistance when using your mobility scooter. Similarly to cars, when the hazard button on a scooter is pressed, all blinkers flash concurrently.
Horn & Reversing Sound
Just like head lights, indicators and hazard lights, another important safety feature for mobility scooters is to have alert sounds. Not all mobility scooters have this function, however when you consider using a mobility scooter in a crowded street or shopping centre, you will start to understand that this feature can be very useful. Horns & reversing beepers can be very useful to let someone know that you trying to get past them or if you need to reverse your mobility scooter in a tight crowded location.
Mobility Scooter Ground Clearance
Depending on where you live, your local environment or what you plan to use your mobility scooter for, the mobility scooter ground clearance can make a difference to navigating your desired location appropriately.
In shopping centres, many retirement villages and aged care facilities, the ground clearance for a mobility scooter may not be a significant factor, however if you plan to navigate through parks, across cracked or broken pathways, up & down steep curbs, ground clearance may need to be considered carefully.
Mobility Scooter Anti Tip Wheels
Most mobility scooters have anti-tip wheels installed. These are two small wheels generally located along the back on the mobility scooter near the chassis, typically between the back wheels. These wheels are designed to assist the mobility scooter in some cases to avoid it from tipping over and to assist to get through some undulating conditions.
Mobility Scooter Free Wheel Functionality
If at some point you need to move your scooter without running the motor, you will have a lot of difficulty unless the electric brake is disengaged. The electric brake is usually engaged on your scooter when the scooter is in the stop position, even when your scooter is off.
Ensure the mobility scooter you purchase has a manual level to disengage the electric brake to allow you to move the electric mobility scooter freely. You may need to use this function for example, if you got a flat tyre or possibly run out of battery. In any case, it’s worth checking that the next mobility scooter you purchase has this function. All Scooter Smart outdoor mobility scooters carry this feature.
Some mobility scooters even include an extra free wheel button, typically located at the steering column to make it easier to disengage the electric brake on the mobility scooter. Generally the manual lever is located near the brake itself, making it difficult for some people to access. The extra free wheel button can make it much easy to manoeuvre a mobility scooter when loading it on a trailer or if you had a flat tyre.
Mobility Scooter Accessory Options
There are so many different mobility scooter accessories you can purchase these days. Everyone is different and many of us have different needs, so you will find a large range of accessories available to suit your needs too.
Mobility scooter accessories vary from:
· Mobility scooter awnings;
· Mobility scooter cup holders;
· Mobility scooter front baskets;
· Mobility scooter rear bags;
· Mobility scooter rear view mirrors;
· Mobility scooter walking stick holders;
· Mobility scooter oxygen tank holders;
· Mobility scooter seat belts;
· Mobility scooter safety flags;
· Mobility scooter protective dust covers.
Some mobility scooter sellers such as Scooter Smart may be able to custom make accessories to suit your specific needs.
Many mobility scooter accessories will utilise an inbuit bracket at the rear of your chair. Ensure the mobility scooter you purchaes has an accessories bracket built into the rear of the char to make it easier for you to connect any needed mobility scooter accessories.