Mobility Lifts: Choosing One for Your Vehicle

Mobility lifts are designed to give handicapped individuals more freedom and independence and to allow their families the ability to transport them and their wheelchair or scooter anywhere they need to go without it being a hardship. These lifts can mean the difference between taking trips to see relatives and enjoying time with friends and family or staying home and feeling trapped in the house. Additionally, many handicapped people continue to drive and simply need a means of getting their wheelchair of scooter into their vehicle and having the vehicle outfitted with the necessary changes that give them the continued option of driving. The first thing the disabled person needs to do is choose from the many different types of mobility lifts the one that will meet their needs.

The first point to consider when looking at mobility lifts is the weight of the scooter or electric wheelchair. Many of these are much heavier than lifts were first designed for and require the use of newer platform mobility lifts. Platform lifts are reinforced designs that are created to hold heavier weights. Many of the platform lifts have a remote control option that allows them to be used without any additional assistance. The lift is lowered with the remote control; you drive up onto it and then use the remote to lift yourself up to the vehicle door. These mobility lifts are quite large and require larger vehicles such as full -size vans for installation.

Swing lifts are types of mobility lifts that are used on smaller vehicles such as cars and pickup trucks. An arm and a hoist make up the swing lift and are used for loading and unloading the scooter or wheelchair. Swing lifts are mounted on the exterior of the vehicle and give you more freedom in loading and unloading your chair or scooter. You can also get swing lifts that are fully electric like the platform lifts and allow you to operate it on your own.

The type of lift you choose for your mobility lift will depend on many different factors such as how much money you have to spend on the lift. You also need to decide whether or not you plan on outfitting your current vehicle or purchasing a vehicle with a lift and whether or not you are going to drive the vehicle or simply be a passenger and need a way to transport your scooter. The answers to these questions and others will ultimately lead you to the right mobility lift for your needs.