10 years TravelScoot electric mobility scooter
Folding mobility scooter TravelScoot

Important Points When Deciding to Purchase a Mobility Aid

Walking disabilities exist in various forms, and there is no mobility aid that fits them all. That’s why it is important to think about one’s situation, now and for the next few years, and assess what one can still do and what one needs. This may very likely be something one doesn’t want to face.

It is important to consider whether one is going to be by oneself or if a partner is going to help with daily tasks, including loading and unloading a mobility aid.

If you can no longer walk or stand, a mobility scooter is probably not the right choice for you; you will probably require a power-wheelchair. If you can still walk a short distance, than you almost certainly do not want to sit in a wheelchair, and an electric mobility scooter may be in your future. Here’s a few facts:

Transporting luggage

You will probably need to transport groceries or luggage at some point. We recommend determining what accessories are available for this purpose.

Drivelines

All vehicles with more than two wheels require that the drive wheels speeds are synchronized to allow turning. This is normally accomplished by a differential located between the motor and the drive wheels. This leads to a substantial weight increase in electric mobility vehicles. To avoid this weight gain (as well as significant costs) many manufacturers of three-wheeled scooters choose to power only the front wheel, willingly accepting several, often detrimental drawbacks.

Rider weight distribution is about two-thirds onto the rear wheels and only about one-third to the front. On level, dry and grippy surfaces this may be adequate. However, on inclines the center of gravity shifts aft and further reduces the already marginal contact of the front drive wheel. The result is a slippage, which is only gets worse on wet and slippery surfaces.

A further disadvantage of front-wheel drive

Most damage occurs as a result of carelessness such as hitting a curb or other obstruction. This usually results in damage to the front end of the scooter, and if that’s where the drive is located it can get expensive.

Tires

To save a significant amount of weight and to improve comfort the vast majority of vehicles have been equipped with pneumatic tires for years. Unfortunately this risks an occasional flat tire. Lighter-duty tires such as bicycles and scooters face this much more often. From one moment to the next you become either a (pushing) pedestrian, or, in the case of someone with mobility problems, stranded, plain and simple. For just this reason, solid or foam-filled tires are used by the many e-mobility devices. However, because total weight is a major selling point of electric mobility scooters, numerous manufacturers prefer the marketing value of this weight saving over the utility value to their customers.

Three- or four-wheeled electric scooters

If you are quite frail, the latter (4-wheeled scooter) may be the better choice. 4-wheeled scooters generally are considered more stable in curves, but this depends on track width. A narrow 4-wheeler can tip over more easily than a wide 3-wheeler. The decisive drawbacks of 4-wheeled scooter are the significantly higher weight and the relatively wide turning radius. These scooters often require custom vehicles and/or lifting devices for transportation.

Decisive disadvantages of the four-wheel scooters are:

  • a much higher weight
  • a relatively wide turning circle

Please note: To transport four-wheel scooters in a car or van, you often need special vehicles and / or lifting devices.

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3-wheeled electric mobility scooters are the choice for people who’s feet don’t want to play along but who are otherwise in fairly good shape. Walking disabilities are often accompanied by trouble lifting, and thus, low weight of any mobility aid is of paramount importance.

There is a wide selection of 3-wheeled mobility scooters, and more than a few advertise as being the "lightest", even though they are anything but. One popular advertising ploy is to minimize, obfuscate, downplay, disregard or omit entirely the rather substantial battery weight.

mobility scooter with 3 wheels

TravelScoot customer loads the electric vehicle into the trunk of the car.

Do a lifting test before buying an E-mobile

That is why you should examine the manufacture’s / dealer’s weight specifications closely, and ask when something is unclear. It is also a good idea to try lifting the scooter, such as in and out of a car.

If you have to make your purchase decision from home, you might try simulating the scooter weight by placing a similar load on a chair and lifting it.

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