Need answers to your mobility questions?? Want to know the latest in Assistive Technology? Would you like to learn money saving tips on how to purchase your next van, scooter or lift? Get these answers and more from “The Mobile Lifestyle Advisor” brought to you by Disabled Dealer of Virginia and West Virginia. This monthly column might make you roll with laughter, cringe with fear, or jump for joy, but it guarantees to produce solutions that you can take to the bank. So “Let’s Get Rolling”. Q. Can you tie down a scooter in a van or only a wheelchair? Carolyn M. - VA
A. Carolyn you have a good question which I will answer in two parts. Yes you can tie down a scooter just like a wheelchair. If your vehicle is equipped with four way restraints, (most all accessible vans have to be) then you can use those same restraints to hold down a scooter. There are also special scooter hold downs made to grip the rear wheels and prevent it from moving while inside a vehicle. NOW for the second part! It is NOT recommended that you ride the scooter while it is tied down inside a moving vehicle. To my knowledge no testing has been completed to certify a scooter with rider in the event of a crash. Unlike wheelchairs, you will not find suitable tie down locations on scooters. Safety is always paramount when an occupant is riding in a vehicle, tie down the empty scooter but transfer to a seat for riding.
Q. I am looking for a van for the nursing home to use to carry my Mother to and from her appointments. I have found a used unit that is in my price range but it has the kneel system removed. Is this an important option for my use? Ellen S.-WV
A. Most residents in nursing homes use manual chairs for convenience (they collapse and are easy to store in a smaller room). Assuming that your Mom has a manual chair and that the van you are looking at has a lower floor, then with proper assistance your Mom can enter the van without the need for the van to kneel. The key is for your Mom to have assistance both to push her up the ramp which is steeper than normal because the van is higher and also to make sure she does not tip backward while going up the ramp. Kneeling systems were designed to lower the degree of incline of the ramp making it easy for manual chair users to roll up. Most power chair users do not really need the kneel system because most chairs are designed to track up steeper degrees of ramps with ease. Your real concern is to find out WHY the kneeling system was removed and DOES IT HINDER THE SUSPENSION. Most older van conversions had air kneel suspension systems. A quick fix for a leaking system was to unhook the air relief valve and compressor so the van would not kneel. However, because the suspension system was piped into the same air lines you want to make sure the van does not leak down after sitting for several days. This could present a larger problem with undercarriage damage from low ground clearance. If the unit had a mechanical kneel system then it may have been unhooked because of the high cost of repair or it may have been removed altogether. In either case it would not present a problem with the intended use that you have for the van. Again, buyers beware, try it out and have an independent mobility dealer check out the system before you pay your money.
Q. There was a used Rollx van in last month’s magazine for a very low price. When I ask my Mobility Dealer about it he warned me that only Rollx would work on it and that they were in Minnesota. Is this the truth? Sarah S.-VA
A. No Sarah it is not!! Rollx is a National company that sales and services their product throughout the United States. Now, you will NOT FIND A LOCAL OR STATE DEALER, this is not how the company works. Instead they ship or drive vans directly to the customer. If service is required the web site says they will dispatch a qualified technician to help you, find a qualified repair facility to work with you or work with your preferred repair shop. Mobility dealers around the country frown on working with Rollx for various reasons; however I am hearing that more Mobility Dealers are open to working with the vehicles especially since you are seeing used units for sale on other dealers’ lots. The main point is making sure you have service after the sale. Peace of mind in knowing that your van will be professionally maintained, thus making it last longer, is a key purchasing requirement. Thanks for the question
