Power scooters

General
1

Hey to all, been a long time since I been on here been busy with some difficult decisions on being sacked due to health, and writing an autobiography with ataxia which hopefully get published.

Anyway…

Need some advice, I am 23 and latly started to use a walking stick but when I go out to shops or to do photography I can’t go far it drains me. So I was thinking of getting a mobility scooter for the boot of my car just incase, but I am a bit worried you dont see many young people use them so not sure if they do any scooters for young people and easy to dismantle.

Danny

2

They don't really do scooters for a specific age.

You either get very light scooters for car boots or mid or really big ones.

It's more important to get a scooter designed for its purpose depending what you use it for.

I need a bigger one as its used for dog walking over fields, hilly terrain everyday in all weathers. If you want it to fit in a car boot you need to look at the ones designed for that purpose.

How far do you usually go when you go out? you'd need to take that into consideration for battery range.

Don't forget when it gives you a distance they are tested on flat ground with light users. If you'll be going up and down an outdoor shopping precinct with kerbs, uneven pavement, hills it will all use more battery.

Your own weight will affect what range you get out of it and that applies to all scooters and power chairs, typically kids get more range from their powerchairs than adults do for example. Looking for a scooter with an heavier user weight maximum will give you better range too.

Good Luck

Kati

3

Hi Danny,

Try seeking advice from an Adult Community Rehabilitation Team in your locality:

http://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/services/community-health/community-rehabilitation-teams.htm

They should be able to help and with a referral from your GP they can also offer you physio/speech and occupational therapy, as well as counselling.

Good luck with the book!

Mark

4

Hi Danny

Ive just got a portable scooter and a road scooter and there wwas a lot of younger people at the Dorchester Showon a scooter.I felt much better.I got my portable scooter off e bay.I like seeing your new hobby on my fcebook site.My new hobby is going out on my road scooter.i go exploring for miles which you cant do walking.

Marie

5

Kati's advice is good and solid on scooters.

6

I have two scooters one big for local use and one smaller for the car. But make sure the scooter fits in your car boot as my husband found at first it was like a jigsaw fitting it in, until you get the hang of it. Where I bought it from the man showed us the best way it fits, I wouldn't be without either of mine, young or old they are very handy, I would be housebound if it wasn't for mine,

Good luck. and tell me how you get on. Carol.

7

Hi Danny and all,

I was in the first lot of redundancies when the company I worked for was going downhill a few years ago. To be fair, I was allowed to return to work on light duties but could not get back to fitness for my usual job of lugging large wooden beams about! So, I know how hard it can be to continue after loosing a job - especially where our own health is a key issue. I hope it does not get at you too much.

I'm in a kind of on off loop at the moment! I have started a short story that I intend to have a character in it that has ataxia! The story is really just something for myself and not really for general consumption and I am not really serious about it as such. So, good luck with your autobiography - let us know if you get it published! :)

As for the scooter, do not worry about the 'age thing'.

As some have suggested, try to find a local authority support group or team as they will more than likely be able to help. You could also try CAB. If or when you get a scooter, try asking around about for any recommendations for local mobility businesses if you can. I used the same firm as my parents but also politely asked some mobility scooter users around town for help!

Distance is always an issue with scooters! You may see promotional material saying a scooter covers as much as 30 miles on a full charge. I most cases you should take at least a third off the promoted range - I find my mobility dealer very trustworthy and he told me that. Remember the range stated is from a full charge with best batteries, minimum weight, no accessories or shopping etc and not taking hills or browsing round shops or even winding routes or such!

Something else to take into account is that there are quite a lot of different scooters out there and you will need to find one suitable for you in relation to size and speed. The two main types of scooter available are 4mph models and 8mph models - 4mph are pavement use only (except where you need to cross the road etc) 8mph are usually road worthy models and tend to be a bit larger.

WARNING: Do not be tempted to buy a scooter that will exceed 8mph as those scooters are illegal in the UK. (NO, really! This can be verified online but I do not have the link at hand.)

Remember an 8mph model will need to be taxed for road use (this is free in UK) and insured likewise. It is a good idea to insure and have any mobility scooter serviced regular (once a year) as repairs can be expensive and any accident involving others can lead to real problems if not insured.

As for packing a scooter in a car boot, you should maybe consider a smaller (4mph) model specifically designed for this. My 8mph scooter is one of the smaller ones and can be taken apart for transport but it is not realistically designed for doing so - I have a Shoprider Cadiz that is a nippy little thing but I would not like to even try to put it in a car boot.

On a full charge, my scooter can get me to the next town away - about 3 miles uphill, around a shop and back home - any further is tempting fate!

I hope you find a good balanced scooter that is suitable for your needs.

8

6mph midi scoters are also available , they are usually not as big as the 8mph ones if you need something in between due to parking space restrictions or needing to fit it in the house somewhere.

9

Right first of all thank you for all your replies and my responces are below.

Kati - thanks for the info, i am looking for a boot one that is used on a occassion as i can walk with walking stick at the moment. so the scooter would be if i went walking or out and about that needed me to walk for more then 50m.

Marie - hey, didnt relise you were on here as well. i am glad my pictures bring you enjoyment even if some of them are bad and require to be laughed at. hope you are well.

Mark - Thank you but disability action is a big thing for me they have set up speech, physio, OT. but that website might still come in handy so thank you.

micheal- Your the first person who has picked up the issue from going employed to unemployed, because i am struggling big time to the point where bad thoughts sometimes seem the easier option out. Going from money, busy, friends (work colleagues) to having no money, lots and lots of time, to much i am going crazy and bored there is only so much video games i can play. but the biggest not meeting no one not getting out, the hope of ever finding a partner or close friends has just became completly impossible with hardly meeting any new people. the book you did sounds good, sometimes writing is a form of expressing some feelings. I have high hopes for this autobiography, i have professional proof readers on stand by etc the hardest thing will be to able to afford to get it pubblish, whether its self pubblish or not.

it is not the first time i herd that scooters above 8mph is illegal, every time i hear that it makes me chuckle. thank you for all your advice on scooters, i wont be going far on them so 4mph should be fine. I HAVE SEEN THE ONCE THAT ARE LIKE A TALL CHAIR THAT ARE FAST, SOMETHING LIKE THAT

10

Actually Powertrikes do 15mph they are attachments that fit onto a manual chair to turn it into a trike but it makes it alot longer and the attachment is heavy and difficult to attach/detach (for me anyway as a small unco-ordinated female!... lol)

Here's some small ones to give you an idea.

http://www.goactivemobility.co.uk/c-3-lightweight-travel-mobility-scooters.aspx

but the best thing to do.. if you have car and get to a mobility warehouse near you go try some and then you can see how easy or hard they are to take apart and which ones' fit best in your car boot, but if you browse through these it may give you an idea what to ask for.

Good luck!