#mobility scooters

[high-quality-tiktoks]

I turned my mobility scooter into a Pirate Ship. It features over 1000 LED lights. 8 firing cannons with smoke, lights, and sound. A talking score on the back with the Disney and Pirates of the Caribbean ride soundtrack. Plus more.

[crippleprophet]

Hi! I'm considering a mobility scooter and have followed you for a while and wanted to get any advice/tips you had on choosing one! I have no cluewwhere to start except I know I need leg room (tall) and ideally want to carry my forearm crutches with me. I recall you mentioning a spreadsheet perhaps? Thanks in advance!!

hi, tysm for reaching out, i hope some of this is helpful! i use(d) the pride mobility go go sport 3-wheel scooter (i still own it, i just only leave the house for doctor's appointments these days, so i take my rollator). a friend of mine during my MA who was using a manual wheelchair with active assist (like, the motor thing that helps on hills) had previously used the same model of scooter. it's a popular one because of the brand, price, compact size, comparatively longer battery life.

i chose a 3-wheel scooter because i'm 5'9" and i knew i would want to extend my legs on either side of the front wheel, with my feet hanging off the front end of the scooter. that worked well for me at the time, but there are definitely times when my leg strength is not compatible with that.

i have knee pain that's worse with bending, which is why i chose a mobility scooter over a manual wheelchair with active assist or a powerchair where i'd be sitting up. i'd used a powerchair with leg supports where my legs could be fully extended, & the back support was a huge plus, but to me the mobility scooter had more space to put my stuff: the basket, bungee corded to the back, & on the platform at my feet.

using my mobility scooter regularly while living in a "walking" university campus & then next to a city center absolutely transformed my life & is the only reason i finished my bachelor's, much less my master's. but the repair issues i experienced with my scooter were devastating to my quality of life. i don't think there's any right or wrong answers, i'm just hoping to give some prompts that help people figure out what they want/need!

one thing to consider for your life is whether you could / want to use a scooter that doesn't disassemble. i was stuck walking to class with my cane for a couple months when my scooter started stalling out dangerously — including in the middle of a crosswalk while the light changed — because the connection point between two pieces got fucked up by bumpy cobblestone pavement, meaning it couldn't get the electricity from place to place. a mechanic got it mostly functional, but i'm still nervous, and if i were well enough to leave the house regularly, i'd be evaluating whether it would be feasible to get a scooter that doesn't disassemble (and it might not be). if i could tell my past self what i know now, i definitely would've considered a scooter that doesn't disassemble during my initial search.

some questions to consider when determining whether you want a scooter that does or doesn't disassemble (in addition to the spreadsheet factors i list later):

where will you be using it? if you plan to use your scooter on a university campus or "walkable" community long-term, you might not need the option of disassembly. if you plan to regularly take the scooter in a car, it might be easier for it to disassemble.

what vehicles are available to you? taking an uber with your scooter or using a small or midsize car is probably only feasible with a scooter that disassembles. a wheelchair van, a truck with a large bed + access to a ramp, or a vehicle with a trailer hitch that can pull the scooter on a trailer bed could probably accommodate a scooter that doesn't disassemble.

what type of surfaces will you drive on? every connection point between pieces is a potential point of damage when the scooter is absorbing heavy forces, such as from a bumpy road. if you plan to predominantly use the scooter indoors or on smooth pavement, those points of weakness are probably irrelevant. if you plan to use the scooter on cobblestone, rough pavement, or "off-roading," consider one that doesn't disassemble.

do you have a budget for repairs after you buy the scooter? would you be able to afford a new scooter if the first one becomes damaged beyond repair or is too unreliable for you to trust, or would you be stuck without the aid you need (the issue i experienced)?

i also switched to predominantly wearing my knee compression sleeves when i was using my mobility scooter and not planning to have to walk much, if at all. KT tape probably would've functioned similarly.

i took a foldable cane alongside my backpack in the front basket, & bungee-corded a foldable lap desk to the back, which i used to put my feet on in class so my knees didn't bend too much. i had a sciatica/sacroiliac support cushion on top of the mobility scooter seat, which added to the height, and i'd stay in my scooter, rotate the chair 90 degrees, and put my feet on the lap desk on the floor. i propped my laptop on a nearby desk or my scooter handlebars (with the key taken out).

my impulse is that you could bungee-cord your forearm crutches to the scooter, i would just experiment with this in a safe place if possible. it would probably involve either threading the bungee cord through a complete arm cuff or wrapping it around the joint of a partial arm cuff...

here's a copy of the spreadsheet i used, feel free to copy it however & wherever!

mobility scooter specs

mobility scooter specs

the factors i considered were:

plane (length) – what are the dimensions of the scooter when assembled?

turn radius – compared to my environment, will i be able to make turns? (eg into & out of my apartment, office, classroom, etc) in classrooms with movable seating, i would sometimes have to rearrange things. for very small rooms/offices, i would park my scooter in the hall & take the key inside with me.

weight – for my life circumstances: how much does the heaviest piece weigh? can i lift that myself to disassemble the scooter? can my husband lift that from the ground into the car trunk? is it a reasonable weight to ask an uber driver to lift for a fairly compensating tip?

disassembly information – how many pieces? what is the disassembly process like? are there written and/or video instructions? is there a time estimate? are tools required? does any aspect of disassembly look inaccessible to me?

distance on a full charge – this is calculated under ideal circumstances: a flat, indoor surface. on less even ground & any sort of incline, this distance sharply decreases. keep this in mind and try to travel on a full charge, carrying a charger with you, if you're going uphill. there is a maximum incline at which the scooter will just stall out

maximum speed – this is also lower on an incline, although i never experienced the same level of issues

price – will you have a prescription? insurance coverage? is the scooter available directly to consumers, or only via medical equipment providers? are there secondhand options? if so, how does that affect warranty? would they require repairs?

ground clearance – how much of an elevation change can the scooter handle; how much of a "bump" can it go up when two sections of sidewalk are different heights. under most circumstances look for around 3-4" ground clearance. there were a couple of places where i would have to lift the back of the scooter to clear a big bump, something else to consider when thinking about the weight

other details – warranty, how many years does the battery last before replacement, consumer reviews, availability of repair information, weight capacity (this might mean the scooter still functions but is out of warranty), is it a non-lithium battery (this is the type allowed on airplanes)

feel free to send me another ask or DM if you have any other questions or there's anything else i can do! i leave you with the wisdom of my first disability studies professor, who used a mobility scooter prior to her powerchair: run people over. with my blessing. 💓

[you-sir-box]

Comments: vroom vroom

[Image ID: A userbox with a green border and a light green background. In the left side box is clipart of a yellow and blue mobility scooter. In a dark green font, it reads "This user likes [prns] mobility scooter." /End ID.]

[disabilityhorizons]

Rising Deaths on The Roads In UK for Scooter Users

Mobility scooter fatalities in the UK are rising. Learn why campaigners are pushing for Highway Code updates and how to stay safe on the roads.

[iamyouknow-yours]

I've seen a few people trying to decide between getting a mobility scooter and an electric wheelchair.

Mobility scooters are cheaper but both are expensive. I'm gonna tell you about my scooter and my experience with it. I have the CTM HS-115 scooter. She is red and has 3 wheels. I'll include photos at the end plus a bonus photo of my cat sitting on it.

Things:

The turning circle!!! My house has narrow passages and it can be quite difficult to maneuver the scooter because of the turning circle. Especially when I'm having a bad brain fog day. I have gotten better at maneuvering though.

Wheelchairs have a turning circle of themselves. My scooter has one that is I think around a metre? I don't remember, my memory is bad.

Also it has this really annoying function where it can't be pushed even on pushing mode if it isn't on perfectly flat ground because the automatic braking system kicks in.

I'd also have a look at the amount of rise any mobility aid you are looking at can go over because when entering inaccessible buildings (like my house, I have to lift it up/get someone else to lift it for me.

Some of these problems would not be fixed by getting not a mobility scooter but some would.

My back sometimes hurts if I'm in it for a while (because the back rest is not very tall) but I've fixed this by having a cushion and remembering to lean back all the way.

To be clear though I love my scooter. She is very useful and has loads of benefits.

And I don't know any of the downsides of a power chair because I have no lived experience with one.

She can go on pretty rough terrain. She's pretty sturdy. I've taken her to the park near my house and round my friend's garden. As well as more obvious places like the mall.

Only time I've had an issue was when I went to this very hilly place where the ground sloped to the side and then she didn't want to brake.

The driving system means I can switch which hand I use plus my friend can walk next to me and maneuver me.

There's enough space by my feet that I can put my backpack there too.

It's fit in every car I've tried it in with just regular disassembly. Except my friend's dad's two seater car but then he disassembled it more using Tools™ and it fit.

It has good battery life, it hasn't run out on me.

The system for viewing how much battery you have left is bad though. It has 3 lights (red, orange, green) and supposedly the green turns off then the orange then the red and it's dead. But me and my friends can never figure out which lights are on and which are off.

It has a blue warning light which flashes in various sequences when something is wrong. I've had the scooter for several months and have never had it flash.

Fastest speed is 6km/h which is like someone jogging.

I got them to remove the beeping it makes when it reverses because that was Terrible.

The only customisation I've done to mine so far is put stickers that tell me which direction (forwards or backwards) the controls make it go. Because it's the opposite on the left and right. Which makes it easier if you want to swap hands or have a friend maneuver you but I need the stickers to tell me which way to push or pull the lever.

I am looking for ideas on how to customise her so please give suggestions. If anyone has suggestions on how to make the back rest taller that would be so appreciated.

Please include your own advice in the reblogs/replies. Looking forward to advice for future wheelchair users who need it.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhADVL2AiGX-gwr9ekt_SJC-UcURkXCOP

That's a playlist from the british youtuber Jessica Kellgren-Fozard. It's 4 videos of her trying out and picking a mobility aid. Includes useful advice and tips. And then 1 excellent video talking about mobility aids and "giving up". That video was quite useful in convincing various family members that that was not what I was doing by getting my scooter.

My scooter's name is Atalanta after the woman from Greek mythology who could run faster than any man. I think I'm very funny.

My cane is in the background of some of the photos because I rest it next to my scooter.

[goingdowntocowtown]

ok so i've seen mobility scooters modelled after motorbikes before (and theyre cool as fuck) but today i present this:

i genuinely dont know how i feel about it

[ID: a blue 4-wheel mobility scooter designed to look like a '57 chevy pickup. it looks a bit like one of those miniature car rides you see outside supermarkets, for children to play on. text at the top reads "eden champion/ vintage pickup". end ID]

[petterwass]

Lady Inquisitor Fyodora Karamazova

[clatterbane]

I was actually just talking some with one of the roommates, who was suggesting that I should also look into getting use of a scooter once I can finally go home, with as much as it's helped her get around.

It really is crap funny in a way, I've had to think many times lately.

With the level of mobility and pain/fatigue problems I've been having for longer than I care to think about now? I have repeatedly thought that using some sort of (preferably motorized) wheeled mobility aid would help me immensely with just trying to get out and live.

If anyone else were the next thing to housebound due to issues like that? I would totally recommend that they look into mobility aid options.

For me, though? I had a hard time justifying the cost to myself, and was honestly not sure if I had the spoons available to either try to arrange something or--frustratingly--to deal with getting treated in public the way especially culturally fat people using chairs/scooters too often do get treated.

One of the things helping keep me at home already sometimes was burnout with the relatively high chances of harassment out in public here already, alongside all the horrible shit my body was doing. I just did not have the energy to deal with both at the same time.

Not a great situation all around, no. But, it was what it was. All of this also almost feels like a previous life now, in an odd way. One where I was also dealing with more longterm situational depression than I could fully realize at the time, which...made nothing else easier. I ended up blaming myself way too much as things got worse than they ever should have been allowed to, basically.

Anyway, whether I ever intended to or not? I've got at least a manual wheelchair now! I can get something motorized if I want to! Any ableist randos who want to behave badly in public can kiss my "wrong"-shaped foreign queer ass!

And I am really looking forward to being able to get around better again than I have in years.

Or, at least as far as the frustrating current pandemic situation will allow for the foreseeable future. 😒

Even just being able to go to the store right up the street with less pain and fatigue would be priceless.