Heavy duty scooters can be either three or four wheeled scooters and have larger wheels, batteries and wheelbases for stability and longer endurance. They are intended to get people around outdoors and negate the need for a vehicle in many cases.
This variety of scooter also have much higher weight capacities than the other scooters on the market. Although the midsized scooters are pretty good on out door terrains and will have fairly high weight capacities the scooters on this web page are even more stable, powerful and substantial.
Although four wheeled scooters are better in rough terrain due to their stability there are situations where a person who needs a heavy duty scooter may need the manoeuvrability of a three wheel model.
Heavy duty scooters are available in both three and four wheeled and will often have some sort of suspension to make the rider more comfortable when traveling on rougher surfaces. Heavy duty scooters are the pretty much the largest scooter on the market that can still be considered a mobility device and will have quite high weight capacities compared to all the other types of scooters.
These heavy duty scooters range in weight from about 170 lbs. for a three wheeld model and 230 lbs. to 350 lbs. for the four wheelers and have the capacity to carry 400 lbs. to 500 lbs. depending on the scooter model. While the weight capacities stated by the manufacturer are safe, the overall performance of the scooter in terms of speed and range will be negatively affected by a heavier user.
When the manufacturer talks about weight capacities they are not only talking about the weight of the rider. Included in the capacity will also include anything carried on the scooter by the rider. A user who weighs 350 lbs. and carries 100 lbs. of groceries or other items will exceed the capacity of a scooter rated for 400lbs.
The three wheel heavy duty scooters will be aound 25" wide and 46" long while the four wheel outdoor scooters can be anywhere from 24" to 26" wide with the odd model reaching 31" and in the neighborhood of 48" to 64" long. The wider the scooter, the more stable it will be during turns and on uneven surfaces and the longer the scooter, the more accommodating it will be for long legged people.
Heavy duty scooters have heavy duty seats with good padding and are intended for longer term comfort than the smaller scooters. The arms will flip back out of the way for transfers and the backrests will usually fold down when not in use to make them easier to lift and store. Most models of outdoor scooter will have a swivel seat for easier transfers and have some seat height adjustment.
Pretty much all scooters run on a pair of 12 volt batteries wired to give 24 volts of power to the motors and other controls. These batteries come in different sizes and some scooters, though not all, offer the choice of a couple of sizes. The larger the batteries, the longer they will last but the longer they will take to recharge and the heavier they will be. Most people will plug their batteries into their charger before bed and have them fully recharged for the morning.
Although the batteries may be fully charged, if they are old they will not provide the same amount of power as new batteries and they won't provide power for as long a period of time. Scooter batteries are normally warranted for one year and usually last at least two years. I've had customers whose batteries lasted 4 years.
As with the other sizes of scooters I've talked about on this web site, the performance of the scooter will vary a bit between the different models. The performance of new scooters will also vary based on the size of the batteries, the age of the batteries, the size of the rider, the ruggedness of the terrain and the number of slopes and ramps that have to be negotiated.
The range of these scooters will vary between 15 miles and 30 miles with most getting around 20 miles. The ranges published by the manufacturers are under ideal conditions (eg. level ground, perfect batteries and rider of moderate weight). One manufacturer states that the range of their travel scooter is 3.5 miles for a 250 lb. rider, 7.5 miles for an average weight rider and 11.5 miles for a 125 lb. rider. While the effects of weight will be less for these larger outdoor scooters with their larger batteries, you can see weight does have an effect on range.
These scooters travel very quickly due to the size and power of their batteries and the size of their motors as compared to the smaller scooters. The speeds that most manufacturers publish are between 5 mph and 10 mph with most heavy duty scooters being around 7 mph or 8 mph but these figures are adversely affected by heavier weights of the riders or loading and the condition of the batteries.
The incline ability of a mobility scooter is the degree or percent of incline the scooter will safely be able to climb. Heavy duty scooters will be able to manage between 5° (8.7%) and 12° (22%) but most will be around the 8° (14.1%) mark. For more information on slopes you can visit our ramp slope page.
Notice: Information on this web site is for informational purposes only and not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by physicians, therapists or other medical professionals. All information is general in nature and may not necessarily apply to everyone as individual needs may vary.
Related Sites:
|
AccessRamps.ca |
Ceilinglift.ca |
Liftchairs.ca |
Patientlift.ca |
Porchlift.ca |
Scooterlifts.ca |
Stairlift.ca |
VanRamp.ca |
Wheelchair.ca |
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