I am still waiting for my wheelchair maker to post their wheelchair lift. I know, I've been waiting a long time. They are still working on it and they haven't posted anything yet.
Since the costs of my WDW stays in December 2019 are costing so much more and the inability to get all of my nights at Pop Century Resort together, I am think about renting an SUV to travel to WDW for my vacations and staying offsite.
I really don't want to do this though.
The one time I rented an SUV to go to the Smoky Mountains I found folding my Fold and Go Wheelchair without removing any parts and loading into the rear of the SUV was a lot better than taking apart my mobility
scooter which, for me at this time in my life, is really labor intensive.
When I used to own my own car and drive down to WDW, I would have to remove the seat, both armrests, lift the two batteries, separate the rear wheel/motor section from the front section consisting of the floorboard and steering tiller.
Then I would have to lift each section and place it in the trunk of my car.
When I reached WDW, I had to do the reverse.
I sometimes thought that I couldn't do it and I had to go back in the air-conditioned car and rest.
This was my old 3-wheel Pride REVO mobility scooter.
And these were the separated parts. I didn't have a basket like the newer models, but everything else is the about the same. Back then, this was the only model that had the batteries with a built-in cabinet with handles and no wires to attach. They were built as part of the mobility scooter like the batteries of my fold and go.
I have only rented an SUV once using my Fold and Go Wheelchair and I got lucky with the rental of an SUV with a flat rear entrance door that was level to the rear opening instead of a drop down like you might see in a car trunk.
I own the heavy duty version and I carried a bath towel with me and placed it sideways over the bumper and into the rear SUV area that I was loading into.
I closed the wheelchairs with the wheels facing the rear of the SUV area and up close to the bumper.
My plane was not to lift my wheelchair and put it directly in.
My plan was to lean against the wheelchair and rear of the SUV to lift the wheelchair from the bottom metal area and to get it half of the way up to a tipping point into the SUV.
The towel helped slide my wheelchair up and over the edge.
Once I reached the halfway point, my wheelchair tipped forward and it became much easier.
I still lifted the bottom of my wheelchair and with the wheels on the bottom, I was able to push and roll the wheelchair all of the way into the SUV with the help of the towel and wheelchair wheels.
Then I locked the rear wheels again and just folded the towel into the SUV.
I reversed the process when removing the wheelchair.
I don't like to do it often and that is why I like WDW. I can fly, use DME, and use WDW transportation without me lifting it.
I thought about buying a collapsible ramp, or rather two ramps to roll the closed wheelchair into the rear of a rental SUV.
Since the Fold and Go Wheelchair folds front to back instead of side to side like a manual wheelchair, I can use this advantage of the four wheels to roll it up and into the rear of the SUV.
At least that is my theory.
I am still waiting for the company to come out with a lift that they are designing. I don't know what it will look like or how it will work or much it will cost, but if it is made especially for their wheelchair, I am interested.
Anyway, it is far easier than taking apart a mobility scooter, loading each piece and reversing the process and putting it together again.
My Fold and Go Wheelchair is all one piece. I don't even remove the joystick like I would on an Airline.
This isn't my photo, but this is just about what my heavy duty Fold and Go Wheelchair looks like when it is folded and rolled up to the bumper of an SUV. And I used a towel instead.
I would leave it in freewheel mode.
I would lift it using those cross bars between the two large rear wheels. So I had a good grib on the heavy part at the bar and I would lean against the wheelchair and SUV as I lifted and slid the wheelchair to a space between the front and rear wheels.
For me, this was the tipping point.
Then the front wheels are ready and positioned to roll forward automatically.
Then with less lifting and more pushing until the rear wheels touch the SUV floor until it is inside the SUV.
I lock the freewheels and push any protruding towel around the wheelchair and close the SUV rear door.
I reverse the procedure when I take it out.
I am always looking or Googling different types of ramps to use with a rental car and my wheelchair. I saw a Utube video of an experimental, foldable ramp that is interesting below.
.He appears to be using a wheelchair that is similar to mine because he says that instead of pushing it up the ramp, he used the joystick to roll the wheelchair up. And in the video, it folds up. I saved the video in case they actually start selling them in the future.
I like the design using minimal metal and material.
And it folds into a small package to fit into the SUV or car trunk.
Here is another self-made ramp that is interesting below.
A little bulkier, but it works and he also uses the joystick to drive the wheelchair down the ramp. That way he can control the speed and direction and stop it by letting go of the joystick like the earlier video.
