The Basics Of Wheelchair And Scooter Lifts
If you are a mobility scooter or power wheelchair user and are looking at ways of taking your scooter or wheelchair with you this article should get you up to speed on mobility scooter lifts for cars and vans. A scooter lift will help you to carry your scooter safely and legally in your car or van so that you can bring it along for holidays or road trips. There are a few different types of scooter lifts.
Types Of Scooter Lifts
Mobility scooter lifts can be most broadly divided into two main types. There are outside vehicle lifts and inside vehicle lifts. The type of lift that you should use depends upon the kind of scooter you have and the size of your transport vehicle i.e. car or van.
Outside Lifts For Scooters Or Power Wheelchairs
An outside lift is basically a platform that raises your scooter up and off the ground but keeps it outside your car or van. The first advantage of these lifts is that they do not use space inside your vehicle. Since the wheelchair or scooter is outside your vehicle you do not lose the huge amount of space that they would have taken up inside your car or van. These lifts are ideally used on smaller vehicles that cannot fit a scooter or wheelchair.
The major disadvantage is that there is no protection for your scooter from the elements and even from theft. Also, if your scooter or wheelchair is not secured to the platform tightly, there is a risk of it falling off. The platforms on outside lifts normally fold up but they still spoil the looks of vehicles which some people do not like.
Inside Lifts For Scooters And Power Wheelchairs
Inside lifts transfer your scooter or wheelchair up on a platform till level with the inside of the car or van at which point you roll the scooter inside the vehicle. The advantage is that your scooter of wheelchair is completely safe from traffic, the elements and from theft as well. There are also mobility scooter lifts for pickup trucks that are like a small crane with manual or powered operation. Even if your scooter is not secured perfectly there is still little chance of it falling out of the vehicle. Since there is no external hardware these lifts do not spoil the vehicles’ looks or aerodynamic efficiency.
The major drawbacks of inside vehicle scooter lifts are that you will sacrifice a large amount of cargo or passenger space when using the lift. Also you need to have a vehicle that is physically large enough to actually accommodate your electric scooter or wheelchair.
Mobility Scooter Lift Prices
The prices of inside vehicle scooter lifts generally start at around four hundred dollars at websites online but you can expect to pay more for lifts with greater weight capacity. For outside vehicle scooter and wheelchairs lifts you can expect to pay a bit less. Prices are different for models with a weight capacity of up to 400 lb. Alternatively, you can try the second hand scooter lifts which are often cheaper and still serve the purpose.
You can also buy replacement scooter lift parts at cheap prices from online sites like Craigslist.
Renting Scooter Lifts
Sometimes, you may only need the scooter lifts for a short period of time such as when travelling for holidays. In these circumstances, it is best to rent scooter lifts from local vendors or hospitals. The rental prices are usually low and you do not need to worry about the cost of ownership such as maintenance, repair and replacing parts of scooter lifts.
Pride LC105, The Comfortable Lift Chair For All
For people who have always wanted a lift chair but have never been able to afford one, the Pride Lift Chair LC105 is perfect. From the highest selling brand in the lift chair market, this new model from the Pride Speciality range is the most economical model of lift chair.
Low Price Pride Lift Chair
The Pride LC-105 is the cheapest lift chair that Pride has ever sold. At a starting price of just under seven hundred and fifty dollars, the Pride LC-105 undercuts all of the competition. You can save even more money if you buy the LC 105 online as some retailers will sell you the chair for less than six hundred dollars and that includes free shipping to anywhere in the United States.
Features Rich Pride LC 105
Despite the low price, the new Pride chair still has all the trademark features of the rest of the Pride Lift Chair Range. The chair has the same three position lift system as any other Pride chair. It has a sewn pillow back for maximum comfort and comes with your choice from a range of micro-suede fabrics. With a seating capacity of up to 325 lb. the LC 105 is enough of a lift chair for most people. The Pride even comes with its own built in battery back up so that you can have complete peace of mind.
What Users Love about their Pride Lift Chairs
Reviewers of the Pride LC-105 roundly praise the completely silent operation of the chair and the smooth movement of the lift mechanism. People also love the plush upholstery on it that lets them sit for hours in comfort and even sleep in their Pride chairs. The few users who needed service for the Pride LC-105 were pleased with the warranty support they received.
Accessories Your Lift Chair Needs
Lift chairs are a life saver for anyone who has trouble getting out of a chair due to knee, back problems or any other health trouble. But you can get so much more value out of your lift chair with the right accessories. There is a huge range of accessories available for lift chairs that will make you more comfortable, more productive and more relaxed.
Lift Chair Arms
There is no need to keep the standard arms that come with your lift chair. There are many different kinds of lift chair arms available that will make getting into and out of the lift chair much easier. These include arms that are completely removable as well as arms that swing out of the way, whether up or to the side. There are also power lift chair arms available for minimum effort by user. Whether you get up yourself or need help to be transferred from your lift chair, retractable arms make the process much easier.
Lift Chair Overlap Trays And Side Tables
Like most people who own lift chairs, if you spend a considerable amount of time in your lift chair, you will need a table with it. Whether to eat in your chair, read in it, or just a table to place things on within reach, a table is an essential accessory for any lift chair. Overlap tray tables are the best for eating as they are in the right position directly in front of you but they need to be removed to get in to or out of the chair. Side tables for lift chairs that attach to the arms are more practical for most uses besides eating as they free you to get in and out of the chair and if the arms swing away the table also goes with them
Recliner Footrests For Lift Chairs
Any sort of recliner needs a footrest to be totally enjoyed and Lift Chair Recliners are no different. Many high end lift chairs come with bundled foot rests but even if yours did not you can buy an after market foot rest. These come in two types. There are retractable foot rests that are attached to the recliner itself. These save space and are safe because you will never trip over them. The other kind of a foot rest is a stand alone foot stool type of foot rest. These can be more comfortable but they take more space and you might trip over them if you forget they are there.
Making Lift Chair Comfortable
Besides the Lift Chair Accessories that improve the user experience. You can also choose to add pillows to provide additional support and comfort while resting. The head pillow helps to support your neck if you wish to take a nap on the chair. The lumbar pillow protects the lower back if you are sitting on the chair for prolong period. Other useful accessories include Mattresses, Fitted Sheet, Protective Pad and Storage Bag.
Lift Chair Accessories Prices And Where To Buy
Some great online sources for lift chair accessories are alltimemedical.com, liftchair.com and usmedicalsupplies.com. Prices for arms start at about a hundred and twenty dollars and up, overlap trays normally cost about a hundred and eighty dollars or so and retractable foot rests cost about eighty dollars. These accessories do not cost a lot but they add a lot of value to the users. They make suitable gifts for elderly parents who are using lift chairs.
The Pride Lift Chair Range
Pride is the maker of some of the most popular and highest selling lift chairs on the market. The reasons for the popularity are the range on offer, the competitive pricing, features and the comprehensive warranty that Pride offers.
Pride Lift Chair Models
The Pride range of Lift chairs comes in four lines with a number of models in each line.
The basic line is called the Pride Elegance Collection. This range is a collection of three position chaise loungers with a full recline function in a number of fabrics and your choice of split back, pillow back or shell back.
The next line is the Pride Heritage Collection. This range has larger and heavier recliners with two position and three position lifts and partial recline functions
The Pride Classic Collection is the entry level line of lift chairs. The chairs are narrower in width, about twenty inches. There are two or three position reclines available depending upon the model.
The Pride Speciality Collection is the top of the line range with recliners that have swing out arms for easy transfers and footrest extensions as well. Some models in this range even have separate foot rests bundled with the lift chairs. The Speciality Collection includes a wall hugger model that keeps the chair close to the wall even when lifted. This model, the Pride LL 805, is perfect for small rooms.
The Price of Pride Lift Chairs starts at about nine hundred dollars for fabric upholstered versions and about eleven hundred dollars for leather covered chairs. This is in line with the prices of average lift chairs in the market.
Warranty on Pride Lift Chairs
Pride offers the best warranty in the industry for their lift chairs. Standard two to five year warranties come with the lift chairs depending upon the model and Pride offers a lifetime warranty on the metal lift frame on all lift chairs.
Pride Lift Chair Parts
Pride offers a range of optional Lift Chair Accessories as well as replacement parts for all their lift chairs. Pride lift chairs are available with heating as well as massage motors built in to them along with a suitable Pride Lift Chair Remote to control the additional functions offered. The remotes are spill resistant and have an auto shut off function after twenty minutes of massage to protect the motors.
Custom designed lumbar pillows, head support pillows and even protective pads are available for your Pride lift chair. Pride even offers kits to help you maintain your lift chair looking and functioning like new. There is an upholstery stain removal kit available as well as wipes for leather and vinyl and leg levellers with non skid pads on the bottom to protect your floors.
Importance Of Your Lift Chair Controller
Owners of Power Lift Chairs know that the lift chair controller is one of the most important parts of the chair. It is the one part of your lift chair that you use often and is the most prone to wear and tear. Here are some tips to help you keep your lift chair controller working well as well as some resources for repairing the controller and for replacements if you need them.
Caring For Your Lift Chair Hand Controls
Always make sure that you are gentle with your Lift Chair Hand Controls. Pressing the controller harder will not make your lift chair rise any faster. If the lift chair motor sounds strained and the chair does not lift up as smoothly as when new, you should not attempt to force the hand controller.
If you are using a wired controller, make sure that the coiled controller cable never gets caught under the lift chair or it may get damaged or cut.
Never drop or sit on the hand controller itself. This is an easy mistake to make if you have a pendant type controller or a wireless lift chair remote control. If you spill any liquid on your lift chair control, unplug the lift chair from the power immediately to remove any chance of electric shock and dry the controller out with a cloth or with compressed air. Leave the power lift chair unplugged for a few hours till the controller is dry before resuming usage.
Repairing Lift Chair Controller
If you do end up damaging the controls for your lift chair you do not need to worry as the controller and the cables are easy to repair or replace due to their modular construction. You can save some cost by Repairing Lift Chair Yourself. If the controller cable is damaged, you can order a replacement. If the hand controller cannot be disconnected and taken to a local repair shop it may be cheaper to order a new part online. Sites like liftchair.com have all types of controllers starting at about $50. From round-up, round-down type to hand controllers with quick disconnect to protect you from tripping over the wires and to prevent damage to the controller as well. If you look around on the Internet you are also bound to come across Lift Chair Parts Sale where you will find even better deals. It is wise to buy those commonly worn out parts so you can have a ready replacement on standby. This will reduce the downtime for the lifting device and ensure a comfortable experience for the end users.