So, I’m 2 days away from getting my van but I ran into a really big problem. While a Ford Transit van can carry the weight of a 480lb wheelchair on the back, they don’t make a wheelchair lift strong enough to carry it. But, I could swear that I’ve seen people carry a motorcycle back there, right?
I only have 2 days to figure this out. How to carry my wheelchair on the back, I don’t want to tow because too many things could go wrong
That is because motorcycle mounts are fixed, they don’t have lift hyraulic or electric mechanism which sets the limits. Unfortunately I don’t have good answer for you.
Only thing that I can think of as strong enough is a proper lift, like this
Both of those will require you to store the wheelchair inside the van. The bigger one can be used as a patio also (with feet) and it is strong enough to lift you and the wheelchair at the same time. They come with remotes these days.
Greetings!
I frequently see hitch haulers on the back of vehicles that have a ramp that folds down, so no lifting mechanism is required. I don’t believe they’d work if you need to be in the wheelchair though, because they block the rear doors. Many of them seem to be rated at 500+ lbs though.
Cheers!
That would require some kind of electric pulley system to pull that chair up the ramp. My old Ducati Monster’s curb weight was 437 lbs and it took three people to push it into a van using a narrow plank.
Greetings!
Can you send a picture of your wheelchair, and can you maneuver from the back bumper into the cab/cabin without the wheelchair… and without using the back doors?
Cheers!
I pulled a picture of it from the internet. It’s an Quantum iLevel. I can walk from the bumper into the front easily but not much further. My paralysis affects the upper body support muscles not my legs.
One more thing. Is that wheelchair going to be fine with being exposed to elements such as dirt, rain, frozen and extreme heat. Vandalism? I’m just thinking worst case scenarios what might happen.
I don’t know if this is an option for you, but I have a rigid manual chair with a Smartdrive. I can easily poop of my wheels and store the chair in the passenger seat and the Smartdrive would take up little room. Power to charge would be a concern with a power chair as it is with the Smartdrive to some degree.
Greetings!
I would think one of this type should work, but I would geet a cover for it. Would you be capable of securing it to the hauler?
Cheers!
Unfortunately, load weight for those aren’t high enough.
Greetings!
The ones I saw were rated at 500+ pounds.
Cheers!
