Wheelchair and Powered Mobility Scooter Stowage

Wheelchairs and scooters can be heavy and awkward to lift and handle.   It is not recommended for a person to lift one into a vehicle without the assistance of a hoist.  It is possible to fit a suitable hoist into the vehicle rear boot space.

Vehicle boot hoists are most compatible with larger vehicles such as estate type vehicles or SUV’s (sports utility vehicles) with easy flat boot access and sufficient rear door opening.

It is important to acknowledge that wheelchair and mobility scooter hoists are not compatible with some vehicles as:

• they may restrict vehicle boot stowage 
• they may restrict passenger space
• they may restrict the rear vision outside of the vehicle, as well as easy access to the spare wheel if this is stored in the vehicle boot.

Purchase and fitment of a vehicle boot mounted hoist should be researched carefully, particularly as the weight and size of your existing wheelchair or mobility scooter determines the size of the hoist required, and therefore the required size of the boot space.

Operating the wheelchair / powered mobility scooter vehicle boot hoist

Once the wheelchair/ powered mobility scooter is fitted with the required compatible brackets, the arm or ‘boom’ of the hoist moves over the wheelchair/powered mobility scooter and is lowered down to connect to the brackets.

Once the hoist is connected, the weight of the wheelchair /powered mobility scooter is lifted by the hoist via a powered ‘up/down’ switch (2-way hoist) or ‘up/down/in/out’ switch (4-way hoist). Once loaded into a vehicle, it is important that the wheelchair / powered mobility scooter is stowed securely for travel.