Purchasing and Maintenance Tips For Scooters, Lifts & Batteries Presented by Mobility Plus Inc. attn: Steven Morrow (804) 471-1368 Consider the following before purchasing a scooter: Where will primary use of the equipment be; indoors, outdoors or both, grass or rough terrain? When looking for a scooter for in-home use be sure to check door/hallway widths. Most of the time bathroom door widths are too narrow. When looking at indoor scooters stay away from front wheel drive scooters if at all possible. Front wheel drive scooters usually have only one battery which limits your range, and your outdoor use (should you care to go out). They are usually not a comfortable ride and for the same price you could purchase a rear wheel drive scooter which offers a smoother ride, more speed, range, and more outside capabilities. NOTE: If you need more door width to allow your scooter to pass through, you may purchase a set of off-set door hinges instead of having a contractor widen your doors (which is expensive). Most consumers in need of a scooter should not pay more than $2,250.00. This should include a scooter that is American made with an onboard charger, rear wheel drive, 2 batteries, a basket, and delivered to your home. There are companies charging too much for scooters who claim theirs are better, thats why theirs are so much more expensive, hogwash. All manufacturers have to pass the same FDA regulations before they are allowed to sell scooters on the market. Batteries must be GEL or SLA (sealed lead acid) type to travel by Bus, Ship, Train, or Airplane. If the scooter you are looking at has a transaxle drive system, make sure the manufacturer will sell parts of the transaxle drive system should a problem arise IE: brake assy, motor assy, transaxle assy. If not, repairs will be very costly. Same goes for the many other parts of the scooter IE: seat parts, not entire seat should you need a part. Some manufacturers will not sell piece parts, or your dealer must buy a set dollar amount or be charged a penalty (this is passed on to you). Note: Do some checking yourself by calling the manufacturer and ask them if piece parts are available for one of the above or must a whole assembly be purchased? LIFTS If primary use of your scooter will be outdoors, or for travel, you may need to consider how you will transport the Scooter. Can you or someone who travels with you frequently pick up 40 - 50 lbs? If so, Scooter may be dissasembled and transported in their vehicle. INSIDE TRUNK OR VAN LIFT If you are unable to pick up 40-50 pounds but your are able to pick up the seat of your scooter (about 15 lbs), you may purchase a trunk lift. Make sure the Scooter will fit in your trunk/van comfortably, not snug, before purchasing. Customer may need to measure width and depth of vehicle, take these measurements and match to scooter. Also, try to stay away from lifts that you must assemble before the lift will pick up your scooter. The reasons are (1) If you could pick up things you would not need the lift (2) Although they are less expensive, they are not as strong and it takes longer to get the scooter into the vehicle. (If it is cold or nasty weather you are in the elements longer.) If you own a van we recommend a C-ARM which allows seat to remain on the scooter when loading. The rear seat of your van may need to be removed for Scooter to fit. FULLY AUTOMATIC OUTSIDE LIFT Use if customer is unable to lift 15 lbs., Scooter will not fit into trunk/van, or for the convenience of loading and unloading. This also frees up trunk for cargo. These lifts allow you to keep your scooter fully assembled. Please be sure you remove any loose articles on the scooter before loading IE: baskets or cane. The lift should be fully automatic in the unfolding/folding and securing of the scooter procedures (no straps) so you do not have to lift anything. These lifts requires a Class II or III hitch mounted 1" from bumper, with a 1/2" nut with bolt, welded onto receiver 1 1/4" back from receiver pin hole to minimize sway (this is called a pinch bolt). NOTE: Most new vehicles will require custom Class II or III hitches. You may also need to install heavy duty shocks if vehicle "sags" too much. The lift may obstruct the visibility of the license plate. Some states require that license plate be visible. If your state requires your license plate be visible, be sure the holder does not obstruct your rear visibility (license plate should be low and to the side of your bumper, etc.) Some carriers come with plate holders but they are so big they obstruct the rear visibility because they are placed up above the scooter instead of to the side. We highly recommend Heavy-Duty lift cover by MED-COVERS to protect Scooter during inclimate weather. Again remove any loose articles before loading scooter. ** If vehicle has a lift gate you may consider a lift that has the ability to be pushed out of the way without taking off the scooter so you may gain access to the rear of your vehicle. RAMPS Inexpensive way of loading or unloading scooter in the side door or rear door of van, truck, home, etc. Designed for quick and easy use and portability. NOTE: You must remove the middle seat of van when loading your equipment through the side door. MINIVAN DOOR MEASUREMENTS DOOR WIDTH TO GROUND INSIDE WIDTH CHEVY ASTRO 32" 24.5" 58" GM SAFARI 32" 24.5" 58" DODGE CARAVAN 30.2" 18" 54" FORD AEROSTAR 31" 23" 58" FORD WINDSTAR Side door too small, in most cases you must go through rear door. PLYMOUTH VOYAGER 30.2" 18" 54" TOYOTA PREVIA 31.5" 21" 59" VW EUROVAN 40" 19.5" 60" With most minivans you can use a 5' to 7' ramp when loading your scooter and on fullsize vans you can use a 7' or 8' ramp. SCOOTER MAINTENANCE TIPS Most scooters now are maintenance free. Your bearings are all sealed so they do not require any lubrication. Check battery terminal connections on a regular basis, and date your batteries on the day you purchased them for warranty records. If your scooter has a chain or belt drive system, consult your owners manual for proper tension adjustment. Do not use WD-40 on any part of the scooter, this will dry out any lubrication from the factory. When lubricating the chain, about every 12 months, use a bearing grease (only lightly lubricate chain) or a motorcycle chain lube like BEL-RAY. If you have noise coming from the chain, check to make sure there are no kinks in the chain and that chain is aligned with the main drive gear. To clean the scooters body, covers, seat and metal parts, use a damp cloth and a non-abrasive detergent. Be sure not to get the electrical parts wet. NOTE: When getting on and off the scooter be sure to lock the seat and remove the key. BATTERIES Some trouble shooting tips: * If you use the Scooter, charge the Scooter! * Deep cycle batteries do not have a memory! * New batteries aren't lasting long? It typically takes about 10-20 charges to get the new batteries to 100% charge. * Scooter won't charge. What is the voltage across each battery? It should be about 10 volts each battery. If not, put a 12 volt, 5-10 amp car battery charger on the battery (after disconnecting battery from the scooter and observing polarity) and let it charge for 15 to 25 min.(Don't let battery get hot). Now recheck the voltage. Continue until each battery reads 10 volts, reconnect to scooter and charge (meter should read from 3-8 amps then go down to 0 amps). If the battery voltage never goes up, you need to replace the batteries (always replace in pairs or you will need to buy 2 more). If the scooters charger meter won't go up to 3-8 amps after you have charged each battery to 10 volts, check the output of your charger. You may check the charger output at the charger connector, you should have 24 VDC or more. Another way to check the charging system is to read each battery with a voltmeter and record your readings, then turn on the charger. Now recheck each battery with your metter, this reading should be higher than the first readings, if not your charger is bad. * Scooter won't go as long? This is normal as the battery ages and is used. Check battery connections. Is customer fully charging battery? (meter reads from 3-8 amps then goes down to 0 amps). Also, it is recommended to charge batteries as soon as possible once meter reads 50% charge, this helps the life of the battery. Take meter readings while you are moving for correct power level remaining. Purchase new batteries once usage between charges becomes inconvenient. * Do not expose batteries to temperatures below 32 degrees. If they have been exposed to 32 degrees or less, allow several days to thaw out before attempting to charge. Cold batteries (above 32 degrees) won't last as long between charges. * Be sure to purchase the correct batteries for your charging system, consult your owners manual. Most scooters now only have chargers designed to charge gel cell batteries, but some may be designed to charge lead acid batteries. The two types of chargers are not interchangeable with the two types of batteries. Also be sure to purchase deep cycle wheelchair/scooter batteries only. Any other type of battery will not work as effectively IE: cannot travel as far per charge, and has shorter life cycles, so you will be buying new batteries sooner than you should. This concludes our training. Should you have any questions, concerns, comments, or would like to inquire about any of these products, please feel free to write us at: Mobility Plus Inc. attn: Mr. Steven Morrow, 1601 Big Springs Pl. Virginia Beach, VA 23456 or phone us at (804)471-1368 Fax (804) 471-7280. Ask for our free catalog! ***Sysop's Note: Steve may also be reached by sending netmail to Steve Morrow at 1:275/429 (FidoNet) or 94:8040/1 (ADANet) or by logging on to HandiNet B B S (804) 496-3320