francheezy Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Hi Looking for any advice or information on having a fold up platform to hold a mobility scooter fitted to the back of our SeA Dinghy 1 motorhome, don't have a scooter yet we are looking into getting one for hubby in the new year, Really need it to be done in Scotland. Thanks in advance for any replies. Fran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 This advert is for a 2003 SEA Dinghy 1 http://motorhomes.autotrader.co.uk/used-motorhomes/sea/dinghy-1/2003-sea-dinghy-1-diesel-wem-mfpa-2c929b9c4ff4755a015018c4f5770661/makemodel/make/sea/model/dinghy-1 and I assume your motorhome is much the same. The vehicle is quite compact, with a shortish wheelbase and a longish rear overhang. The design has a rear kitchen and bathroom resulting in a fair amount of weight being behind the rear wheels. If you have a ‘full size’ scooter in mind, I think it’s inevitable that a tow-bar (which won’t be light) would be needed to allow a scooter-carrying platform to be attached. Consequently, before contemplating adding more weight at the vehicle’s rear, it would be wise first to have your motorhome weighed (in fully loaded ‘holiday’ condition) to confirm its overall and axle loads (particularly the rear-axle load).. Mobiliity scooters come in many shapes, sizes and weights. As shown on this link http://www.mobilityhire.com/mobility-scooter-hire.html some are lightish and can be folded/dismantled so they can be stored within a car’s boot (or inside a motorhome), while others are ‘one piece’ and would need to be transported externally. These links display a variety of scooter types and carrying methods and offer useful advice http://www.armitagetrailers.com/MOBILITYMATTERS.htm http://www.pwsacc.co.uk/motorcaravan-faq.htm Although there should be firms in Scotland able to fit a tow-bar to your vehicle, I’m doubtful that there are Scottish companies that specialise in providing/fitting motorhome mobility-scooter platforms. Probably your best bet would be seek advice about this from motorhome dealerships near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francheezy Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share Posted December 27, 2015 Hi It would be a smallish lightweight scooter, if we can find one that we can get in the van that will be fine, as long as i can manage it. Thanks for your reply. fran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 This website's adverts include scooters that can be dismantled http://www.betterlifehealthcare.com/browse/mobility-scooters/?gclid=CO39rYDV_MkCFQeNGwodeRcOdQ and should give you an idea of how heavy the individual bits can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 francheezy - 2015-12-27 6:18 PM Hi It would be a smallish lightweight scooter, if we can find one that we can get in the van that will be fine, as long as i can manage it. Thanks for your reply. fran Don't under estimate the effects of hanging a weight off the back of your motorhome. Last year I saw a van heading down the A30 which had a (admittedly large) mobility scooter hung off the back, it looked like the most dangerous set up I've ever seen, the rear axle must have been on the stops and the front was way up, I dread to think what the handling was like, I would guess it had massive understeer, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Guidance on calculating the effect of carrying a rear-mounted load is provided in the last link given in my earlier posting of 27 December 2015 8:22 AM. The overall weight of a mobility scooter evidently varies from around 50kg to beyond 150kg. A SEA Dinghy 1 model is not well suited to carry a large additional load at the back and - if a ‘heavyweight’ scooter were to be chosen - it would probably be best to tow it on a trailer of some sort rather than plan to carry it on a platform. It might be practicable with a dismantlable scooter (example here) http://www.betterlifehealthcare.com/view_image.php?prodID=3444&which=2 to transport the heavier components (eg. the batteries) in an externally-accessed locker, thus minimising the need to carry them in and out of the motorhome through the entrance-door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 You spoke of a platform. I imagine you have in mind something that mounts behind the van, to give a flat floor on which to load the scooter. If so, apart from weights, bear in mind that the maximum legally permissible rear overhang for a vehicle is 60% of its wheelbase and, given the already substantial rear overhang of your van, I think you'll need to check very carefully whether the added rear overhang for such a platform could be accommodated within 60% of wheelbase. Since mobility scooters are not particularly light items, hanging that weight off the rear would be likely to cause some strange "tail wagging the dog" sensations when driving. This would be very difficult to predict so, by the time you know if it does cause a problem, you will have spent your money. I would suggest you may be better off investigating motorcycle trailers, especially those that fix to two mounting points at the rear of the van and have castoring wheels to take the trailer load. These would allow the van to be reversed pretty much normally with no risk of the trailer jack-knifing into the rear bodywork, and, not being a part of the van itself, would not fall foul of the 60% rule. Even if normally marketed for two wheelers, the alteration to accommodate a fairly narrow four wheeled mobility scooter should be reasonably easily accomplished. I would be surprised if the manufacturer of such trailers could not adapt if necessary, as they can only be fairly small volume producers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 The ’60% rule’ is often cited with regard to a motorhome’s maximum rear overhang, but an alternative formula offers the potential for a significantly larger percentage. This is mentioned in my posting of 18 December 2012 2:24 PM in this 2012 discussion http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Motorhomes-with-scooters/29761/31/ There’s also the question of whether something tacked on to the back of a motorhome is relevant to the rear-overhang calculation - essentially, whether the thing is ‘permanent’ (when it counts) or not (when it does not.) My understanding is that if something (say, a rear-mounted platform) could be removed without requiring tools to do this, it would not be considered ‘permanent’ and would not count overhang-wise. Conversely, If the platform were firmly bolted to the motorhome, it would be considered ‘permanent’ and should count. Not sure what the regulatory position is when a load-carrier can fold-down or slide rearwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Also bear in mind the Insurance for the Mobility Scooter. Most Insurers insist that storage should be internal. Therefore if considering arear platform or trailer it would need to be a box type, not an open flat bed. A few years a go when my wife had a mobility scooter, she had the type that dismantles & each section was easily manageable, with the base section stowed in the passenger footwell overnight & stowed under the table whilst travelling (suitably restrained) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francheezy Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Hi everyone, many thanks for all your replies, gives us much to think about and look into. Happy New Year to everyone :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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