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Welcome
>
1. POWERCHAIR
ONLY:
Detailed Full PowerChair Related ONLY Menu HERE
2. VEHICLE
ONLY:
Detailed Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles ONLY menu HERE
3. EVERYTHING
ELSE:
Detailed Menu of Everything else HERE!
MY OWN
VEHICLES:
Dodge
Grand Caravan
VW Caravelle VR6
MY HOME
BUILT ULTIMATE POWERCHAIRS:
My
SLIGHTLY Modified
Improved Powerchair
Part
1 |
2 | 3
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4 |
5 |
6
My VERY Modified Off Road & All terrain DO ALL
Powerchair!
Part 1
| 2 |
3
MISCELLANEOUS
POWERCHAIR RELATED:
What
Goes Wrong Power Wheelchairs
Powerchair Tyres
Drive your Powerchair by Radio Control
Powerchairs & Range
Off Road DO ALL Indoor & Outdoor Powerchairs
Off Road ONLY Outdoor Powerchairs & 4x4
Page
1
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2
Manual or Electric Wheelchair?
Why ALL Powerchairs
NEED to be Off Road Capable!
Choosing a Suitable Powerchair
Wheelchair Width
BATTERY
AND ELECTRICAL (POWERCHAIRS & SCOOTERS + MOTOR VEHICLES):
Batteries for Both Vans & Power Wheelchairs
Inverters & Chargers
Very flexible charger!
Charging Batteries
Fast Charge Your Power
Wheelchair
Which batteries to buy
"DRIVE
FROM A WHEELCHAIR" VEHICLES:
Dodge
Grand Caravan 1
Dodge
Grand Caravan 2
Dodge Grand Caravan 3
Dodge Grand Caravan 4
Latest 2008 2009 2010
Disabled Converted Dodge Chrysler And Voyager Minivans
Chrysler Voyager
Entervan Diesel
Suzuki Wagon R
More Here
Mercedes Vito
-
soon!
Kia Sedona - soon!
INSURANCE:
Modified Disabled
Vehicle Insurance
Breakdown Cover
USED VEHICLES & OTHER
EQUIPMENT:
Disabled Adapted Cars
WHEELCHAIR TRANSPORT
& DRIVE BY TRANSFERRING:
VW Caravelle
Dodge
Grand Caravan can be used to transport up to 4 Wheelchair Seated Occupants
Fiat Doblo
Renault Kangoo
-
soon!
Citroen Berlingo - soon!
Citroen Dispatch
- soon!
Kia Sedona
-
soon!
Volkswagen Sharan
Mercedes Vaneos
Toyota Hiace
Fiat Multiplas (Wheelchair
passenger travels in the front)
Kangoo ASSIST (wheelchair
passenger transfers & drives)
ESSENTIAL DISABLED
EQUIPMENT STUFF:
Understanding
Grabbers
Puncture proof tyres
Run Flat tyres
Tyre Weld Aerosol
Fuses!
Spare Key
Wheelchair Ramps
Small Generator
Tools!
VEHICLE ADAPTATIONS:
Control
Systems etc
Hand Controls Manual
Hand Controls Electronic
Van / Car Door openers
Van / Car Wheelchair Tie Downs
OTHER STUFF:
Used Disabled Equipment for sale
How to lose weight FAST!
Email about modifying powerchairs
Keep it looking new 1
2
My Accident!
Climate Change
Electric
Cars are a Joke!
Disclaimer
& About Me
Site
Map
Contact
Links
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This Site is
about
Wheelchair Accessible Cars, Vans +
PowerChairs
And other
essential disabled adaptive equipment. Here you
wont find the usual dumbed down "information" that you get on other
sites!
-
My Own Ultimate True INDOOR + OUTDOOR
PowerChair
(
1 | 2 |
3 )
- Other True
Indoor / Outdoor Off
Road "Do All" PowerChairs
There are just 4 contenders so far...
- Off
road
all terrain
BIG PowerChairs. Powerchairs cannot usually do
both in/outdoor
properly
- The
Braun Entervan
-
It's very similar to my Rollx van
here
- More
-
Inverters & Charging Wheelchairs in
Cars
and Fiat Doblo &
Suzuki Wagon R &
Lithium W/C Batteries
More:
Drive from VW + Review of the horrid "Spectra
Plus" + Ultimate Do Everything Charger +
My T-REX 500 Helicopter! + Why all
PowerChairs
Should Be Off Road Capable! and
Manual Wheelchair "Add On
Power-Packs" and powered wheels. Oh and some
AA Batteries tested +
Disabled transport - Peugeot E7 More
on left menu!
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Click image for a slightly larger view. Or
click
here for a huge image
Or
go to
my van
page
for details of the best option currently available for disabled wheelchair
drivers (at least
for me!) as pictured!
When I wanted a wheelchair adapted car or
van to drive from a wheelchair I couldn't find out much on the
internet about what kind of adaptations to vehicles were
available. Or to which
vehicles. Each company just pushed their own conversion. Same with
Wheelchairs and Power Wheelchairs. Lots of tiny pictures and very little
detailed information that we really need!
Or which were the
best vehicles to adapt to do what I needed. Just many sales
people trying to sell me something that was often quite unsuitable. Often these people had
less knowledge of this industry and what is available or possible than I did. The
information is all so fragmented.
I
realised that my experiences and knowledge may be useful to others
and have also taken to building my own
powerchairs to get what I need since it seems no commercial offerings
are of much use!
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I am
Paraplegic
(T4 Complete amongst many other problems) and a full
time
powerchair user.
I have
used a car or van with minor (or sometimes pretty major) modifications as a
driver for the last twelve years.
Ranging from a stock car with hand controls to
this
heavily modified van.
Both by transferring
to the drivers seat of a normal car (which sucks) and by driving from a
powerchair in the van shown above which is what we all should be doing! But
without trying this for yourself you cannot know this.
I am also an engineer so
understand a lot about equipment, what's available and how everything
works as well as what's possible and or practical to do.
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I also know what I want and have
very high expectations and standards.
I
don't suffer fools or do "COMPROMISE" at all well!
I drastically
Re-Engineer & Re-Design my own Wheelchairs.
I have to do! All of the currently available ones are simply not good enough. (You probably don't
yet realise how good they can be.)
After years of testing and trying all that was available I decided I could build
a much better one with no compromises myself. And its easy to do. From the best one(s) currently available
but with some serious re-engineering to suit my indoor/outdoor needs and to drive a car
from.
The one opposite was the first half hearted attempt and is
mildly modified but still pretty good! And better than any bought chair.
Most Power
Wheelchairs are awful things.
Its really not too hard to improve on them!
See this mildly modified powerchair in detail:
More info on its own
Modified Powerchair
page.
Powerchair
medium
Power wheelchair
large
These are also my
all day power
wheelchairs as well. I wish the manufacturers built powerchairs like
this then I wouldn't have to.
Or go to my
more seriously heavily modified Powerchair page
Off Road, Indoor, True Outdoor PowerChair
Homebuilt Pages! (now finished!) shown parked in my van below...
Parts
1
| 2 |
3 This has just
three pages as it just follows on from the "mildly modified" powerchairs 6 pages
above. Much of it is the same, for the same reasons and modified in the same way
so its not rehashed and repeated here.
Powerchair Bigger >>>

Wheelchair in Minivan medium |
Wheelchair in Minivan large
My new mostly HOME DESIGNED
Powerchair sat in my
Van (above) parked at the
steering wheel...
Yes its left hand drive. Roll mouse over to see ramp deployed below!

Roll mouse over image to deploy the ramp and lower the
suspension!
This took me ages. Notice Arnie on guard duty... He is waiting for his
walk and wondering what I am wasting my time doing.
Lowered floor minivan medium | Lowered
floor minivan large!
Wheelchair van ramp deployed medium |
Wheelchair van ramp deployed Large
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Its Almost
Impossible to find useful, detailed info on Mobility Vehicles in one place.
Or
any disabled conversions, or even any decent pictures!
I will try to change that at least as far as my own
adapted vehicles go!
And then add a few others
later on as I can do and will add other peoples vehicles with some details as I
receive them! So send me yours! Thanks!
A picture of a disabled conversion says a thousand
words in some cases, so many of the images on this
site can be clicked to open a large picture. |
These
pages will tell you in detail about what's available on
the market today (eventually) what's possible to do and where and
how to get it! And I can show you what works
for me and how to save some cash! Almost 40%
plus zero VAT savings in some cases if you are prepared to import
a US left hand drive version as I did for example.
The van at the top of this page
Currently I drive the
Dodge Grand Caravan SXT
above.
We have a similar vehicle in the UK called the
Chrysler
Grand Voyager and it is exactly the same as the
Chrysler
Town & Country in the USA. Only minor trim differences
and a different grill differentiate all three variants This is
possibly the best option available for a wheelchair user today if
they want the option of driving from a wheelchair*** . At a
rather
hefty price due to the lowered floor conversion. There are others too like the
Toyota Sienna or the Honda Odyssey but I have not examined these in detail yet.
***With
the exception of the rather more expensive VW Caravelle with lowered floor etc.
It has better build quality (by miles) and I will have a page on that here soon!
In the US these things are called minivans. Mine is
seriously modified by Rollx in the USA specifically as a
wheelchair friendly van with lowered floor/ramp etc from brand new
before ever being registered. It was registered as new in the UK with a UK
registration. Braun do a similar
conversion called the Braun Entervan, or Rampvan, which is
practically identical.
Important!
Don't buy a vehicle first!
This
is the biggest and most costly mistake many people make. If you already have one
then its probably best to sell it. You
are unlikely to be able to modify it in the ways you want or
expect unless its the correct base vehicle, and its nearly new. But due to
the VAT benefit of buying ready modified new vehicles its still better to sell
and buy new often. Before you even consider a vehicle read this site and
consult mobility vehicle specialists.
This van opposite is the
DRIVE FROM
WHEELCHAIR Lowered Floor VW Caravelle van! I want one...
This is the first such conversion. Next year in 2010 (new model) there will be
another one from a different company. Don't know which to buy yet! Watch this
space...
See an animation of the
Chrysler
van lowering and the door/ramp operating
here
Or a page of images in six stages of
electronically opening the side door and ramp
here
(new window)
The majority of adapted wheelchair vehicles are
adapted from brand new by various companies They only do
certain modifications to certain vehicles. If you do
buy a non adapted car or van first then it is going to be an expensive mistake in more ways
than one. Vehicles supplied already adapted for disabled
usage are VAT free! That means you get a further 17.5
percent off here in the UK. (Updated -- now 15 percent)
Different
vehicles lend themselves to be adapted in a variety of
different ways. If a dealer has developed a regular
modification to say the likes of my new van above by
Rollx,
it does not mean he can do the same thing with any other
vehicle. These ramp vans are based on the Chrysler minivans,
Toyota Sienna and one or two others are built almost on a production
line basis,
In the
case of the Braun Entervan and
Rollx Adapted vans, VMI ramp
vans for example, a very special and carefully designed and
manufactured adaptation has evolved over the years. It
is pretty damned major! It involves such things as
specially moulded body skirts, suspension mods, a complete
new manufactured floor, Different designed exhaust systems,
various carpets and interior plastic mouldings and seat
mountings etc and much more. These parts are manufactured in
quantity to modify only this one vehicle. These parts will
not fit any other van. So each company will
supply only their conversion based on their development and
history.
Before
you visit a mobility dealer visit
as many other web sites as you can that offer the
kind of information you need! Read and research a LOT!
When you have narrowed down
your search and have an idea of what you want allow at least
3 or 4 dealers to demonstrate their vehicles and
modifications and advise you
of the pros and cons. But remember they are selling you a
vehicle! Read between the lines and ask as many awkward
questions as you can! Don't rush. Don't buy the first
"solution" you see. Find out and learn as much as you
possibly can and think about it first. Mistakes are costly!

Larger picture
Larger still
Full size
Travelling in or
driving a normal car while Paraplegic or Tetraplegic or similar
After my accident that
left me paraplegic (paralysis from T4 chest down) one thing I was worried about
was driving. My worries were like this...
-
Would I be
ever be able to drive a car again? Answer yes! The
driving part is easy. An automatic gearbox and hand controls are all
that's required as long as your arms work. There are special control systems,
joystick controls, zero effort steering, etc etc even if they don't! Its the getting in and out part that I
struggled with! I am too fat and its hard work. There are
various solutions if you struggle to transfer - see "turney seat" picture below if
you must use a normal car! This can be done on your own too with a manual
chair because some wheelchairs are collapsible and can be folded and dismantled
to store in the passenger seat next to you. Its slow and hard work
though if like me you are paralysed from the chest down.
would I be
ALLOWED to drive? Yes. Just tell the
driving licence authorities.
would I
need a different licence or test? No, if you already had a
licence nothing changed! If you have not got one yet then you need
lessons and a test just like everyone else. There are special
schools and instruction for this. I will add some links here later.
How and
what modifications would be needed? Very little in my own case
initially since
my existing Automatic Ford Granada just needed some simple push pull
mechanical hand controls fitting at around 160 UK pounds.. Cheap!
Takes about an hour to fit. If your car is manual you will
either need to change it or get a fancy Simplex Guido clutch
installed in your manual car which works like a twist and go moped.
But that's very expensive and autos are better anyway. Who in their right
mind actually wants to fight a clutch pedal and a gear stick every
thirty yards in our traffic?
Control
Systems
can be complex or simple. Can be basic (if you have full control of
your arms/hands) and cheap. Or they can be electronic and expensive! Depends on
your needs. These are discussed elsewhere on this site.
The main problem
for some people with using a car to drive from (or just as a wheelchair
passenger) is getting in and out and what to do with your powerchair or
wheelchair once in! Your choices are:
-
A manual chair
(some are very light and fold and disassemble. Like my Kuschall wheelchair
here The idea is that if you wish to drive and you are alone then
you transfer from wheelchair to car seat first. This can be easy if you are
fit and slim and young. Harder if you are fat! Or sometimes impossible if you are quadriplegic
or have weak arms.
Cars with wide doors (like many two door cars) and with seats close to the
same height as your wheelchair seat make it easier or possible. But
its still hard work. The
idea being that you fold or dissemble your manual chair and store it in the
passenger seat next to you for the journey. It works. I used to do it
but its very hard work and can be slow and uncomfortable in bad weather. And
I fell on the ground on numerous occasions! Some people swear by this
method, some swear at it but do it and suffer and never consider a drive
from wheelchair van. Or a power wheelchair. God only knows why, and I
suspect it has a lot to do with the brainwashing applied at the hospital by
physios, OT's and doctors. After all manual chairs are cheaper!
-
Similar
to above but there are some modified car seats available that swing and lift
out of the car to enable much easier transfer. If you are on your own you
still have the wheelchair storage problem though. Plus they only
work/fit in some cars. They can be manual or electrically operated. Some use
your cars seat, some use their own seat. But again they really suit fit slim
small people or people that have an assistant to stow the chair.
If you are always
with someone else then the wheelchair storage problem goes away. Your assistant
can put a manual chair in the cars boot or hatch at the rear and return it to
you as needed. In addition there are automatic roof storage boxes (the
wheelchair gets put away automatically) and in the event you need to store a
powerchair there are winches that can be installed into the cars boot or into an
estate car to do the work for you. There are many options and I will try to
cover as many as possible
Although for most
people a better solution is simply a
van like mine higher on
this page.
They seem big when you are used to a
car but really they are as easy to drive as a car after a few miles. With a more
commanding view and lighter controls than most cars.
These come in a variety of special
configurations! I have been using one or another to drive for 8 years. You can get in and
transfer to the drivers seat in my luxury limos so much easier and safer than you
can in a car. Or you can stay in your chair and simply drive from a
wheelchair. That's what I do now. And its what I should have done all along. Its
faster, easier, and causes less problems than trying to transfer from power or
wheelchair to car or van seat.

Tom Morgan's Chrysler
Voyager Entervan
Another DIESEL automatic
drive from wheelchair lowered floor minivan. Love those 20 inch x 9J ET35
wheels!
This is an almost stock F55s powerchair
after relocating the seat rearwards a few inches and reprogramming it a little
to get some control...
You can balance it like this or drive around
while tipped back if you practice just like a manual wheelchair should you wish
>>>
It wheelies OK, and at will, just by accelerating forwards but my latest
completely
re-designed powerchair
is much better at everything including off road, beach, snow etc!
John
Williamson
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