Wheelchair transfer to front seat.

[Yusha]

Hello,has anyone come across a good system to trnasfer me from chair to a front passenger seat in a van or pickup truck.? Something like the MultiLift? From acccess unlimited, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd_dtJd9HEI
Thanks.

[Burgerman]

Well not really. I had that same problem. It was so difficult to transfer that I was avoiding using that van. So I bought a drive from wheelchair one. That made everything simple and fast. Which probably isnt what you wanted to hear.

[Yusha]

I have a van where I can drive in van and remain sitting on chair in the back but a Milford lift enables one to transfer of the chair and sit in passenger seat in front with the driver.Great for long trips.I dont want to remove the vans passenger seat so this lift is an option.I m just looking for maybe a better system.

[Burgerman]

I understand thats what yu want. I dont know of anything better. But having tried such solutions in the past. And also transfering to a drivers seat inside the vehicle, all I can say is that its too much trouble, too much messing about for a long term solution.

I bought a lowered floor minivan, and its a literal 20 seconds, and I am in the front position and in my case ready to drive. No transfering needed at all. Its just easier. It means that instead of putting off getting into and out of a car (thats on 4 occasions on say a trip to the shops) I was just staying in. It looks easy on the vids. Its not, and nt every day is warm, dry etc. You are not always on good level ground. And it becomes tiring. In my own case I was transfering with a board to a drivers seat but lots of trouble. And then you have to stash all that stuff/chair in the rear of the car. And get it all back out again to get out and go to the pub/shop. And all again to get home.

The lowered floor minivans seem like a major step. But trust me its worth it.

This van owes me nothing. Its 15 years old now. Looks brand new. Just fitted a new protective carpet. Cheaply! Local carpet fitter. To protect the virgin unused original one under this!

This is a case of drive in, to the steering wheel. And it automatically locks the chair in place. Turn key and go. No straps, no stashing chairs or lifts, takes seconds. At the end of journey prss one button to unlock chair, and another to open door, lower the van, and deploy the ramp in one go. Drive out, and press the close/lock button. Seconds, lots of space for 5 seated users inc your chair. Drivers seats and passenger seats are removable and exchangable. So you can go in the passenger position if you wish.


Some pics...
https://www.wheelchairdriver.com/board/ ... ET#p187942

A vid, dog driving.
https://www.wheelchairdriver.com/gopro/ramp.mp4

Its the only long term sensible solution. For driving or passenger. Or dog. Yes I know. You dont want to do that...

[slomobile]

I've seen a Turny Evo https://www.braunability.com/us/en/mobi ... y-evo.html, or maybe it was a lookalike product installed in a van so that it moved to the rear and swiveled arather than to the side. This enabled a person to enter a van by any ramp or lift, secure the wheelchair in back, and perform a transfer to the Turny Evo at whatever position works for you. Then it moves back to the normal seating position.

There are older clunkier systems that are similar with less travel and more complicated. Long handled switch operated.

[slomobile]

Yesterday I pulled myself through this van https://www.greatamericanrv.com/2023-en ... -L1cn.html
It is very nice. We figured a rear ramp could be added and I could pull myself to the swivel front seats as driver or passenger. It worked well for me.

Unfortunately it does not have automated rear doors and adding a rear ramp would block the rear door handles preventing exit in the chair when by myself.

A stock Promaster van has a lower rear floor and a raised driver and passenger seat. Those seats are available with factory or aftermarket swivel and with aftermarket spacers to adjust the seat height. It might be possible to match your wheelchair seat height to the swiveled passenger seat.
You could enter via a side ramp,
EZ lock directly behind the stock passenger seat facing you,
do a slide board transfer to passenger seat,
and then swivel forward, ready to go.