ramps and lowering a van

[MrSpudboy]

Hiya Burgerman,

I guess that is your black van..
How high is the sill of the side door off the ground, and how long is your ramp?
Is you ramp electrically controlled, or manual?
I see you had your van lowered. I am from Kansas, and I am sure there are plenty of Mexicans around that know how to lower a van a lot cheaper than a mobility conversion business.
thanks,
Phil

[Burgerman]

Lowered?

No its raised (Rollx - the company that modified it) RAISED the suspension by about 2 inch at the front, and 3 at the rear. This is because...

They LOWER the floor inside by some 10 inches, from stock. To give headroom for wheelchair users. Now. They cut the whole floor out, fit a new one that is much lower. So they raise the ride height, to maintain a sensible clearance underneath.


As such the FLOOR is lower, by a lot, and so a shorter ramp is used, but the van is actually higher. Its maybe 5 feet long? Not sure. But you would need it double that length on a stock minivan.

[ex-Gooserider]

As Burgerman said, the floor in a minivan conversion is lowered, typically by 6-12" and the van suspension is raised some to compensate, however you still end up with much less than stock ground clearance, enough so that you have less clearance than most any other car on the road... This is a significant concern, as it is very easy to ground out on speed bumps, raised manhole covers, and even steep driveway transitions, and this can cause lots of VERY expensive damage...

In addition to dropping the floor, this means you also have to change a great many other things to match - new exhaust, brake lines, a lot of the electrical system, and so on. You also (I think) need to move the gas tank. Inside you need to modify the seating to match the lowered floor (or remove it...) and redo all the interior carpeting and trim. Outside also requires serious bodywork to extend the doors, etc...

I agree that the prices the conversion places charge are high, but there's a lot more work than meets the eye...

In terms of the ramp, I'd agree with the estimate of about 5' in length, as you need 8' of clearance to enter / exit, including space to turn your chair at the bottom of the ramp.

In addition to the lowered floor, (mostly needed so that you are low enough to be reasonably close to a normal driving position, and to avoid banging your head) Most vans also have a "Kneeling system" that lowers / fully compresses the suspension on the ramp side of the van in order to make the ramp less steep.

ex-Gooserider

[Ashley G]

In terms of the ramp, I'd agree with the estimate of about 5' in length, as you need 8' of clearance to enter / exit, including space to turn your chair at the bottom of the ramp.

The wellstapo have a set of rules, I believe, which dictate the maximum inclines permitted.

I don't know what they are for vehicle conversions, and I can't remember what they are for house / shop doorways, but I do remember nearly starting World War 3 when I objected to the ramp which the local authority was fitting to my front door being so long that I would need coffee and sandwiches part way down it !

I exaggerate - but you do see my point, I hope.

Worst of all is that the functionaries involved all seemed to be jobs' worths. If the rule said eleventeen hundred inches long, eleventeen hundred inches it was going to be, or they were going home and taking teddy with them.

Apologies for the cynicism. I am, as you can tell, a great admirer of those who know so much better than I what is good or bad for my personal comfort and safety. Especially when they hide behind endless layers of telephonists, typists and toilet wall scrubbers so you can never get at quite the right one/s to re-educate them ....

Touch wood, although my vehicle ramp seems a tad steep (my footrests "ground" on it because they are set so low for my height. WTG WCS !), the vehicle itself hasn't actually grounded yet, though the point is well made.

Regards

Ashley

[MrSpudboy]

Thanks for the input.
I was trying to figure a low cost method of hauling my chair around. I have MS (spasticity in my legs) and am having more difficulty getting around.
I have a Rav4 now. The only good was to haul a chair around on a rav is a Chariot lift, with crazy wheels holding the weight. That would work, but costs about 3 grand, if I install it.
I could sell my ran, and buy a small pickup, and put a outside lift in the bed...which still costs about 2 grand.
I can get some help from the MS society, but Medicare doest not pay for any vehicle mods.
I also need a hand brake, and all that comes out of pocket too.
Of course, I can't just buy a hand brake, and put it in, I have to go get an evaluation from a Occupational therapist first...which I have to pay out of pocket too.
Ill figure something out

[ex-Gooserider]

If you haven't already done so, and assuming you are 'working age' I'd suggest contacting your state's Rehabilitation Agency - Federal law requires all states to have one, and they can be very helpful with things to "help you (re)enter the workforce" and thus become a tax-slave...

I recently got a converted van with the help of Mass. Rehab, we had to pay for the van, but they paid for all the costs of the conversion - the van was about $21K, the conversion was over $45K - this was for a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country w/ 17K miles on it, getting a full Braun Entervan conversion, with lockdown and drive from the chair setup. Fairly low tech on the actual controls.... They also paid for my driving evaluation and all the "adaptive driving" instruction I got.

Another thing to consider, though not to look forward to, is that MS is a degenerative disease, so it's not unlikely that your condition will get worse in the future.... Rather than spending a lot of money to meet your current needs, which may change, I'd look very hard at the idea of getting a mini-van conversion so as to "future-proof" your investment as much as possible. Kind of tough to think about, but may end up being less expensive in the long run.

ex-Gooserider