Sunday, January 11, 2009

Mobility Scooters

By Mark Roberts

Mobility scooters, there are so many brands and models to chose from that researching and reading reviews can be confusing. An electric scooter can offer you freedom and pride without having to relie on help with others. Mobility scooters come in many capacities, colors or styles such as 3 wheel or 4 wheel. It pays to do your research and review you options before making that purchase.

Many lightweight mobility scooters have a capacity of 250 pounds. Some of your lightweight scooters can be folded or collapsed to be put in a trunk or car. Many other higher capacity scooters may requires a lift. In many cases the scooter may be covered by insurance but the lift may not. Again always check with your insurer before making that purchase.

Quite a few low capacity scooters consist of 3 wheel models. These scooters can maneuver tighter areas such as grocery isles and around the house but are more prone to tipping. 4 wheel models tend to be more stable are not likely to tip unless on a steep grade. They are likely to have a greater range and if for outdoor use this is where a 4 wheel electric mobility scooter shines. There are many factors to consider when choosing an electric mobility scooter, range and battery capacity are worth considering.

Also consider range and charging if you have a short range you will be spending more time charging. At some point you may need to replace batteries. Over time a rechargeable battery will lose its ability to take a full charge and your range could decrease.

With range on the 3 wheel lightweight mobility scooters you can expect about 10 mile range. On 4 wheel higher capacity models you may be looking at a range of about 25 miles or more. It all depends on the brand and model.

When you buy a mobility scooters you will need to decide how and where it will be used. Will you be using it indoors or outdoors? Will you be using it to get around indoors or to get around outdoors such as walking the dog or running errands down to the local grocery store or post office. Will you be carrying extra weigh on the scooter and need extra range? Things you have to ask yourself is how does a scooter make your life easier.

Consider tires or pneumatic tires that may be prone to flats but are lighter and give a better ride due to their ability to absorb shocks. Solid core tires are not prone to flats but give a stiffer ride but also wear much longer. Air filled tires will need to be checked often. Again depending on the use or your scooter such as indoors or out and the surfaces you travel on will determine what tires you travel on.

There are many things to consider when you buy a scooter for mobility. Always check with Medicare or your medical insurance to make sure your purchase is covered. Just make sure you have reviewed all your options and done your research before making that purchase. - 16752

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