Thursday, April 16, 2009

Folding, unfolding, and putting it in the car

Lynn Ellen would like to discuss folding, unfolding and putting it in the car. She says, "That thing is not light."

If anyone reading has tips and techniques they'd like to share, send them to me and I'll post them here.

Folding and Unfolding

I don't have this part working smoothly just yet. My husband does. If you watch Hardy doing it on his website, at http://www.TravelScoot.com, he's got the technique. We're smart women. I'm sure we can learn to do it just like he does, or make up our own way. I've watched Hardy do it in person and it takes him about one second to fold or unfold.

"That thing is not light."

The TravelScoot is lighter than any other scooter, and it's lighter than most wheelchairs too. I take as many pieces off as I can before I lift it. I take the seat and the u-shaped part off as one piece, although you can also do it as two pieces. I remove the battery. If I were using the seat back I would take that off too. Another trick a friend taught me is to use leverage to get it in and out of the trunk. After you've folded it, if you just lift one end of it off the ground and prop that on the trunk lip, you can then lift the other end and slide it into your trunk.

Having a small stool in your trunk could also help if you need to sit while you're dealing with your scoot.

3 comments:

  1. I figured I would need a stool to sit on while I get the scoot out of and into the trunk. Today I went googling for something that would work for me and I decided on a "Nova Heavy Duty Bath Bench Without Back" It ended up costing $96 with tax and free shipping. The free shipping saved a lot, other sites wanted as much as $35 to send a similar bench.

    http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp;jsessionid=XL0BBXMKVGJS2CXOUAUB3KQK30QCQ3MK?CATID=303768&navAction=pop&navCount=2&id=prod3200326

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  2. I just folded it up and put it in the trunk for the first time.

    Every thing went fine and it wasn't that bad to lift into the trunk. I did not break down the basket.

    It will take some practice to get the thing folded until both hinges "snap" into place quickly.

    I did not need to use a stool to sit on while breaking it down, but I know if I am tired or its toward afternoon I would need one because I tend to stiffen up after noon.

    I have an 04 Buick LeSabre and there is lots of extra room in the trunk.

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  3. one other thing we do is put a piece of rubber (like a thin piece of hall runner) over the lip of the trunk so we don't scratch the bumper all up.

    smiles, bee
    xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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