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When looking for a new scooter, power wheelchair or vehicle lift it gets overwhelming. There are so many differences, yet similarities it’s easy to feel like you’re going in circles. So below you will find our favorite research tools, from compatibility calculators to consumer information, to assist in your mobility journey.

While there are a lot of different scooters available, our go-to manufacturers are Pride Mobility and Golden Technologies. Both companies offer travel scooters, full-size scooters, and heavy-duty scooters; with a slight difference.

This first link is to Pride Mobility’s website; https://www.pridemobility.com/pride-mobility-scooters/models.asp  It will show every single scooter that they make. Keep in mind you want to focus on the scooter that is bed going to fit your needs. Travel scooters are lightweight and can be transported in the trunk of just about any vehicle, both 3-wheel and 4-wheel models can be used inside or outside. Full-size scooters are also available in both 3-wheel and 4-wheel models however, they are slightly harder to operate indoors. If you plan on using your full-size scooter indoors, we recommend going with the 3-wheel as it has a slightly tighter turning radius for getting down hallways and around obstacles within the home. Full-size scooters are transported via a vehicle lift. Heavy-duty scooters, either 3-wheel or 4-wheel are bariatric scooters that can be transported on vehicle lifts in some cases and are not recommended for indoor use.

This link; https://www.goldentech.com/scooters/ is for Golden Technologies. You’ll notice as you scroll through that a lot of these scooters are similar to the ones that you viewed on Pride’s website. Travel, full size, and heavy-duty scooters all follow the same outline, 3-wheel, and 4-wheel, lightweight to bariatric, easily transported to unable to transport. The big difference between these two brands usually comes down to personal preference and appearance.

On to vehicle lifts; the first link is to Harmar Mobility compatibility calculator https://harmar.com/calculator/ which will help you learn if the vehicle you own will safely support the weight of a vehicle lift. First, you’ll select the year, make, and model of your vehicle and then select the manufacturer and model of mobility equipment that you have. If you aren’t sure what type of equipment you have it’s always best to do a little bit of research to find out. You can typically find the model of equipment by calling the delivery company, the company you purchased the equipment from, or looking at your bill of sale. Once the calculate is finished, it will pull up another screen that will tell you if a lift will work on your vehicle and give you the options available.

This next link is for Paragon Lifts, formally known as Pride Lifts, https://harmar.com/paragon-calculator/ You’ll notice that this calculator looks exactly like Harmar’s calculator, and it does, that’s because Harmar is now manufacturing formally Pride, now Paragon, lift series. The calculator works exactly the same after you input all the necessary information it will populate with only the Paragon lifts that are compatible with your vehicle.

You can also use Bruno’s Mobility Matcher at https://www.bruno.com/mobility-matcher to check for compatibility between your mobility equipment and vehicle to their lifts. Their calculator works much the same at the Harmar and Paragon calculator, you input your vehicle and mobility equipment information, and is will provide a list of compatible lift. Bruno’s calculator will also work if you aren’t sure what type of mobility equipment you want. At the top of the Mobility Matcher page you’ll see a tab that says “vehicle” if you follow the prompts and put in the year, make, and model of the vehicle it will populate with lifts that will work on that vehicle. However, once you select a vehicle lift style you’ll still have to double-check with the complete Mobility Matcher to make sure it’s a good application.

These are the major lift and mobility equipment resources that you can use to get a better idea of what will meet your needs while being cost-effective and functional. In all the above links, at the bottom of the page, you will notice a “Sell Sheet” or “Consumer Information” and by clicking on those links you will be provided an in-depth look at the selected material. And, as always if you have any questions or would like additional information, please do not hesitate to reach out!