Cute Little Red Scooters

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Ray D

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 4, 2006
Posts
1,963
Location
Boise, Idaho
Finally made the move to get us some range, outside the campground where we may be parked. Bought two Pride Mobility Scooters, Celebrity X models. She wanted a three wheeler and I got a four wheeler.  Nice little toys, and a lot of fun. Extends my range from a something less than a block - to 25 miles, supposedly. At 5mph, that would be five hours of driving, which I doubt I will ever want to do.

Haven?t had them out with the RV, yet. Planned on disassembling them, storing them in the basement, then reassembling as needed. Plenty of room. (Assembled, ready to go, they are 46" by 24" and weigh 151lbs.) That may be the way we do it. If it is, we are going to have to get inventive.

It turns out that the heaviest pieces are really pretty heavy, for us. 65.5 lbs. I really thought that while we are supposedly limited to 40lbs or less, we could do that, once in a while. (Was a time when I could have thrown that much weight, a little ways, with one hand!) It is an awkward 65.5 lbs! It?s really tough, with both of us lifting to put it in the trunk of a car, and we haven?t tried to get them into a storage bay, (or bays) yet.

Transporting them in the basement is our preferred method, for several reasons. Wouldn?t be towing anything. There are weather issues with these things, can?t get them wet. Out of sight for theft prevention. Etc. Anybody with any inventive ideas?  ???

Anybody with a TONKA Fork Lift for sale?  ;D

Ray D
 
I'm not familiar with the scooters or how they breakdown, so this may be a dumb question. Is there anyway you build a plywood ramp and roll them up into the basement?
 
Not a dumb question, at all. None of our storage bays are big enough to hold an assembled scooter. They are about 26 inches tall, 24 wide and 46 long. Wish I had a couple of bays that size, but I don't. I'd love to just "drive them up a ramp and into the bay!"

I have several bays that are more than 24 deep, for the width of the scooter. I have two that are 48 long. I have none that are tall enough for an assembled scooter.

Assembly and disassembly is remarkably easy. That takes less than five minutes. I think we may be able to do both, in less than five minutes.

Ray D
 
My wife has a DTPwholesale scooter, It breaks down into 4 parts per the instructions (Actually, 5 but not per the instructions)

The basket comes off, the "trunk" comes off, you remove the battery, then you flip a latch and the front and rear seperate, you are supposed to be able to remove the seat as well but mine does not have an easily loosened latch there (Bolt, takes wrench)

And this makes it easier to store or load.

Thing is so light I store it assembled in my Lumina APV, just pick it up and load it

If you have a big enough towed.. Consider it another storage bay
 
Ray,
I didn't make myself clear.  i was wondering that if you were able to remove the seat and handle bars, would it be possible to roll the scooter base up a small inclined plywood ramp into the storage area, pushing them up by hand but not lifting them.
 
John: We have two cars, neither of which can be towed 4 dn. Neither can be made towable. Neither has anyplace to attach the towing mechanism. No frames! So, I am told. Part of the problem, no TOAD!

Part of the problem is - - - - well - - - - a problem. Both of us feel that two cars is enough. No more cars! She has a pretty, blue, 98 Mustang Convertible. It has 27,000 miles on it and it is in pristine condition. Figure it out. She doesn?t drive much. Neither she nor I want to trade that car in. That leaves my 96 Volvo, with almost 70,000 miles on it. Obviously, I drive more. That car is just now getting broken in! It is so comfortable to drive, so dependable and almost never needs a repair. Both get regular routine maintenance.  That car will still be running fine, when I am dead..

Went out and looked at a top o? the line dolly. Couldn?t pick up the tongue! Imagine trying to manhandle a car hauler around! TOAD solution is off, til at least next year. 

The scooters break down, as you might expect, into about however many pieces one would like. Supposedly 5 or 7, depending on whether you read the manual or the advertising circular. I get one heavy seat, each, easily detachable with a lever. The seat can be further broken down into three pieces and the back folds over to the seat. Two baskets, each, one front and one rear. Two batteries each, and each weighing 35lbs. One front end, each, weighing 65.5lbs and 56lbs, respectively. Ungainly, unwieldily, flopping around, difficult to handle pieces, for sure. One shroud (from the motor, below the seat) that weighs nothing. And, one motor - drive assembly. It weighs probably 30lbs and is easy to handle.

A lever releases the seat, and another releases the front from the back. Other than that, it is an interlocking jigsaw puzzle with no levers and no tools needed. (Put tab A into slot B.)

A bit challenging, for my taste. We?ll git-er done, somehow.

Ray D

Lowell. See the disassembly detail discussion, above. Rolling the front section is, no doubt, the answer. The other pieces are manageable. When I think about rolling the front section, there comes a time when I have to turn it. Haven't figured out a safe way to do that, yet. (At least with a reasonably sized ramp. I don't get anywhere if the ramp is larger, or weighs more than the scooter part.) That is one of the things I have been considering. Not inventive enough, so far.
 
When I was looking at TTs last year, one of the models had bunks at the right rear.  There was a door on the back of the TT that was quite large.  The lower bunk folded up such that you could roll in a couple of full size bicycles without any diassembly.  Something like that might work for scooters but it doesn't help out in your current situation.  But I thought I might make mention of it here for folks in a similar situation looking for RV options.
 
I appreciate the suggestions, so far. I did find folding aluminum ramps for wheelchairs, at a wheelchair website. Maybe that is what I need. Still haven?t figured out the turn. Have the same problem in the trunk of the car. Just have to horse it around, in there. That?s part of the problem. Took two days to recover from the pain in my shoulders and hips. Gotta do a little better.

Something else, we considered, was a shelf device, platform (?) that fits the trailer hitch, on the back of the coach. With powered lift, they cost more than scooters. We found one with a ?tilt? mechanism. Left two problems. First, it only takes one scooter. Haven?t found one that holds two. Secondly, there is the weather problem. Maybe we could ?bag? the scooters to protect them. ?? Not sure that?s practical.

And, how would they be placed? End to end, across the back, is just under 8' if they are touching. More if there is an inch or so of separation. Side by side would have the platform extending more than 4 ft behind the bumper. Quite a bit of leverage! And, I don?t know of such a platform, either way. We did look for that. Found none. Also, end to end across the back would put twisting torque on the hitch at every bump, turn, or sway. Don?t know if that is a good idea..

I remember back some time ago, someone posted a link on another thread that was to a trailer-like platform. It fit into the receiver on the back, directly. (No ball or tongue.) It had a castor wheel, trailer size, on the back of the shelf. I think it was for an ATV, but the website said they build them to order. It had an advantage, in that since there was no swiveling joint at the ball, (there being no ball involved) the ?trailer? could be backed up behind a motorhome, as if they were a one piece unit.

I was going to take another look, but don?t have it bookmarked and couldn?t find the reference, here. (I have a lot of bookmarks!) I had this wild idea that I would call them up and see what they would charge for a ?two scooter garage,? thus solving the weather problem, storage, security, assembly, all in one swell foop! Could probably buy a towable TOAD, for the price, but who knows!

Any ideas?

Ray
 
Lowell said:
Ray,
I didn't make myself clear.  i was wondering that if you were able to remove the seat and handle bars, would it be possible to roll the scooter base up a small inclined plywood ramp into the storage area, pushing them up by hand but not lifting them.

Oh, if you got the room in the compartment, sure thing,  The DTP has a nice clutch.

I should mention that on my Lumina APV (Where I currently have the light weight scooter stored) I also have a pair of ramps,  These are the type of ramp used to load a riding lawn mower on a pick up truck, they have been modified for the lower bed height of the APV (mini-van) but are otherwise as factory built.

I use these with a friend's full size battery operated wheel chair and easily push the chair up the ramp

The scooter is light enough I don't need the ramp to load it,  So any reasonable length ramp you should be able to push it up no problem
 
Several manufacturers make trays that go into your receiver hitch.  Blue Ox for one.

I believe it'd be large enough for both your scooters and you could put a cover over them.

Just a thought.
 
GypsySooners said:
Several manufacturers make trays that go into your receiver hitch.? Blue Ox for one.

I believe it'd be large enough for both your scooters and you could put a cover over them.

Just a thought.

I've seen those also, they plug into the receiver hitch and you have a platform that has a fold up ramp that you let the scooter drive up and park in tandem.

Like this one here  http://www.turnkeydme.com/demo1/product_details.cfm?product_id=1425&catagory_id=605

Of course you would want one to carry both scooters. Maybe have a local welding shop custom build one ?

 
I appreciate all the help, so far. What it does is speed up the mental calculations. Helps me feel that I have done the best I can, when I do make a decision. And, I have made one decision.

I see no alternative to going with a ramp, and hand-pushing the larger parts into the bays. I am no longer capable of making my own ramp, so have decided to go with the light weight folding ramps I saw in a wheelchair accessories website. It may also have other uses, like to get the scooters up onto the porch, if I want them there, for some reason. Might even ease the loading into the cars, when necessary.

Still leaves the better solution wanting! Transporting them whole would be a nice alternative, once in a while - or maybe - usually.

Gypsy: I went to the Blue Ox website to check it out. They do have a variety of platforms, including one for hauling one scooter. They don't have a two scooter device, but I may call them up and check, later. Most of the other heavier duty platforms are too heavy for my hitch, once I load scooters on. The hitch is a class III with a 500lb hitch weight. Scooters take all but 150lbs of that. I could take pieces off, and store them in a storage bay, but that sort of defeats the idea.

Kenneth: I looked at the website you posted. Same as above. Couldn't find anything for two scooters.

I went out to my favorite RV dealer, here, to discuss this. Seemed to be a fascinating subject for them, to my surprise. Wound up with four service/parts people working on it, perusing catalogues, etc. Kinda fun to watch. Struck out! Some finds were not large enough to carry two. Some were too heavy for my hitch. Several arguments - technical discussions I should say - interesting to me. One idea was to upgrade the hitch. I killed that one, when I found out what that would cost!

My hitch is a Putnam Hitch Products. Wt. Dist 5000; Tongue Wt 500; Wt Carrying 5000; Tongue Wt 500. Class (blank.) It doesn't say what class. One of the servicemen told me it was a class III. He also said it would probably carry somewhat more than 500lbs, but didn't recommend it, as one has no way to know how much over would be safe.

They seemed bummed out that I only had a class III on my coach. They did say that lots of coaches have class IIIs, making it difficult or impossible to tow some TOADS. One mentioned a customer who tows a heavy SUV on a class III, and mentioned that he expects to do some serious repairs, someday, when it comes apart. I was quite surprised when one cautioned me, that when I get a toad, I should keep it under 4000lbs, total. Said, "Don't even think about 5000lbs!"

Well, I am off, to keep looking.

Ray D
 
I think the ramps in the wheelchair catalogs are overpriced.... You can home brew using ramp ends (Which you get from Lowes or Home Depot or Pep Boys) and lumber or other materials for less... Though the solid steel ramps I have are not light weight at all (But then I don't need them for the scooter.... Just Elaine's power chair and some other stuff)

As for towing.  A 1992 Lumina APV (All plastic Vehicle) is no feather weight... and it's 4,000 lbs

Don't think of towing without some means of activating the brakes on the towed!!!!!

I will see if I can make a photo attach to a message tomorrow  or heck today

Yup, there is how you tow it :)
 

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Ray:

Have you thought about doing a Remco towing conversion?  We had that done on our Ford Taurus station wagon for about $1200 and it tows 4 down like a dream.  One rotation of the axle lock and it is ready to drive.  We have towed it 18,000 miles over 15 months without a single problem.
 
I hope to use a platform that plugs directly into the reciever, has wheels and will support up to 1200lbs.  It is called a campingtrek.com.  Not cheap, $2500-3000.  It should handle my motorcycles.  The downside is that it is outside and I need to find a way to protect the bikes from weather and prying eyes.  Good luck with your search and hope you work it out...Phil
 
John, I like the system. Like the other solutions, so far, this one has a problem. Since we have two little red scooters, it would constitute a triple tow. In some states, we couldn't do it. In California we would need class A licenses. Good idea, though.  ;D

Phil, I went to that website. Nice units. A bit expensive for my budget but I am still thinking.

Smokey, I am at a bit of a disadvantage. I don't know what I'm doing.

So, when it came to trying to make one of our cars towable, I relied on advice of the two RV dealers I use, here. (And went to Volvo and Ford to double check.)

All went through catalogues and manuals and then said that our cars were not suitable and could not be made so. I haven't checked Remco, myself. Should I? It seems that the RV dealers would have done that. Got a link?

Thanks all.

Ray D

Went to Remco site. They list Ford, but not the Mustang model. They do not list Volvo, at all. (Although I know that some Volvos are towable.)
 
Someone requested a link

Remco Towing Home Page

I should point out that in the photo of my wife's scooter.... If I were to drive the MH away, the scooter would not move (Just in case anyone thought otherwise) there is no base plate, the Blue-Ox tow bar arms are sitting on blocks under the front of the scooter. (Well, actually on a dowell rod schoved throgh the pin holes and it's on the blocks.

Sad that I have to make this warning, but alas, Figured I'd better just in case.

OH,  The solution to that problem.

They make an "over nad under" trailer which can carry two of these (Actually a boat over a car) so perhaps it would work

Or use a Haul-mark trailer
 
Smoky, not giving up. Got a partial solution with the little red scooters. It's a big step up, for us, already. Just harder work than I anticipated. They have broadened our range from something less than a block from the RV to something we can measure in miles. It is really a big improvement. And, we will benefit from these, even after we find a way to tow a car.

For the moment, they are almost a new hobby! We are getting around like we haven't in quite a few years. Went grocery shopping in them, today. Easily fit $200 worth of groceries in them, and got a kick out of doing that. About a mile away, the trip was as quick as using the car and easier to do. Rather than stop in the driveway and walk the groceries from there, we drove up the sidewalk, right to the kitchen door. What a way to live!

We will, eventually, have a toad. If all else fails, I'll bite the bullet and buy one. We're attached to our cars. But, as I approach 71 yrs, I've been attached to a lot of cars! Old one goes away - new one takes over.

And, we are approaching 4 years of motorhome ownership. So far, we still don't know what we're doing, beyond the fact that we are having one of the best times of our lives.

We muddled through the first 3 1/2 years on wit and whim, with the old Allegro. It was costing so much in repairs that I figured out we were driving a 15 year old motorhome, while paying for a new one! Wrong again, but we love our new Challenger. Now, instead of watching the repair bills come in, I watch the value drop - the depreciation! Holy Smoke! And, I watch the price of fuel! Wow!

But we get on down the road, when we can - and - I hate to admit it - we "pretend," ?camping out on the pad, in back, when we can't go down the road. We're almost full timers! We love it! We hit our road blocks and get over them. It's only money.

Biggest improvement was finding this RV Forum Community. Wish we'd done that, long ago.

And, problems are just challenges to be overcome, and to add spice to life. Forgive me, but I have a little story some here may appreciate. Some years ago, Carter was President and we were having a fuel crisis. I owned a small trucking company in Los Angeles. I watched the price of fuel climb, from the 25 cent a gallon range. Decided, if it goes over fifty cents, I would sell the trucks and get a job. Well, the price of fuel did go over fifty cents and the trucks kept on rolling. In fact, I made more money than before as some competitors were unable to adjust to the rising cost of fuel.

Watched the price of fuel, again, this summer. Didn't keep us at home. Still trucking - still loving it! $3.00 a gallon? What does it take to stop us? Well, it takes more than $3.00 per gallon, for sure.

Next year, we will tow a toad, one way or the other. Your job is to make sure we do it right, when we do make the move. We appreciate all of you.

Ray D
 
When I picked up my TT at the dealers today after having the wheel bearings replaced, I saw a TT with a fold down door that would work great for your red scooters.  The TT was a Cherokee light 28A and the queen bed in front had been modified to fold up against the front of the trailer.  The drop down door was on the front right side and was wide enough for an ATV.  The scooters or an ATV would then park in the  area where the bed sits when it is folded down.
 
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