If you get around in a wheel chair, you might consider wheelchair lifts for a van. What are they? A lift for a wheel chair is a device that will electronically or manually lift your wheelchair in or out of a van, and then fold up the device neatly. This would make it much easier to get in and out of a van. They can be controlled easily, and provide many functions for the user.

Wheelchair lifts come in many different designs, and you should be able to find one to fit your specific needs. For example, lifts for wheelchairs can be lightweight, or heavy and durable in case you need to lift a wheelchair with a lot of weight. (Up to 600 pounds!) They should fit in just about any wheelchair-accessible van.

One of the great features of a van lift for an electronic or manual wheelchair is that some of them can be remotely operated. For example, if you need to get into the van, but your wife has the remote, she can simply press a button on the remote, and then go about doing her tasks while the lift is pulling your wheelchair up into the van. These models will also allow you to operate the wheel chair lift manually in case the power goes out, or you experience some other type of emergency.

What happens when your van is still good, but the lift for your wheelchair is ready to be replaced? No problem. A professional should be able to install a new wheel chaired lift for your van for minimum labor costs. Simply purchase the new one, and he or she will take out the old one and replace it with the new one. This will save a lot of money, because you won’t have to purchase a new van.

Wheelchair incline lifts provide a practical solution for facilitating disabled access to office buildings, churches, banks, schools or public buildings. Traversing steps is a big obstacle to the independent living capacity of disabled people. Incline lifts are attached to a the side of a staircase. Disabled people can easily go up and down the steps with minimal help. If the stairs are wide enough, there are lifts available that can take you between the floors of your house. Obviously, these cost much more than smaller lifts, but could make a considerable difference to your life if you have the space for one in your home.

Incline wheelchair lifts are mounted on a load bearing wall. When the platform lift is at bottom of stairs space necessary is approximately 6-7 ft. The lifts have a load bearing capacity of almost 500 pounds. Incline lifts are generally not very popular these days. They are a great option if elevators cannot be installed for some reason. This type of lift is limited for a number of reasons.

Requirements are:

1) A load bearing wall
2) Sufficient head room
3) A straight set of stairs
4) Enough space at the bottom of the stairs (about 6′) to allow the platform to land
5) A 36″-wide stairway

Another choice to consider, if the person requiring the lift can transfer himself from his wheelchair to the seat of another chair, is a stair lift. These lifts are designed to transport just people, not their wheelchairs, but can be a much less expensive option.

As a wheelchair user, if you frequently encounter a hard-to-handle elevation change in your home or office, installing platform wheelchair lifts might be the solution you need.

Even though wheelchairs provide increased mobility to disabled people, they do present some problems, as well. Wheelchairs are designed to travel on level ground. Many times the heavy wheelchair has to be hoisted up to a higher level such as staircase steps or into your vehicle and this indeed is an obstacle to a wheelchair user. Wheelchair lifts have been designed to get over this limitation.

There are various types of lifts. Platform lifts have platform on which wheelchair is placed. The platform is then raised or lower. There are both solid and folding platform lifts that can be sub categorized into automatic and semi-automatic types. An automatic lift will fold, unfold, lower and rise by operating a single switch. A semi-automatic lift requires manual folding and unfolding of the platform. Another type is the rotary wheelchair lift, sometimes called a “swing” lift, which allows the wheelchair to be moved by swinging it inside, outside, and up-and-down. It is normally used in vans and minivans. Compatibility can be an issue when adding these types of lifts to an automobile. Choosing the type of operation, such as electric or hydraulic, will also vary depending on your location. Wheelchair Stair Lifts are built to go up the stair steps. Most stair lifts are custom-built for your particular staircase; it cannot be relocated and therefore has no value if and when you no longer need it. Due to their mechanical complexity, curved rail units are not as reliable as straight stair lifts.

Wheelchair lifts are often costly and you could consider funding them. If you are a veteran, the Veteran Administration may have programs that cover all or part of your expenses for the lifts. You could also ask other state offices, including the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation or the Division of Developmental Services to access your eligibility for funding your lift.

What Is A Platform Wheelchair Lift?

If you are thinking about purchasing a platform wheelchair lift, you should know that there are many options that you should consider. In other words, all wheelchair lifts are not the same. Each wheeled chair lift model has its pluses and minuses, and choosing the right lift can make a big difference in your life. There are four basic lift models, but in this article, we will focus on the platform wheel chair lift.

The folding wheel chair lift is one of the most common of all wheeled chair lifts because it has been around the longest. It operates with a frame that operates the lift, which is mounted on the inside of the van. (Although some manufacturers are now making the lifts so they can be mounted on the outside of the van.)

When you need to get in or out of the van, the wheeled chair lift unfolds and lowers to the ground, allowing the wheelchair to be moved in or out. The drawback to this type of wheelchair lifts is that the entrance to the van door will be blocked when the chair lift is not in use. But recently, many manufacturers have begun to improve on these types of platform lifts for chairs with wheels.

One way that they are improving the lifts is to split the chair lift, and include a small slit between them. This will allow the van passengers to climb in and out with ease. In addition, this will allow you to save time when using the wheeled chair lift because your passengers won’t have to unfold the lift every time they want to get in or out of the van.

So, if you are looking for a good lift for your wheeled chair, a platform wheelchair lift may be just the right tool to make getting in and out of van easier.

When you are in the market for vehicle wheelchair lifts, it can be difficult to know which model to choose. After all, you have to consider which style of lift is right for your wheel chair, where the lift should be mounted, whether or not the user will be able to operate the wheeled chair lift in his vehicle, and how the lift for the chair will affect the interior of the van, car or bus.

In addition, you must determine how much outdoor space will be necessary for mounting and dismounting the wheelchair lift’s platform, whether the height of the platform lift will be workable with your particular wheelchair, and how the scooter lift will affect the passenger side door entrance of the van.

Wow! With all of these considerations, where do you go to for advice about which wheelchair lift is right for you? Luckily, there are two professionals that should be able to help.

The first is the chair lift installer. These people are trained in every type of lift, and would most likely be happy to share their expertise with you. You can ask them specific questions about things like, how much space a particular platform lift will take, or whether a rear mount or side mount lift will best suit your particular needs. In addition, they would be a great source of information about wheeled chair lift’s reliability and ease of operation. You should find a good wheelchair lift installer and form a relationship with them.

Next, if you’re planning to mount your wheelchair lift in a van or other vehicle, you should consult a rehabilitation driving specialist and ask them questions specific to your needs. They will perform a thorough assessment of your situation, and then help you decide which wheelchair lift would be right for you. You should check with a wheelchair ramps and lift dealer to find one of these professionals.