How best to carry this?

SimonM

SimonM

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We need a more robust 4 wheel scooter for memsahib as her folding scoot doesn’t do rough ground too well. it is also a pita to store and assemble frequently.

This will clearly not fold and go within the MH garage as it is 1280x500x1100 and weighs 110kg

2 options come to mind, a new MH with garage capacity, or some form of rear mounting, tow bar?

what else can you suggest?
IMG_9181.jpeg
 
If it's the height that's a problem, then they usually have a quick remove seat, or folding seatback, and the steering folds. If it's length/width/weight, treat yourself to a new van. :)
 
SimonM said:
We need a more robust 4 wheel scooter for memsahib as her folding scoot doesn’t do rough ground too well. it is also a pita to store and assemble frequently.
This will clearly not fold and go within the MH garage as it is 1280x500x1100 and weighs 110kg
2 options come to mind, a new MH with garage capacity, or some form of rear mounting, tow bar?
what else can you suggest?
Click to expand...

If you mount a platform on the rear of the MoHo you need to do some maths; check the dimensions and check your axle limits.

Adding a 20kg rear platform for a 110 kg scooter wlll (figures are estimates, you need to calculate them for your MoHo)
a) Decrease pay load by 130 kg
b) Increase rear axle loading about 200kg (possible overload)
c) Decrease front axle load by about 70kg (loss of traction if Front wheel Drive & reduced grip when steering turning).

d) Increase the vehicle length (may increase ferry costs)
e) Decreased departure angle (Increasedrisk of grounding)
f) Increase the overhang (if exceeds the maximum % will make the MoHo illegal)

The third (and IMHO best) option is a trailer.
 
Yep if it's 110kg you face the same problems as most do in being able to carry a scooter. That's 10kg heavier than my Honda Vision and if will probably be further back. Can the batteries be removed and stored forward? I bet that's where a lot of the weight is.

I can recommend the Tramper scooters. Think the Land rover of mobility scooters but they really are flaming heavy.
 
barryd said:
Yep if it's 110kg you face the same problems as most do in being able to carry a scooter. That's 10kg heavier than my Honda Vision and if will probably be further back. Can the batteries be removed and stored forward? I bet that's where a lot of the weight is.

I can recommend the Tramper scooters. Think the Land rover of mobility scooters but they really are flaming heavy.
Click to expand...
How do you carry yours?
 
SimonM said:
How do you carry yours?
Click to expand...

On a rack from Armitage trailers but it's one reason I've kept this van 15 years. Very hard to find a modern replacement with enough payload to take the rack and scooter. Couple of things I've found are important. Firstly a good user payload probably in excess of 650-700kg, secondly an Alko extended chassis with less overhang than the standard fiat chassis. Then you do the maths having visited the weigh station to see what you have available, weighing the whole van with you and your stuff in it and each axle independently.

It might be worth speaking to Armitage trailers in Ferrybridge. I think they do a mobility scooter rack and may have fitted one to your van.
 
Forget towbar mounting carriers. Ok for cycles but not for heavier items. Places too much stress on bar with the various up and down and sideways forces placed on it. And besides would you trust that weight on a towbar?

It needs to be a chassis mounted platform that will carry up to 150kg which is the maximum loading a typical Alko based chassis will take. There may be folding platforms available which fold up after unloading vehicle being carried. This helps when attempting to park in tight campsite pitch.

That’s what we have with our Honda scooter and the folding ability has certainly helped with some of the tight Spanish pitches and access roads we have encountered. But we do have an 8.2m long motorhome plus rack length with an 800kg payload.

If you have a shorter motorhome in the range 6.5m to 7.5m a fixed platform will normally be fine not affecting manoeuvrability.

A motorhome with a minimum 600kg payload is required to allow for the weight of what you might normally carry plus the scooter and rack. The lever effect created by the rack overhang reduces the load on the front axle by around 200kg to 220kg which can take it below its minimum axle load if not careful. Especially if front wheel drive. Something to be mindful of.

Agree with others that older motorhomes in the under 3500kg do have bigger payloads. That is because they have grown in size over the years with buyers demanding more in kit and space and fixed beds and manufacturers now struggle to keep vehicles under 3500kg with anything like a decent payload.

Depends on your needs but I suspect you need 2 single beds or a bed that permits both parties to get out of from either side and without any ladders to clamber up. So that discounts many if not all smaller 6m motorhomes that generally have larger suitable payloads but those sideways get out of one side double beds that you have to step up into. It’s the 7.5m motorhomes with the fixed beds in the back that struggle badly with payloads.
 
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Moped said:
The lever effect created by the rack overhang reduces the load on the front axle by around 200kg to 220kg which can take it below its minimum axle load if not careful. Especially if front wheel drive. Something to be mindful of.
Click to expand...

I think you have got the maths wrong.

To decrease the front axle load by that much would require an overhang greater than the wheel base.


r4dent said:
Adding a 20kg rear platform for a 110 kg scooter wlll (figures are estimates, you need to calculate them for your MoHo)
a) Decrease pay load by 130 kg
b) Increase rear axle loading about 200kg (possible overload)
c) Decrease front axle load by about 70kg (loss of traction if Front wheel Drive & reduced grip when steering turning).

d) Increase the vehicle length (may increase ferry costs)
e) Decreased departure angle (Increased risk of grounding)
f) Increase the overhang (if exceeds the maximum % will make the MoHo illegal)
Click to expand...

But the OP really needs to do the sums for himself.
 
r4dent said:
think you have got the maths wrong.

To decrease the front axle load by that much would require an overhang greater than the wheel base.
Click to expand...
Agreed. It is the fraction of the rear overhang of the load from the rear axle divided by the vehicle wheelbase multiplied by the load. So the front axle load decrease maybe (2.5/4.2) x 150kg for example.

But also bear in mind this is the lever effect. You are still putting the weight of the scooter and rack and the value of this front axle load decrease on the rear axle. So for example the additional load on the rear axle is 150kg + the front axle load decrease calculation.

There is not a free ride. You don’t loose weight on one axle without adding it to the other. This lever effect changes the weight distribution on the axles so something to be mindful of.

Could be worth loading up a van without rack and scooter and visiting a weighbridge to check axle weights to establish what additional payload on each axle is available.
 
This is the guide and formula I used back in 2008 when I fitted my rack. Towards the end of this article it explains all.

www.practicalmotorhome.com

Safe loading and payloads - Practical Motorhome

Exceeding your payload can affect your motorhome’s stability and stopping distances, and could land you with a fine or invalidate your insurance.
www.practicalmotorhome.com www.practicalmotorhome.com
 
barryd said:
This is the guide and formula I used back in 2008 when I fitted my rack. Towards the end of this article it explains all.
Click to expand...

A great article but it does underline the need for each person to do their own calculation.
Their example uses a very short (1m) overhang which is typical of a PVC.
An A class or coachbuild tends to have a far longer overhang and this increases the impact on both axle loads.

Do your own measuring and do the math for your MoHo.
 
r4dent said:
A great article but it does underline the need for each person to do their own calculation.
Their example uses a very short (1m) overhang which is typical of a PVC.
An A class or coachbuild tends to have a far longer overhang and this increases the impact on both axle loads.

Do your own measuring and do the math for your MoHo.
Click to expand...

Of course but the length from the middle of the rear wheel to the end of the load is covered in the calculation further down. Its crucial which is why IMO Extended Alko vans like our Kontiki, some of the big Baileys or the Swift Esprit 496 for example lend themselves better to a rack because the overhang is shorter than a large 7m van on the standard fiat chassis and also therefore the distance between the front and back wheels is longer. When you see the bike on the back on such a van it just looks right unlike a standard van with a shorter wheel base and a huge overhang. This is one reason Ive kept my current van 15 years. A replacement is so hard to find with the right combination of payload, chassis and the layout we desire.
 
SimonM said:
We need a more robust 4 wheel scooter for memsahib as her folding scoot doesn’t do rough ground too well. it is also a pita to store and assemble frequently.

This will clearly not fold and go within the MH garage as it is 1280x500x1100 and weighs 110kg

2 options come to mind, a new MH with garage capacity, or some form of rear mounting, tow bar?

what else can you suggest? View attachment 124296
Click to expand...
My daughter bought a Whill c2 powerchair. She wanted one that would cope with rough ground and would dismantle to go in a car. She even took it on a plane to visit us. It’s half the weight of the one you are considering and tackles the Scottish countryside.
 
Snapster said:
My daughter bought a Whill c2 powerchair. She wanted one that would cope with rough ground and would dismantle to go in a car. She even took it on a plane to visit us. It’s half the weight of the one you are considering and tackles the Scottish countryside.
Click to expand...

Interesting looking front wheels/tyres on that model.
 
Not cheap.

www.millercare.co.uk

TGA Whill Model C2 16 Inch Powerchair

Not just about getting from a-to-b, Whill enables you to be spontaneous and free. It all starts with great design giving you the confidence to be you
www.millercare.co.uk www.millercare.co.uk

This is the idea behind the front wheel Rob, not sure how they would work after a trip on some course gravel.

 
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