Scooter lifts (formerly called trunk lifts) are mechanical devices which load a scooter into a car or van. Because the size of scooters is much larger than they used to be, and car trunks are much smaller than they used to be, new products have been developed to carry the scooter on the outside of the vehicle. Both the Trunk lift style and carrier style are now commonly known as scooter lifts.
Each of these products have benefits and liabilities which may need to be considered in spite of the fact the combination of scooter and vehicle you own may dictate what product you have to choose.
Scooter lifts differ from van lifts in that the scooter lifts are designed to lift and transport unoccupied scooters and wheelchairs where van lifts are designed to lift both the equipment and occupant into the vehicle.
This style of scooter lift is mounted inside the vehicle and consists of an arm which pivots out over the scooter and lowers a strap down to pick up the scooter. The scooter is then swung into the vehicle for transport. When the new destination is reached, swing the scooter back out and lower to the ground ready for use. Some models offer an option to be powered in and out of the vehicle as well as up and down.
These lifts can lift the scooter completely assembled or in cases where a smaller vehicle is owned the scooter seat may have to be removed and the scooter tiller folded down.
The biggest advantage of this system is the scooter lift and the scooter are transported and stored inside the vehicle where they are secure and out of the weather.
The biggest problem with this system is that most vehicles are too small and scooters too big to fit. These trunk lift style scooter lifts are primarily used in vans these days as most SUVs and cars are too small.
The carrier style of scooter lift consists of a platform which is raised and lowered by a motor and mounted on a trailer hitch receiver on the vehicle. The platform is lowered, the scooter driven on and then the scooter platform lifted. The scooter needs to tied down to the platform and some models automatically secure the scooter when it is in the raised position. The platform usually flips up to shorten the overall length of the vehicle when not in use.
Because this type of scooter lift blocks access the the trunk or rear doors of SUVs and vans some manufacturers offer optional swing away devices to get the lift out of the way when needed.
The big advantages here are no cargo space is lost inside the vehicle, no disassembly of the scooter is required and the carrier scooter lift will fit on any vehicle which can have a class II of class III trailer hitch receiver installed.
The disadvantages are the length of the vehicle is lengthened, the scooter is exposed to the weather, the scooter could be stolen and if the vehicle is too small, the front wheels of the vehicle may feel a little light while driving.
Pretty much every scooter lift is controlled constant pressure switches on a pendent which is wired into the rear of the vehicle and powered by the vehicle battery. If the vehicle battery isn't in the best of condition you may want to leave the vehicle running while operating the lift.
Another product which often falls into the category of scooter lifts is the manual scooter carrier. The manual scooter carrier looks much like the carrier style scooter lifts but the platform tilts down for loading rather than being powered up and down. Although these are much less expensive than the scooter lifts, they are much trickier to load. The platform is tilted down and the scooter is driven or pushed up the inclined platform until it passes the balance point and pivots down level. This could be tricky for those with balance problems.
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