Wheelchair question

[New England Eeyore]

This isn't strictly a Disney related question but you guys have never steered me wrong so I thought this would be the best place to ask. My husband uses an ECV when we go to the parks. We recently moved to Florida so we bought one, and it's working out well so far. But we are thinking of buying a wheelchair for when we want to take a quick trip out for just a couple hours (like just to go to dinner) and don't want the hassle of assembling and disassembling the scooter twice in a short period of time. And likely once we have it, we'd use it more often, like in retail stores, etc.

Unfortunately, it seems none of the medical supply stores around here are open on the weekends and I work M-F so we can't go in person to check these out and we'll likely be ordering something online. My question is whether we should get a transport chair or a manual wheelchair? We have never owned a wheelchair, but have lots of experience pushing him over the years, especially at Universal where you basically have to use a wheelchair in every line. I don't recall ever pushing a transport chair though. My husband would never be propelling himself (he only has one functioning arm) so the manual feature is not necessary. When I look at the pictures of the transport chairs, it seems like they would be harder to push with such small wheels but am I wrong about that? I am nervous about lifting the heavier manual chair in and out of the car, which is an SUV and fairly high.

Does anyone have experience using a transport chair in the parks?

Thanks in advance!

 

[philharmagic fan]

I don't have any actual experience with transport chairs at Disney, but last time we were at Small World a guest in the group ahead of us had to transfer from her transport chair to a regular one. We heard the cast member tell the group that transport chairs are less stable and may tip over at the end of the ride when the boats are hauled up on belts to the unload area. We've also seen guests struggle with transport chairs when the ground is bumpy, or have the wheels get caught in divots in the pavement or grates covering storm drains.

 

[Bjkandma]

Definitely recommend a manual wheelchair. You are correct, A transport chair with the little wheels makes it easier to tip over. The rider also feels every little piece of gravel. I have a Manuel wheelchair that I actually purchased from Wal-Mart to just use around the neighborhood stores and through the airport. The actual wheelchair itself weighs 41 pounds. It isn't light, but I don't put it in and out of the vehicle, family members do. Its a Drive Medical brand and is still good to go. It was under $150.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

another one for regular chair over a transport chair as they trip a lot easier and with smaller wheels catch on everything and harder to push outside

 

[Evita_W]

Try calling Gold Mobility, they not only rent devices, they sell them and have a physical showroom near Disney World. And I believe they are open on weekends, but not sure.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

If you're used to a scooter and not self-propelling or being pushed by someone else, you might want to look at some of the small/lightweight electric wheelchairs they have now - FoldnGo and the knockoffs like that. They're much lighter than a scooter and don't need to be disassembled/reassembled (just folded/unfolded) to fit in a regular-sized car.

For your specific question, I would favour a regular chair over a transport chair, in part because of the small wheels and in part because it would drive me bonkers to not be able to move myself at all and need to wait for someone to push me.

 

[mamabunny]

It's true that manual chairs would be preferred for comfort, and ease of pushing - the big back wheels make them much easier to push, especially over the course of a long Disney day.

However, transport chairs are often chosen by family members because they are both more compact, and lighter (and therefore easier to move in and out of the vehicle for day to day use)

As far as a transport chair tumping over easier, I don't (personally) believe that to be true; my mother used one for nearly a year (with multi-infarct dementia) to "peddle" herself around at home, and other places. (She kept the footrests up out of the way, and put her feet on the ground to propel herself. She had a thick gel "purple/eggcrate" style cushion to make the seat more comfortable - I swear that cushion weighed almost as much as the chair) She literally wore the tread off the tires, but never once did it tip over.

The primary reason I can think of that a transport chair might tip over easier at WDW is if the handles of the chair were being used to hold bags, purses, etc.; THEN when the person stood up, the chair would naturally tip over backwards because there was no weight in the seat to balance the weight of the bags on the back of the chair. That could happen to a regular wheelchair as well (although it would have to be a substantial amount of "stuff" on the back of the manual chair, but it's possible). I have personally seen that happen. That is easily avoidable.

I believe the CM at Small World was probably referring to an issue that was related more with the "pusher" than the passenger or the chair itself. WDW Cast Members see more humans in one year than most of us do in a lifetime, so it's entirely possible that the scenario that played out at Small World was something along the lines of the "pusher" not knowing how to control the transport chair in such a scenario (at the bottom of the ramp), and it resulted in the chair tipping over. If the chair was turned in such a way that the wheels had not yet moved into position for the intended direction of travel, and the "pusher" kept pushing, it might have resulted in a chair "tipping" over, although usually the wheels will just kind of "lock up" if they get sideways, and not go forward or backward.

Also we need to remember that often folks who do not have to use mobility devices on a regular basis will ignore weight limits on those devices, not understanding that they are there for safety. We do not know if the chair was overloaded with it's passenger (ie, the passenger exceeded the manufacturer's recommended weight limits for safety) and so we don't really have the complete story of what happened at Small World that day.

It's true that the smaller wheels would be more difficult to push at WDW, where there is a lot of patterned concrete, etc. (And those of us familiar with life on wheels know exactly what the Main Street Trolley tracks would do to a transport chair if it was pushed over those tracks at the wrong angle!) But, for day to day shopping trips and dinner out, it might prove to be fine, and actually the preferred choice for our OP.

@New England Eeyore I would recommend seeing if you can borrow a transport chair from a local lending closet - see if your local church, Senior Center, Masons, Shriners, Elk, Moose, or other service organizations have an equipment lending closet, or ask on Facebook if anyone has one you can borrow - to see how it works for you.

Just don't load up the handlebars!

 

[Groot]

I have a Fold and Go. They are heavy (50 lbs.) but there is a lift to get it in/out of the car. I would recommend this over a manual/transport chair just for the freedom that having a powerchair gives you. For one, you can choose where to go and no one will get tired of pushing the chair, especially uphill!

 

[mamabunny]

I have a Fold and Go. They are heavy (50 lbs.) but there is a lift to get it in/out of the car. I would recommend this over a manual/transport chair just for the freedom that having a powerchair gives you. For one, you can choose where to go and no one will get tired of pushing the chair, especially uphill!

I agree that for most folks, the F&G is an awesome choice (As you know, I have a sparkly purple one named after Figment!) but the OP said that they have already purchased an ECV, so there might be a budget consideration there regarding the purchase of additional DME.

In a case like this, I would have normally suggested a TravelScoot (because it does fold down and only weighs 35 pounds, but because they have already bought an ECV, and the OP says her hubby only has the use of one arm, (and you really do need 2 hands for safety) with the Travelscoot, it might be better for them to look at a less-expensive option?

 

[SueM in MN]

Transport chairs are not the best for most people for a full day of use. I’ve talked to people using them at WDW and the people who are most happy with them include a strong person pushing a small lightweight person. They have smaller wheels than a more traditional manual wheelchair, which can make them harder to push and more likely to have problems with textured walkways and gaps. Some have bigger back wheels than others, but generally no bigger than half the size of ‘traditional‘ wheelchair wheels. Some may be pretty heavy and may not be much easier to get into a car trunk/vehicle than a traditional wheelchair.
This is not to say to buy from here - just to show some of the variety of prices, weight and options for transport chairs.
https://www.1800wheelchair.com/category/transport-chairs/
More traditional wheelchairs also vary a lot. The least expensive tend to be the heavy ones like you can rent in the parks or off site. Lighter weight, better tires, and options like pop off wheels add price, but might fit your situation better. Another link just to show some of the variety.
https://www.1800wheelchair.com/category/standard-wheelchairs/
I don’t know what function he has in his other arm, but there are options for one hand drive manual wheelchairs if he wants more independence.As an RN, I’ve seen people using them, but don’t know much about things like expense, transport, etc.
This is a general link about one hand drive.
https://mobilitybasics.ca/wheelchairs/onearmdrivesAnd in this video, a user shows how hers works.

 

[New England Eeyore]

As always, you all give great suggestions and info. Thank you so much!

Just to comment on a few specific mentions:

- Gold Mobility is actually where we bought his scooter, because we always used them when we travelled and we jumped on it when they had their sale for used models. They're great, but they don't have transport chairs as an option as far as I could tell.

- The Fold n Go stye chairs look interesting but probably not the best for what we're looking for. My husband's issues start in his cervical spine and he needs the neck support for optimal comfort so his scooter has the big captain's chair with the high back. We have a moveable backrest we can use in the smaller wheelchair, but it's only going to be comfortable for him for a couple hours, so the electric styles are just too expensive for what we'd be using it for.

- I've been trying to look into borrowing one to test from places like mamabunny mentioned, but no luck so far. I still have a few more places to try.

Thanks again!

 

[philharmagic fan]

It's true that manual chairs would be preferred for comfort, and ease of pushing - the big back wheels make them much easier to push, especially over the course of a long Disney day.

However, transport chairs are often chosen by family members because they are both more compact, and lighter (and therefore easier to move in and out of the vehicle for day to day use)

As far as a transport chair tumping over easier, I don't (personally) believe that to be true; my mother used one for nearly a year (with multi-infarct dementia) to "peddle" herself around at home, and other places. (She kept the footrests up out of the way, and put her feet on the ground to propel herself. She had a thick gel "purple/eggcrate" style cushion to make the seat more comfortable - I swear that cushion weighed almost as much as the chair) She literally wore the tread off the tires, but never once did it tip over.

The primary reason I can think of that a transport chair might tip over easier at WDW is if the handles of the chair were being used to hold bags, purses, etc.; THEN when the person stood up, the chair would naturally tip over backwards because there was no weight in the seat to balance the weight of the bags on the back of the chair. That could happen to a regular wheelchair as well (although it would have to be a substantial amount of "stuff" on the back of the manual chair, but it's possible). I have personally seen that happen. That is easily avoidable.

I believe the CM at Small World was probably referring to an issue that was related more with the "pusher" than the passenger or the chair itself. WDW Cast Members see more humans in one year than most of us do in a lifetime, so it's entirely possible that the scenario that played out at Small World was something along the lines of the "pusher" not knowing how to control the transport chair in such a scenario (at the bottom of the ramp), and it resulted in the chair tipping over. If the chair was turned in such a way that the wheels had not yet moved into position for the intended direction of travel, and the "pusher" kept pushing, it might have resulted in a chair "tipping" over, although usually the wheels will just kind of "lock up" if they get sideways, and not go forward or backward.

Also we need to remember that often folks who do not have to use mobility devices on a regular basis will ignore weight limits on those devices, not understanding that they are there for safety. We do not know if the chair was overloaded with it's passenger (ie, the passenger exceeded the manufacturer's recommended weight limits for safety) and so we don't really have the complete story of what happened at Small World that day.

It's true that the smaller wheels would be more difficult to push at WDW, where there is a lot of patterned concrete, etc. (And those of us familiar with life on wheels know exactly what the Main Street Trolley tracks would do to a transport chair if it was pushed over those tracks at the wrong angle!) But, for day to day shopping trips and dinner out, it might prove to be fine, and actually the preferred choice for our OP.

@New England Eeyore I would recommend seeing if you can borrow a transport chair from a local lending closet - see if your local church, Senior Center, Masons, Shriners, Elk, Moose, or other service organizations have an equipment lending closet, or ask on Facebook if anyone has one you can borrow - to see how it works for you.

Just don't load up the handlebars!

Sorry I wasn't as clear as I might have been - apparently the issue is with the chair tipping over IN THE BOAT as it goes up the belts as it approaches the dock at the end of the ride. The cast member told the guest that they weren't allowed to load a transport chair into the roll-in boat and she would have to use a regular chair or transfer to a seat in order to ride.

 

[Evita_W]

As always, you all give great suggestions and info. Thank you so much!

Just to comment on a few specific mentions:

- Gold Mobility is actually where we bought his scooter, because we always used them when we travelled and we jumped on it when they had their sale for used models. They're great, but they don't have transport chairs as an option as far as I could tell.

- The Fold n Go stye chairs look interesting but probably not the best for what we're looking for. My husband's issues start in his cervical spine and he needs the neck support for optimal comfort so his scooter has the big captain's chair with the high back. We have a moveable backrest we can use in the smaller wheelchair, but it's only going to be comfortable for him for a couple hours, so the electric styles are just too expensive for what we'd be using it for.

- I've been trying to look into borrowing one to test from places like mamabunny mentioned, but no luck so far. I still have a few more places to try.

Thanks again!

Gold mobility has a lot of options that are for sale that they don't rent. I still suggest calling them and talking with them, at bare minimum they can likely point you in the right direction.

 

[mamabunny]

Sorry I wasn't as clear as I might have been - apparently the issue is with the chair tipping over IN THE BOAT as it goes up the belts as it approaches the dock at the end of the ride. The cast member told the guest that they weren't allowed to load a transport chair into the roll-in boat and she would have to use a regular chair or transfer to a seat in order to ride.

Actually, there are several (similar) boat rides at WDW where they would have a transport chair *or* ECV transfer to a "standard" wheelchair to ride the ride. Gran Fiesta Tour, Living with the Land instantly come to mind. It makes sense when you think about it, because the Cast Members usually have to be the one who pushes the Guest into the boat, and then pulls the chair back out when the ride is done, so they will want those bigger back wheels for the ease of movement they would provide in that scenario.

I promise - I wasn't picking on you! I just wanted the OP to know that *outside of WDW* a transport chair might be a great choice for them and their spouse; I don't recommend them for WDW at all, but (for example) if someone said they need a simple lightweight device to push a family member at the airport (where floors tend to be smooth, and the only ramps you will encounter will be your Jetways) or, like the OP, they need it for errands and dinner dates around town, I think they are still a very valid option, especially if the person who has to deal with the chair needs something light and compact.

 

[philharmagic fan]

No offense taken. I mentioned this incident because the elderly guest was extremely unhappy about the prospect of transferring and actually refused to ride with her family. I didn't want anyone else to have a similar unpleasant surprise.