|
Home
Find A Mobility Scooter Supplier
Types Of Mobility Scooters
Three Or Four Wheels?
Front or Rear Wheel Drive?
Mobility Scooter Components
Mobility Scooter Batteries
Optional Extras
Mobility Scooter FAQs
|
|
Mobility Scooter Components
There are six basic components that make up mobility scooters: 1) The Battery Pack, 2) The Base Unit, 3) The Motor Unit, 4) The Seating Unit, 5) The Stearing Unit (Tiller), 6) The Tyres
Battery pack:
- The Battery pack comes in a 12-volt size
- You will need either one or two battery packs depending on the size of your scooters motor
Base Unit:
- This is the body of the scooter and covers the wheels and motor and includes the footplate
- The Wheel and Motor cover is generally made of alluminium with the footplate being made of fibreglass
- Extended base units are normally available for tall people
- Shorter base units are available for children and small adults
- It is the base unit that determines how stable the scooter is - if the base unit is unstable then the scooter will be as well
Motor Unit
- The motor unit is either situated above the front wheel/wheels (front-wheel drive) or below the scooter seat (rear-wheel drive)
- The motor will be either 12 or 24 volt powered
- normally front-wheel drived scooters are 12 volt powered and rear-wheel drive scooters are 24 volt powered
Seating Unit:
- Most mobility scooters have a comfortable back and armrests, some models even have a headrest
- The seat is situated over the two rear wheels
- Scooters come with a swivel seat for easy dismounting
- Powered swivel seat options are available
Tiller (used for steering and speed control):
- The tiller is situated at the front of the scooter and consists of two handlebars each with thumb lever controls (called wig-wags) which control the speed of the scooter
- There is one thumb lever on each handlebar - one for forwards (usually the right) and one for reverse (usually the left)
- Steering is controlled by the two handlebars on the tiller and is similar (but much easier) to steering a bicycle
- The tiller can be moved forwards, or backwards or raised up and down to meet the individuals requirements
- The speed of the scooter is controlled by the amount of pressure applied to the thumb lever
- Some scooters are controlled by a joystick rather like a powered wheelchair
Tyres
- Mobility scooters tyres come in 6, 8, or 10 inch sizes
- Solid tyres are the cheapest option - they offer least shock absorption, but require less maintenance and are ideal for indoor use
- Foam filled tyres offer better shock absorption than solid tyres and require little maintenance
- Pneumatic tyres have air filled tubes similar to car or bike tyres. They provide the best shock absorption but do require regular maintenance to ensure they are properly inflated.
- Most mobility scooters now come with pneumatic tyres
|
