Mobility Scooter

[merseymouth]

Hi all, The Invacar was brilliant on packed snow and ice, beautifully slideable! Super power drift with the Villiers motor, never tried the later ones.
They had a wonderful safety feature? To brake one pressed the steering tiller down, so if you slumped forward whilst nodding off you applied the brakes!
I used to drive my uncle's one, as walking over to his remote garage with his prosthetic was risky, so I was sent over. (I was a naughty boy as I was just 15 .
No good for taking hefty auntie out though, so he paid for his own E93A Ford Prefect with hand controls. Motorbility has become a burden on the tax payer that the Invacar never was, quite why they don't limit their being driven by the person with the disability is beyond me?
A cousin had a car provided by the scheme, never rode in it, just used as a freebie by a lazy young daughter! Toic Drift
TTFN MM

[VinceLedge]

Train a team of dogs to pull the scooter, save money o recharging the battery.......

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

OMG - I used to work with someone who drove one of these.

So did I.
I think he lost his legs in the war.

[philvantwo]

There was a chap who had one round the corner from us when I was a kid, he always let me wash it on bob-a-job week, he always gave me a tip!
Not seen any about for years.

[francovendee]

OMG - I used to work with someone who drove one of these.

We had a neighbour who was a double amputee who was also a very big chap. His one that had a soft top and I've only ever seen one other like it. It may have been specially made. He never worried about distance and would often drive 100 miles to visit family.
Before getting it he got around on a Lamretta scooter fitted with a box sidecar. It had electric start but often wouldn't work. We've pushed him on more than one occasion to get it going.

[merseymouth]

Hi again, With Invacar one can find it an interesting story?
Formed by a chap called Bert Greaves, he built the first vehicle for a cousin who was severely disabled, Derry Preston Cobb. The jointly ran the firm.
But Derry was a demon so he wanted speed rather than comfort. Many folk would do a bit of tweaking with the Villiers motor, hairy outcome.
But Derry had the ultimate motor in his chariot, a Greaves 380cc Challenger moto-cross power unit. Now that was seriously quick and bl**dy scary! . IGICB MM

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
That was a full roadgoing version wasn't it.
I would imagine the only restrictions Probably be motorways.
I was gonna say what's the modern day equivalent but it's either electric limited to a certain speed which are non-and roadgoing version with different laws I think too.
Or a converted car.

[thirdcrank]

I_68436167_ac_invacar2.jpg
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Loathsome things which were eventually discontinued on safety grounds as well as other objections. They were replaced by the Motability scheme, which is largely based on the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance being used to help lease a conventional vehicle, modified as necessary to suit the user. Those benefits are now being reorganised (AKA cut) so we may yet see mobility scooters touted as an alternative to a Motability car.

[Elizabeth_S]

Motorbility has become a burden on the tax payer that the Invacar never was, quite why they don't limit their being driven by the person with the disability is beyond me?

My sister had a motability car for many years before she learned to drive, it was driven by her helper and meant that she could go shopping and do 'normal' things. She has since learned to drive but needs a greatly adapted car, but she still needs someone there as getting her wheelchair in and out is not easy, and people park inconsiderately, including in her adapted paved space outside her house (there is a grass verge). I'm sure the time will come when the car will once again be driven by her helper as my sister is getting older and her shoulders are increasingly worn and painful. If it wasn't driven by her helper then she would lose independence, and would struggle to go, well anywhere.

[thirdcrank]

I thought that one of the things about invalid carriages - Invacars - was that they were relatively expensive to provide and this was one of the arguments in favour of Motobility etc. I can't find a reference to support that so I may be wrong.

Here's a piece about them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-23061676

[[XAP]Bob]

Hi all, The Invacar was brilliant on packed snow and ice, beautifully slideable! Super power drift with the Villiers motor, never tried the later ones.
They had a wonderful safety feature? To brake one pressed the steering tiller down, so if you slumped forward whilst nodding off you applied the brakes!
I used to drive my uncle's one, as walking over to his remote garage with his prosthetic was risky, so I was sent over. (I was a naughty boy as I was just 15 .
No good for taking hefty auntie out though, so he paid for his own E93A Ford Prefect with hand controls. Motorbility has become a burden on the tax payer that the Invacar never was, quite why they don't limit their being driven by the person with the disability is beyond me?
A cousin had a car provided by the scheme, never rode in it, just used as a freebie by a lazy young daughter! Toic Drift
TTFN MM

Not quite sure how you reckon on Motability being a burden on the tax payer?

https://www.motability.org.uk/Factsheet ... funded.pdf


The scheme is a lease, it's a good value lease, but it is a lease. But should I be obliged to pay for the motability car for me and have another one for my wife?

The motability insurance allows for three drivers, none of whom need to be person who is awarded the higher rate of mobility allowance (PIP/DLA) since that person isn't necessarily able to drive.

The blue badge scheme is entirely separate - and that's the one that shouldn't be used by other people (unless they are collecting/dropping off the badge holder of course).

[Mick F]

My OP was really about a mobility scooter for the otherwise healthy adult. The idea of having one sounds fun and useful living in a rural and hilly part of the country.

They don't cost much, must be fun and interesting to ride/drive, and I wondered if they could get out of the valley to the shops or not, and if it was a green (and cheap) alternative to diving a car - be it ICE or EV.

Let us say we want to go to the nearest Tesco.
5miles away - 10miles there and back - with pavement and tracks off road - with 650ft of ascent there, and 250ft of ascent back home.

Is it doable?

[markjohnobrien]

Fun? Have you wacked your head today?

They are extremely slow and about as fun as watching paint dry.

[pete75]

Fun? Have you wacked your head today?

They are extremely slow and about as fun as watching paint dry.

You're sure about that?

[pete75]

Hi again, With Invacar one can find it an interesting story?
Formed by a chap called Bert Greaves, he built the first vehicle for a cousin who was severely disabled, Derry Preston Cobb. The jointly ran the firm.
But Derry was a demon so he wanted speed rather than comfort. Many folk would do a bit of tweaking with the Villiers motor, hairy outcome.
But Derry had the ultimate motor in his chariot, a Greaves 380cc Challenger moto-cross power unit. Now that was seriously quick and bl**dy scary! . IGICB MM

Micky Mouse stuff. A chap round here had one with a 650 Bonneville engine.