Carrying an occupied wheelchair?

[HectorPascal]

My mother-in-law is a lovely 92 yr old who is 100pc with-it. She has recently lost the use of her legs. She lives in a care home and needs assistance to do anything at all.

We were wondering if it might be possible to push the bench seat back, lift her -chair and all- into the van, strap it down to the rails and take her out for treats now and then.

No ramps or anything, just a couple of hunky guys - well one hunky guy and me tbh.

Should work shouldn’t it? But would it be legal? Are the racks rated for such a thing?

If anyone has some knowledge on this I would be grateful.

 

[Wildcamper]

See:

Occupied wheelchairs in cars and private transport – reminders of safe use

Guidance on the main issues of wheelchairs in cars and private transport - reminders for safe use.

www.gov.uk

There are specialist installers to make wheel chair safe vehicles. I expect a DIY may not be legal, ask your insurer.

 

[andyinluton]

[QUOTE="HectorPascal, post: 646850, member: 12463]

Should work shouldn’t it? But would it be legal? Are the racks rated for such a thing?

If anyone has some knowledge on this I would be grateful.
[/QUOTE]
This came up on a thread a few years back do a search for “wheelchair” I posted a link to a specialist company that did purpose made tested & certified wheelchair tie downs and seat belt that were designed specifically for the vw floor rails.
Nothing at all unsafe or illegal about them.
I’ll have a look for the post when I get home.

One of the companies that came up was killer.Co.uk - look for their vw caravelle fittings.

 

[WelshGas]

My mother-in-law is a lovely 92 yr old who is 100pc with-it. She has recently lost the use of her legs. She lives in a care home and needs assistance to do anything at all.

We were wondering if it might be possible to push the bench seat back, lift her -chair and all- into the van, strap it down to the rails and take her out for treats now and then.

No ramps or anything, just a couple of hunky guys - well one hunky guy and me tbh.

Should work shouldn’t it? But would it be legal? Are the racks rated for such a thing?

If anyone has some knowledge on this I would be grateful.

Could you not lift the wheelchair up into the California and then transfer her to the bench seat. That would be the easiest and safest way without incurring the expense of specialist equipment to anchor the wheelchair, which may have to be changed to be compatible. Normal wheelchairs are not built to cope with the forward/backwards and lateral forces that would be incurred travelling in a vehicle.

 

[HectorPascal]

Could you not lift the wheelchair up into the California and then transfer her to the bench seat. That would be the easiest and safest way without incurring the expense of specialist equipment to anchor the wheelchair, which may have to be changed to be compatible. Normal wheelchairs are not built to cope with the forward/backwards and lateral forces that would be incurred travelling in a vehicle.

Thanks for your input. Agreed that would be best but she needs lifting equipment just to get from a chair to bed. Not because she is over large. A few months back, whilst enjoying her third night in her new care home she managed to break both bones in both legs whilst being assisted to the loo. The recovery takes a while at her age. Safe to assume that her legs have ‘retired’ from all transportation and support duties.

 

[HectorPascal]

See:

Occupied wheelchairs in cars and private transport – reminders of safe use

Guidance on the main issues of wheelchairs in cars and private transport - reminders for safe use.

www.gov.uk

There are specialist installers to make wheel chair safe vehicles. I expect a DIY may not be legal, ask your insurer.

Thanks. I was looking for such a document but did not find it. B helpful. It seems if you do a risk assessment and have proper restraints then it would be okay.

 

[HectorPascal]

[QUOTE="HectorPascal, post: 646850, member: 12463]

Should work shouldn’t it? But would it be legal? Are the racks rated for such a thing?

If anyone has some knowledge on this I would be grateful.

This came up on a thread a few years back do a search for “wheelchair” I posted a link to a specialist company that did purpose made tested & certified wheelchair tie downs and seat belt that were designed specifically for the vw floor rails.
Nothing at all unsafe or illegal about them.
I’ll have a look for the post when I get home.

One of the companies that came up was killer.Co.uk - look for their vw caravelle fittings.
[/QUOTE]
I tried that link but it is now defunct. I need to find some tie-down cleats that will fit the T6 rack system. Must be some. Thank you.

 

[andyinluton]

@HectorPascal Its been auto corrected try koller.co.uk

This is copied & pasted from last time so price has probably changed....

EXCEL ARIES
Product Code: KFP0081/K

COUNCILS, CHARITIES, NHS TRUSTS, VEHICLE CONVERTERS AND OTHER TRADE ORGANISATIONS
Please contact us on 01935 426695 for pricing

£302.40 RRP£252.00 EXCL VAT
Pack Qty: 1
excel(2).jpg aries(2).jpg

The Koller EXCEL Aries Combined Wheelchair & Passenger Restraint is the first commercially available restraint designed specifically to fit VW T5/T6 Caravelle rail. Aries enables the Caravelle to become wheelchair friendly by simply removing or repositioning the rear passenger seats.

The EXCEL Aries Advantage:

Crash-tested to ISO 10542
No vehicle modifications required - uses the rail already in the vehicle
Precision machined carriages provide secure anchorage in the rails
Quick release tie-down fittings for fast release in an emergency and security
TITUS passenger harness for maximum comfort and safety. As simple to use as a car seatbelt
Future-proof. A 3-point (upper anchorage) belt can be added to the TITUS harness
Colour-coded TITUS belts for easy identification
Covers on TITUS retractors and stalk buckle for durability and protection
EXCEL Compact over-centre buckle rear straps for maximum adjustability and tensioning
Static front straps for easy wheelchair alignment
Wide wheelchair tie-down webbing for strength and wheelchair stability
Black webbing - looks good for longer
Colour-coded key components for easy identification
Engineered for Safety
DOWNLOAD BROCHURE HERE
Weight: 8.00kg

 

[StephPea]

Hello everyone - I'm new to the forum's having recently bought a 2010 180 SE and have to say the forums have been brilliant and very helpful. Reason for posting here is that I've just spoken to Andy from Koller as we are looking to see if we can get my father-in-law and his wheelchair into the van for trips out. I have to say first impressions are excellent. I'll update again when we've got things sorted.

 

[Tamsin Bland]

Hi everyone,
We have now fitted the Excel Aries strap system!
Andy (at Koller), was very helpful and arranged for them to be sent within a week for us.
It works very well with a small-wheeled Breezy transport wheelchair.
All we needed to do was the following (some pictures included):
The factory fitted rail-stopper (inside the rail behind the bench seat) was moved all the way to the back of the rail and retightened, which was a bit fiddly because it managed to fall over inside the rail and we spent a while fiddling around with screwdrivers to get it stood back up again. I would suggest moving the one in front of the bench seat first, so you know how it works
The bench seat headrests need to be put in the lowered position, then push the bench all the way to the back, underneath the over head locker.
Lift the plastic cover at the front of each rail (using a screwdriver or the ignition key, like California Chris does in this video:Rail system - California Chris)
Slide the short aluminium cover plates out of the rails (as in the same video).
Remove the rail-stopper in front of the bench seat (in the rail nearest the kitchen) to allow the locking system to be slid into the track.
Follow the instructions for fitting the 4x clamping bolts of the system into the rails, which is very easy.

We used 2m extending ramps up to the side door (the person has to duck their head on entry - don't forget to warn them) and also be careful not to kick the kitchen cabinets...
A bit of a '15-point-turn' to rotate the chair to face forwards (or if they are light, you might be able to slide the rear wheels sideways) then use the straps to secure the chair.

There is still space to fit 2 people on the bench seat behind the transport wheelchair we use, but with the larger self-propelling wheels, I don't think there would be...

I am looking at how to put some removable (dense foam) padding on the o/h locker, to protect the heads of the rear bench seat passengers (in case of mild-whiplash scenario) and also going to get an aftermarket clamp-on headrest for the wheelchair for the same purpose.
Using the supplied aluminium tool, it is easy to loosen and then remove the connecting bolts from the floor again.
Altogether, very pleased with how it works and the ease and speed of fitting and removing it.

So grateful for all of the wonderful ideas on this forum!
JP
(Tamsin's hubby)

 

[Tamsin Bland]

A few more pictures...
the first photo is of the VW rail-stopper that falls over inside the track if you're not careful.

 

[Lakes5]

Hi Tamsin and JP, before you travel, you should check the wheelchair specification as well. Not all wheelchairs are crash tested and suitable for use as a seat in a vehicle. If you are not sure I can check for you if you send me the model number, or you can check on Sunrise website.

 

[Tamsin Bland]

Thank you @Lakes5.
Before ordering the Koller strap system I called Sunrise Medical to check that the Breezy Transport chair had been crash tested. I gave them the serial number, and was pleased to hear that it had been. They don’t do a headrest for this model though, so I am on the lookout for an aftermarket one that will fit….