How to Choose a Wheelchair Lift for Your Truck or Van
There are a wide range of vehicle lifts available on the market today for loading and unloading wheelchairs safely into the back or side of a van or truck. Key factors in finding what vehicle lift is best for a truck, van, or car include:
The space available in your car, SUV, truck, and garage
The weight and dimensions of the wheelchair
Whether you will need the vehicle lift on a temporary or permanent basis
Whether you prefer a manual or powered lift
From what side of the vehicle the wheelchair user will board
What to Know About Transporting a Wheelchair Lift
"Vehicle lifts" is a very broad category that covers everything from external scissor lifts (which help you hitch a power wheelchair to the bumper of a car or van) to specialized wheelchair lifts for vans and wheelchair lifts for pick-up trucks. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to focus on a permanent vehicle lift that allows you to transport a power wheelchair inside the vehicle or cargo space.
Space Considerations
The first factor to take into account is the amount of space in your van or truck as well as in the garage itself for storing the car lift. Along with the make, model, and year of your vehicle, you will need to know the dimensions of the:
Available floor space in the back or side of your vehicle for the lift plus the wheelchair. If there is limited floor space available, you might choose an externally mounted lift.
Ceiling height if you will be transporting the wheelchair and the passenger in a van or in the cargo space of a pick-up truck with a truck bed cover.
Storage space in your garage if the lift won't be stored in or on the vehicle itself.
Weight Considerations
The make and model of the wheelchair will determine the lifting capacity and weight rating the car or truck lift will need to have. If the passenger will ride in the wheelchair as it is being lifted, the lifting capacity will need to accommodate the combined weight of the wheelchair and the passenger.
For a lightweight wheelchair, externally mounted scissor lifts are usually sufficient. For a power wheelchair or a wheelchair plus a passenger, a two-arm lift (similar in strength to a two-post lift or two-post car lift in terms of automotive lifts) is usually required. Two-arm car or truck lifts for wheelchairs often have weight capacities up to 600 lbs or more—you don’t need anything as heavy-duty as a four-post lift to lift a power wheelchair into a car.
Other Considerations
Temporary or Permanent
For some people, a wheelchair lift is a piece of equipment that will accompany them for years—or even decades—and investing in a van or a truck with adaptive vehicle modifications and a built-in wheelchair lift makes all of the sense in the world.
However, if the vehicle lift is intended for temporary use or you will want to resell the vehicle without the lift later on, go for an option that doesn't require any modifications to the vehicle itself:
Wheelchair ramp. A wheelchair ramp is a great short-term solution for low-floor vans and SUVs for which only a small lifting height is required. Keep in mind that a wheelchair ramp—as a portable car lift alternative—doesn't offer the same level of safety for passengers who will be boarding with their wheelchair as a built-in device with lift arms and a platform.
Crane. A crane lift can easily be installed in a pick-up truck that stores wheelchairs and mobility scooters in the cargo area without any need for vehicle modifications. Crane lifts only lift the wheelchair itself—the passenger will need to board the pick-up truck separately.
Manual or Powered
Most platform and scissor lifts today are powered by the press of a button on a remote control. To power the lift, the lift needs to be wired to the car's power outlet to keep the battery charged. If the lift were to become disconnected from the power outlet, models such as those sold by Mobility Plus Colorado in Denver will go up and down another 40 times (on average) before needing to be recharged with battery pack backups.
The Passenger's Boarding Location
Depending on the design of the van, SUV, or pick-up truck, the wheelchair user will typically board from the side or rear of the vehicle, and sometimes from the curb itself. If the wheelchair user can still drive the car safely, the lift may need to pick up and store the device from beside the driver's seat.
For boarding for the rear or the side of a van, scissor car lifts and two-arm mid-rise lifts are ideal. Both of these models can be installed on the inside or the outside of the vehicle. Two-arm lifts should be used if they will lift the passenger as well as the wheelchair. For a pick-up truck, the crane lift can be positioned to pick up the wheelchair (not the passenger) from the curbside, next to the passenger seat, or next to the driver's seat.
Essential Safety Features
Whether you opt for a mid-rise scissor lift or a two-arm lift, there are several safety features to look out for:
Obstruction sensors that bring the lift to a halt if an obstacle is detected
Safety straps to hold the wheelchair and the passenger securely in the lift
Emergency stop controls to manually stop the lift
A backup battery in case the primary battery goes flat
Weather-proof materials and controls—especially for an externally mounted lift
Finally, the wheelchair lift must conform to state and federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Wheelchair Lift Installation
The other main safety consideration is ensuring that the internal, external, or hybrid (internal/external) vehicle lift is installed by an experienced professional. Mobility installation professionals are often able to come out to your location—or you can drop off your truck or van at the showroom. Your new vehicle lift could be ready to go in as little as three hours.
After the initial installation, make sure to have your vehicle lift serviced annually to keep it in safe working condition. Vehicle lift repair and maintenance is a small investment for the health and safety of everyone involved and can extend the life of the lift, too.
Will a Wheelchair Lift Work for a Mobility Scooter?
Sometimes the same car lift can be used safely for a manual wheelchair, power wheelchair, and mobility scooter. However, whether one lift will also be the best car lift for another mobility device really depends on the weight of the device and whether the passenger will ride in the lift as well.
In contrast to automotive lift designs (four-post lifts, two-post lifts, mobile column lifts), the perfect lift for a wheelchair needs to allow the wheelchair to board safely, stay in position, and exit safely out of the other side and into the pick-up truck, van, or SUV as opposed to merely lifting the wheelchair.
Choosing the Perfect Lift
After assessing the factors that influence what vehicle lift for a truck or van is best, what should be clear is that the perfect lift is highly personalized and must be compatible with your vehicle type, your mobility device, the people who will use and operate the lift, and how much space is available in the truck or van.
A wheelchair lift for a car, van, SUV, or truck is a significant—and life-changing—investment, and it's worth getting it right. Consulting with an experienced wheelchair vehicle lift professional in Denver or a city near you will help you choose the perfect lift.