Choosing a Wheelchair Lift to Fit Your Needs

A vehicle wheelchair lift may be the perfect solution for people who need a mobility solution but may not yet be ready to commit to a wheelchair accessible vehicle. For those curious about choosing a wheelchair lift for their full-sized van, we interviewed our regional lift specialist.

Tom Thomas, Senior Inside Sales Coordinator, has been with BraunAbility for nearly two decades. He's the expert when it comes to wheelchair vehicle lifts and is so knowledgeable, he can prescribe a vehicle lift for a customer just over a phone call.

According to Tom, the two biggest considerations to make when deciding on a lift is the amount of interior space you are willing to give up to make room for the lift and an accurate assessment of your physical capabilities.

"If it's going to be an instance where there's an independent driver, we typically go with the Millennium Series lift," Tom said. "That's because there's a side-entry feature on that particular lift so if someone at Walmart parks too close, they still have an opportunity to get on the lift."

BraunAbility offers three lifts for consumer use, the Millennium Series, the Century Series, and the Under Vehicle Lift (UVL). Each has slightly different applications and price ranges, and a local certified BraunAbility mobility consultant is your ticket to finding the best lift for your needs.

You may want to try before you buy, but some consultants don't have lifts in their showrooms. Not to worry: that's what our mobility network is for! If you ask, our consultants can contact other BraunAbility locations to find the lift you want to see. More likely, our consultants will contact BraunAbility customers who can operate their lift for the curious buyer.

"Depending on the vehicles and the scenarios and what a customer wants, there can be numerous amounts of products that they can use," Tom said. Some of the considerations customers will need to think about are if they want power doors or a remote to operate the lift.

As always, it's your local BraunAbility dealer who can answer your questions the best, and if you are even considering a lift, schedule a time with your local dealer to see one in person.