Building Blocks of Indoor and Outdoor Mobility Scooters

Mobility scooters are designed to assist those that have difficulty walking and performing daily living tasks. Scooters can be designed for indoor or outdoor use, and some models are designed to accommodate both indoor and outdoor use.

However, construction and user needs must be met for mobility scooters to perform outdoors at optimum levels. Base unit construction and design are most important for outdoor use, rider comfort and safety.

Scooter base units are often referred to as a platform or base plate. Typically, base units consist of an aluminum constructed frame, steel or composite materials or fiberglass floor to support the seat and feet, battery, and steering column. Base units also include the mobility scooter's drive train. The scooter's maneuverability, and suitability for indoor or outdoor use, depends on the characteristics of the base unit. Turning radius, wheelbase size, ground clearance, and overall dimensions dictate the scooter's effectiveness and manageability.

Evaluating the scooter's base for safety features, including overall stability, is very important. A scooter should not tip easily when making sharp turns, or when climbing a curb. Anti-tip wheels should be included as part of the frame to help support and stabilize the scooter. Most rear wheel drive mobility scooters are intended to negotiate more rugged terrain, and are usually equipped with rear anti-tips to support the scooter on inclines or hills.

The drive train is a critical part of the base unit, and provides either front- or rear-wheel drive. Front-wheel drive is usually found on smaller scooters that are designed, primarily, to be used indoors or on flat, paved outdoor surfaces. The front-wheel drive scooter motor is located over the front wheels and drives only those specific wheels. Because of the motor and wheel configuration, front-wheel drive mobility scooters usually do not have chains or belts, and are powered by smaller motors. The front wheels pull the weight of the rider and the scooter, which makes this type of scooter less capable of handling steep inclines, climbing curbs, or managing rough terrain.

Rear-wheel drive mobility scooters are powered by motors connected to the rear axle, either via a chain, a belt, a transaxle unit, or a combination of these components. Because the mobility scooter is driven by the rear wheels, they push the combined weight of the unit and the rider, rather than pull it, as front-wheel drive models.

The combined weight of the rider, motor, and the batteries over (or above) the rear wheels, generally create better traction than front-wheel drive models. The increased traction combined with the more powerful motors used on rear-wheel drive scooters result in enhanced climbing ability. Rear-wheel-drive scooters also have a greater maximum speed, a longer traveling range between battery charges, and can accommodate the weight of heavier rider. These mobility scooters also have a wider wheel base and greater overall length, which eliminate some models maneuverability and suitability for indoor use