Needing an outdoor cover for my hitch-mounted scooter

[CosmickGold]

I've ordered the below Disability Scooter Lift Rack Loading Ramp Trailer Hitch Mount



Now I need a cover to protect my scooter from wind, dirt, and rain while traveling down the highway.

The cover shown below is the best I see for a mobility scooter like mine.



But it appears to be totally open on the bottom, as if meant for storage beside a house rather than on the back of a van on the road. It looks ready to be whipped up by the wind as I travel, letting rain, dirt, and mud splash all over my scooter from below, wind-whipping which could likely damage the cover as well.

Those of you with a scooter behind your rig, how do you protect it while on the road in the rain? What is the best way to cover your scooter?

 

[tx2sturgis]

I would not trust the built-in stretch cords, straps, or hooks.

If you buy and use a bunch of the longer 'bungee' cords it will help keep the cover in place, keep it from flapping, and help keep the cover and the scooter from being damaged by all that flapping. Hook the bungees in the holes in the rack frame and up and over the covered scooter then back down to the rack.

You can buy a container of assorted longer bungee cords (36"-48") at most any Walmart in the trailer section of the store. Usually near the tarps and cargo straps. Or online.

While you're there, you might want to buy a set of 4 ratchet cargo straps to strap down the scooter to the rack if the rack does not include the straps.

 

[wayne49]

Make sure that with the cover in place your rear brake/turn lights are visible.

I don't completely cover my dual sport, bunching the cover up on the ends to allow sight lines to the rear lights. My license plate is on the driver's side so the rear plate is visible as well.

Your plate is center mounted and won't be visible. May never be an issue. I feel more comfortable knowing that I have a visible legal plate.

Broke down on I-40 last year and the CHP officer was noting my plate number, so that other patrol cars would know that the disabled vehicle was already logged.

 

[user 423]

Plywood,rigid plastic or sheet metal to seal over the mesh so it doesn't get splashed from underneath.

 

[CosmickGold]

Make sure that with the cover in place your rear brake/turn lights are visible.

I don't completely cover my dual sport, bunching the cover up on the ends to allow sight lines to the rear lights. My license plate is on the driver's side so the rear plate is visible as well.

Your plate is center mounted and won't be visible. May never be an issue. I feel more comfortable knowing that I have a visible legal plate.

Broke down on I-40 last year and the CHP officer was noting my plate number, so that other patrol cars would know that the disabled vehicle was already logged.

You are so correct! I'll mount the license and lights on the back of the scooter carrier if I need to.
And thanks for the warning!

 

[user 423]

When I hauled my dual-sport I moved the tag up to the rear window between the glass and foam insulation. Technically they could have given me a ticket for not having it lit at night but I rarely drove at night, so no problem. The tail lights were partially blocked by the bike but I checked and they were visible enough. The lights on your Chevy are way up high, so should be no worries.

 

[maki2]

Look at the reviews for such products before you buy. Then if possible get someone who is a good sewer to reinforce the lower edge attach points and even add in more webbing that is sewn to the cover from side to side and attached to your particular platform. An upholstery shop, auto upholstery or even a marine canvas shop can make a super strong, custom fit, cover for you. It will be better fitting than any off-the-shelf generic cover.

 

[LargeMarge]

... I need a cover to protect my scooter from wind, dirt, and rain...

The cover shown below is the best I see for a mobility scooter like mine.

View attachment 32250

But it appears to be totally open on the bottom, as if meant for storage beside a house rather than on the back of a van on the road. It looks ready to be whipped up by the wind...

.
a)
I despise bungee cords.
Any variety, any length, any age, they all fail.
.
An aside:
On a motorcycle, anything 'secured' with bungee cords will inevitably end-up in the chain/sprocket or in the wheel, locking the bike into a skid.
.
I prefer rat-shit straps.
.
b)
To cover my ancient BMW motorcycle, I acquired a suitable-sized BBQ cover from Sears And Roebucks.
.
Using the built-in straps, during the first mild breeze, I chased it down the street exactly once, then invested in a four-pack of rat-shit straps.
.
Sometime along about the six-month mark, I noticed the cover was decomposing before my very eyes.
I tentatively reached toward it, hoping to offer some support in its hour of transition, but the fabric reacted by abruptly atomizing into its constituent molecular components.
.
And to this day, I feel a strange sense of gratitude to be part of such a miraculous moment.

 

[CosmickGold]

. . . . I invested in a four-pack of rat-shit straps. . . . I acquired a suitable-sized BBQ cover from Sears And Roebucks. . . . Sometime along about the six-month mark, I noticed the cover was decomposing before my very eyes. . . .

Yeah. These Rat Shit Straps look like what I should use. Thanks for the tip.


In 2005, I bought a BBQ cover from Lowes for $45. About like yours, it lasted one year and then tore open in a number of places (and started decomposing before my eyes as well). So I went back to Lowes and told the attendant what happened and asked if she had one that will last. She answered "This one will" and handed me a BBQ cover that cost $89. That was 23 years ago and that $89 cover is STILL doing a perfect job, covering the power lift just fine. The heavy rubber straps with hooks I bought at the same time to hold the cover down are still in perfect condition as well. Years of rain and sunshine haven't hurt the cover or the straps.

But a number of regular bungee chords -- large and small -- I use inside the van have seemingly disintegrated inside their external wrapping within my van. It seems bungee chords can't handle being stretched in place all the time. Bad news, just like you said.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Large Marge is certainly right about bungee cords having a limited useful life...but during those months or years, they are very useful.

Kinda like Tires. They eventually wear out or fail, but still, they are kinda handy.

 

[wayne49]

Unlike tires, bungee cords can have the outer shell disintegrating, and the inner elastic cords will still function to hold an object in place.

Bungee cords are cheap. Buy spares.

I only use them to hold the cover in place on the motorcycle. The cover is disintegrating anyway from exposure to the solar rays. My only concern would be that the freed cover might obscure somebody's field of view at highway speeds.

Ratchet straps are used to secure the motorcycle in place.

I should add, if I didn't mention it previously, my motorcycle is a dual sport, and it has run as many miles on dirt as on pavement. Keeping it dust free would be an impossible task anyway in the desert SW.