Scenic Viewpoints, Mobility Issues and Scooters

[Almost There]

Is that something my mechanic can do?

Ramblinvan man says no! My mechanic won't touch electrical stuff except for the battery/alternator etc.

The guys around here can give you the specifications. You'll want heavy enough wiring that it doesn't heat up, fused properly and with a good enough connection on the end that you won't have a lot of voltage drop. No sense in doing it if you're only getting a half baked charge into the batteries because of shoddy wiring.

At 24 to 32 lbs. I agree they'll likely be too heavy for you to lift out of their compartment on a scooter and then maneuver them in to a secure place in the van, especially on a repeated basis. This is intended to get you more freedom, not a workout or a test of your arm strength. I know I wouldn't want to be hoisting the batteries regularly and my only excuse is age....

 

[Ella1]

I agree.

 

[ramblingvanman]

Here is the url for a charger that would work on your scooter. The technical specs are there. I would suggest you ask Sternwake if a normal 12 volt plug would work. Defeats the purpose of buying one if you have to  rewire the whole damn car.. Surely this can't be rocket science. 

http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/24-volt/gel-cell/MC24EX.html

A standard 12vdc car "ciggy" plug will work for this. Be very aware that the charger will continue to draw power even with your car off; if your ciggy plug is battery hot(meaning always on even with the key off). Eventually this could cause issues for your car's battery. I would hook it to your house battery instead.

 

[ramblingvanman]

I agree.

It is not difficult at all. If you were near me, I would gladly help you do it. I would wire up a 12VDC external plug you could hook that charger in the link to. I would either set it up so it only works KOER(key on engine running) if to the car battery, or constant hot if to your house battery with an in line toggle switch if you want to be able to turn the plug on and off. The important thing is to weather proof the socket and to make sure you don't drill through anything important.

 

[Ella1]

Thanks, rvm.  Maybe I can take you up on your offer after I get a scooter. Which may, or may not be, in 2015! LOL! I'm getting interested in it again, so maybe I will take a few steps and check prices.
I suppose, now that the van is supposed to be dependable again, I ought to go camping a time or two first.

 

[VJG1977]

Thanks, rvm.  Maybe I can take you up on your offer after I get a scooter. Which may, or may not be, in 2015! LOL! I'm getting interested in it again, so maybe I will take a few steps and check prices.
I suppose, now that the van is supposed to be dependable again, I ought to go camping a time or two first.  

Every now and then I see a scooter in my local Goodwill, they go for $200.  Just looked on craigslist in Nashville, a half dozen under $800.

 

[Ella1]

Thanks, I will have to start watching CL. I just looked. There is one there, a 10, but with 3 wheels. I do want 4 wheels, they are not as "tippy".
Sad, because the price is right and it's in easy driving distance. I never saw any when I started looking last year.

 

[akrvbob]

It's not that hard to add heavy wires from the battery so you gt good power your to your inverter. Herei s a inverter wiring kit from Amazon with 6 foot cable with 4 gauge wire. On a Astro van that might get it from the starting battery into the cabin.
http://amzn.to/1E6rcEx

If not, here is a 12 foot 4 awg wire which will be plenty long enough to get to wherever you put the inverter:
http://amzn.to/1E6sgZ5

The only problem will be getting it through the firewall into the cabin. I bet you could hire a handyman to do that. You will need to put a fuse on the positive cable but no need to talk about that if until you actually get that far.

I'm assuming you will use a small inverter. A bigger inverter will need heavier wire.
Bob

 

[Ella1]

It's not that hard to add heavy wires from the battery so you gt good power your to your inverter. Here is an inverter wiring kit from Amazon with 6 foot cable with 4 gauge wire. On a Astro van that might get it from the starting battery into the cabin.
http://amzn.to/1E6rcEx

If not, here is a 12 foot 4 awg wire which will be plenty long enough to get to wherever you put the inverter:
http://amzn.to/1E6sgZ5

The only problem will be getting it through the firewall into the cabin. I bet you could hire a handyman to do that. You will need to put a fuse on the positive cable but no need to talk about that if until you actually get that far.

I'm assuming you will use a small inverter. A bigger inverter will need heavier wire.
Bob

Thanks Bob.I have a 600W inverter now, installed under the driver seat. Isn't that a "small" inverter?
The Marine deep cell battery is underneath it. I have no idea of what gauge wires are attached to them.

That Victory 3 wheeler was posted 2 weeks ago, so it's probably gone, but I sent a note asking about it. Haven't heard yet. I will look at it if it's available.

 

[Ella1]

Here is my machine as I loaded it for a visit to the VA. If you notice how close to the ground my carrier is when fully lowered, my scooter with the hard tires cannot make it. It will stop and just spin. I have to guide it on from a distance and let it climb that slight bump. There are pneumatic tires available and I will have them soon and post if they help. 

Thank you. That minimal ground clearance is one reason I haven't gotten a scooter yet. For off road, 2-3" just doesn't seem enough. Of course some of the other reasons are the cost, the way to transport it, the shorting out if it gets wet, etc...

The 20 mile range of most scooters allows for infrequent needs for charging unless you use it very heavily. 

I was told it had to be plugged in to keep it charged whenever it was not being used. See how much I know about these...

The 'Tiller' what they call the steering handle on most of these, mine included, is fragile so there is a very light weight allowed. When grocery shopping I set a basket on the floorboard and hope for the best.

To carry my paints I would get either a rear basket or a tow cart for a bike. More stuff to carry, more space needed. I'm talking myself out of one again. Cost and logistics seem too great for me to deal with.
.

As stated, watch Craigslist, mostly older folks have these and they get sold when the person dies. I think the VA will come and repossess mine when I croak.

One of the places I called re repairs said to not get a used one older than 3 years because it is too hard to get parts. I will keep watching.

 

[ramblingvanman]

.
One of the places I called re repairs said to not get a used one older than 3 years because it is too hard to get parts. I will keep watching.

I can verify this. Parts for older machines are difficult to get even through the dealers.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i second reading karens blog. I can get around fine but could spend hours gazing at the beautiful places they go!

 

[Ella1]

I was out last week to paint. Of course the area I wanted t get to was 1/4 to 1/2 mile away, downhill.
I wonder if an electric bike (w/training wheels) would be a viable option, for use in no-motor areas. Being as I have to carry O2 and pull a small trailer with it too, may be okay.
OH-Boy! those prices for mountain bikes are high. What I'm reading about the one I can afford also makes it not a good machine for me.
I have a small (20" wheel) bike. I wonder if an electric conversion pack would provide what I want.

 

[Ella1]

What about a small ATV? Cheap,electric start and pretty reliable..

Don't they use gas? I wouldn't be able to use a gas machine due to the noise.
An electric bike might provide the means to get to places I can't get to otherwise,
with or without painting gear.
20" knobby tires would allow it to go on unpaved stretches.

 

[B and C]

I was out last week to paint. Of course the area I wanted t get to was 1/4 to 1/2 mile away, downhill.
I wonder if an electric bike (w/training wheels) would be a viable option, for use in no-motor areas. Being as I have to carry O2 and pull a small trailer with it too, may be okay.  
OH-Boy! those prices for mountain bikes are high. What I'm reading about the one I can afford also makes it not a good machine for me.
I have a small (20" wheel) bike. I wonder if an electric conversion pack would provide what I want.

I would not recommend training wheels for any of paved surface use.

I did a quick Google search and came up with this for a 20inch bike conversion: http://www.cnet.com/news/turn-any-bike-electric-with-the-barak-e-bike-kit/

May still be out of budget though.  "[font='Proxima Nova', Proxima-Nova, proxima-nova, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Toll said, they're less than a quarter of the price of the average off-the-rack e-bike, coming in between $585 (AU$632, £349) and $655 (AU$707, £390), depending on the power level."[/font]

[font='Proxima Nova', Proxima-Nova, proxima-nova, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Out of country too, but with more searching you should be able to find something this side of the pond.[/font]

[font='Proxima Nova', Proxima-Nova, proxima-nova, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Brian[/font]

 

[Ella1]

Thanks for that link. I'm looking at it now.
There's one bike dealer here that carries electric bikes. I'll go see them next week, the fellow
said they may be able to get me one for less than 1K. That would be nice.
He said maybe a folding one.
I did find one with knobby 20"x4" tires by SSR Motorsports / Trail Viper
but can't find it online. Not available within 100 miles of me...

 

[B and C]

I would think a kit would be cheaper and a bike shop should be able to install it for you. You might even talk to a bicycle shop, they may have already done this and could recommend something for off road use.  You could keep your bike that way and just have to get a bicycle rack to hold it (if you can lift it) or a cheap motorcycle ramp to put in the receiver hitch.  Walk it on and off the ramp.

 

[B and C]

http://highstylemotoring.com/products/tr...r-electric

Free Shipping

If you can afford to go this route.  May or may not still need the cheap motorcycle ramp depending how much you want to take it apart for transport.

Brian

 

[Ella1]

Thanks. That's the one I was looking for.
I would probably have to get a cheap motorcycle ramp. Total weight is 56 pounds, I would want to know weight of the pieces--front and back, and i think the battery is removable.
Another thing, can I charge this with my marine deep cell battery and 600 watt inverter?
Motor Type / Nominal Output : Rear-Mounted Geared Hub / 350 watt
Motor Brand : Bafang
Battery Voltage / Amp Hours / Watt Hours : 36 volt / 10 ah / 360 wh
Chemistry : Lithium-ion
Estimated Charge Time / Estimated Min and Max Range : 4 hrs / 10 to 25 miles

Looks like high style motoring is in Whittier CA. (southern CA)

 

[akrvbob]

I had an electric bike for while and I could easily keep it charged with 200 watts of solar. I'm a pretty heavy power user and it was not a problem.

If you don't have solar then you'd want to charge it while you are driving.
Bob