A wheelchair or mobility scooter trailer can come very much in handy for driving holidays and outings. Now that it’s summer you might already have some accessible holiday stays planned. No doubt, transporting your mobility aids properly is something you’ll want to also plan in advance.

Of course a trailer isn’t the only way you can choose to transport your mobility equipment. But if you do you’ll want to know what the benefits are of choosing this option. In this article, Blue Badge looks at the ins and outs of choosing and buying mobility scooter and wheelchair trailers.

Why choose a mobility equipment trailer?

Wheelchair and mobility scooter trailers can be relatively lightweight and made of materials like aluminium or steel. The big safety factor for your vehicle is that a trailer has its own wheels so although your car draws it along, the load is evenly distributed.

Trailers also have their own suspension, which can help with load bearing and distribution – again good for your car.

Trailers vs other storage options

As we’ve already mentioned there are several mobility equipment storage options. For example, you can get a carrier that’s mounted on your tow bar.

Some smaller carriers can’t take much of a load though, making them less than ideal for certain models of powered wheelchair and mobility scooters. But bigger, stronger carriers also put more pressure on your car’s tow bar because it’s essentially lifting and carrying the load.

Depending on your car, evenly distributing the weight with a trailer might be better than having your car carry your equipment on a tow bar mounted carrier rack.

Which wheelchair or mobility scooter trailer is best for your car?

The type of wheelchair or mobility scooter trailer you should get depends on your mobility equipment and your car. It also depends on when and how you’re likely to be using it most of the time. For example, is it to transport your wheelchair or scooter on long overland trips or shorter routine ones?

Where will you be parking when you’re there and what’s your parking like at home? How will you transfer your wheelchair and scooter in and out of the trailer and will you have assistance or not? Does it have a side or rear ramp and what are the dimensions and load bearing capacity?

These are the types of valuable questions you can ask to help decide which option best suits you.

Working with professionals to choose the right trailer

Aside from mobility equipment suppliers, there’s an entire field of specialists dedicated to getting you the right equipment, for at home and for travelling. They can likely help answer the above questions too. Find out more about occupational therapy in Australia, what to expect from an occupational therapy assessment and how to find the right occupational therapist.

We all know that mobility equipment and accessories (i.e., trailers) don’t come cheap, which is why having good guidance and getting the right product is worth a pretty penny.

Have a look at this video that shows a local team of suppliers detaching a mobility equipment trailer from a car:

The final word

A wheelchair or mobility scooter trailer can be customised to your mobility equipment but you get a lot of standard ones that are ready to buy too.

For example there are open trailers that use a harness or barrier to keep your mobility equipment in place and that can come with extras like soft covers to protect from sun and rain.

You can also get closed top ones for longer trips, to guard against more extreme weather damage. In Australia – where you very likely also need a car hail protector – this may be a good idea to consider for longer trips.

Now you’ve chosen a trailer, protect what’s inside it

Choosing and buying your wheelchair and/or mobility scooter takes time, research and assessments, plus it costs a fair bit. If these invaluable items are stolen, damaged or broken, mobility equipment insurance can help cover costs. This is a big help when it comes to the cost of replacement or repair.

Find out more about more about wheelchair insurance and mobility scooter insurance so you can travel with peace of mind. Plus, with a disability parking permit you can also get up to 25% off disability car insurance with Bluer Badge Insurance.