minivan ?

[wheelin 48]

how hard is the ramp to climb in a manual chair im t10 complete any input appreciated

[Crappler]

If you go forward, it shouldn't difficult at all. Then you turn around in the minivan. My fellow crippy buddy drives a minivan and that's how I get in his, at least. I have no troubles I'm no T10.

[gjnl]

how hard is the ramp to climb in a manual chair im t10 complete any input appreciated

There are several considerations.

Are you considering an in floor ramp or a fold out ramp. In floor ramps offer a lower angles of the ramp than does the fold out ramp.

Are you considering the van kneel feature to reduce the angle of the ramp. In round terms the ramp angle with power kneel off is about 11 degrees. With power kneel on, the ramp is about 8 degrees. In floor ramp lengths are about 60 inches.

[ToastGuard]

I am a T9/T10 and have had a ramp van for the past 4 years. It is not terribly hard to go up the ramp, but don't expect to hold much (if anything in your lap). My first van was a fold out with kneeling. My second van is a slide out with kneeling. The slide out ramp is considerably shallower. As a visual, I have a 1 year old son and pick him up from daycare everyday. In my fold-out ramp, if I attempted to carry him in his car seat down the ramp on my lap, my rear wheels would lift off, causing me to tip forward, dumping him and myself. With the slide-out I have now, I can take him down the ramp without issue. I don't feel like i will tip at all.

Since the fold out was steeper, I used the hand hold just inside the slider to finish propelling me into the van. I haven't had that need in the slide out and I don't have to lean forward nearly as far.

I hope this helps, but feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[wheelin 48]

a lady hit my car and her ins is willing to pay for van rental it would be a dodge caravan kneel system and fold out ramp

[August West]

I know this isn't answering your question. But it's worthwhile mentioning. I went with a full size van so I could have a lift vs a ramp. If someone hits your car and it's totaled, you can remove the lift and install it into the next van. You can't do that with a minivan conversion.

[MikeP2013]

Mama and I want to move from full size with lift to mini.
We really like Toyota and Pacifica the best. Seems like infloor allows extra room in van but we are not sure on the manual backup hand crank to extend ramp. Maybe I have missed something but looks like have to be outside of van to reach that via siding door on driver's side. Is this correct?

[triumph]

Any chance you could try the ramp on a mini van before one is provided to you? I'm not SCI, but paralyzed from armpits down, and on my best days I really struggled to get up the 2 or 3 ramps I tried at dealership and friends who had them in their mini vans.
If I'm correct, the ADA requirement for construction issues is 12:1, that is for every inch of height at entry, the ramp should be 12 feet long. Of course this is impossible for vans, but just suggesting that a ramp to a mini van definitely takes effort.

[Stsmark]

I’m looking to purchase a Minivan so this is a great conversation. Looking at specs it appears Braun and VMI are opposite.
Braun fold outs are lower angle than their in floors and VMI is the opposite. I’m leaning toward Braun fold out Toyota Sienna with a transfer seat on the drivers side. My quandary is hand controls, I use Menox now and I’m really comfortable with them but I think they’ll be in the way for my legs with the xfer seat. I’d like to hear what others may use in a similar setup.
I have PPMS and the ramp angle for me is big because I can tend to “plank out” when pushing up hill and go out the back.

[endo_aftermath]

I'm a C6-7 using a Honda Odyssey with an in-floor VMI conversion with kneeling. I don't have trouble rolling up the ramp on flat ground. If I park on a grade with the ramp side lower, it doesn't take much of a grade to make rolling up very difficult or impossible.

[wheelin 48]

Any chance you could try the ramp on a mini van before one is provided to you? I'm not SCI, but paralyzed from armpits down, and on my best days I really struggled to get up the 2 or 3 ramps I tried at dealership and friends who had them in their mini vans.
If I'm correct, the ADA requirement for construction issues is 12:1, that is for every inch of height at entry, the ramp should be 12 feet long. Of course this is impossible for vans, but just suggesting that a ramp to a mini van definitely takes effort.

thats what im probably gonna do dam these vans are expensive to buy

[Patrick Madsen]

I looked last Spring. VMI was bought out by an investment group so we know how quality changes when greed comes into play by investment groups. I was adamant on a fold out while they continually tried to push me into an in-floor VMI.Looking at VMI's inventory in Arizona, they had like 1500 in floors and one fold out available. So I kind of knew a VMI Fold out is not one I want. I have a 2000 VMI Chrysler limited van I bought from the same dealer when he was the district salesman for VMI and was disappointed how we were treated and coerced into buying something we didn't want.

When the time comes, I'll either go with the Pacifica or Toyota with a Braun foldout. Will add a longer section to the bottom of the foldout for less angle. I sure wish they would come up with a small lift for the mini rather than a ramp. When we looked, the El Dorado conversion had the least angled ramp. They'll also send parts to the owner and help with repairs if needed.

I think the rough estimate for van (I like top of the line) and conversion was going to be around 110 grand. My Limited works fine so in no hurry to buy a new one.

[gjnl]

Crash test results and rating were announced August 16, 2018:
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...created-equal/

These tests are pre wheelchair conversion.

Crash Tests Show Not All Minivans Are Created Equal
Crash Tests Show Not All Minivans Are Created Equal New results from the IIHS show a significant difference in passenger-side protection
By Jeff S. Bartlett
August 16, 2018

Some minivans are better than others at protecting passenger-side occupants during a crash, according to the latest tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The IIHS has just announced findings on a trio of minivans, and Honda’s Odyssey came out on top with a Good rating. (There are four IIHS ratings: Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor.)

The Chrysler Pacifica earned an Acceptable rating, and the Toyota Sienna got a Marginal rating in part because of the risk of possible leg injuries

[Sit-N-Fly]

how hard is the ramp to climb in a manual chair im t10 complete any input appreciated

If you are a para, getting into a minivan with the kneel engaged is easy. It's not real tough to get in with the kneel off, if you are a strong hombre.

[gjnl]

I looked last Spring. VMI was bought out by an investment group so we know how quality changes when greed comes into play by investment groups. I was adamant on a fold out while they continually tried to push me into an in-floor VMI.Looking at VMI's inventory in Arizona, they had like 1500 in floors and one fold out available. So I kind of knew a VMI Fold out is not one I want. I have a 2000 VMI Chrysler limited van I bought from the same dealer when he was the district salesman for VMI and was disappointed how we were treated and coerced into buying something we didn't want.

When the time comes, I'll either go with the Pacifica or Toyota with a Braun foldout. Will add a longer section to the bottom of the foldout for less angle. I sure wish they would come up with a small lift for the mini rather than a ramp. When we looked, the El Dorado conversion had the least angled ramp. They'll also send parts to the owner and help with repairs if needed.

I think the rough estimate for van (I like top of the line) and conversion was going to be around 110 grand. My Limited works fine so in no hurry to buy a new one.

I know I am going off topic here, but I am startled by your rough estimate of a converted mini van. I searched the top of the line, 2019 Honda Odyssey Elite on TruCar. The Elite has Navigation, video, premium sound system, leather interiors, all the bells and whistles. TruCar lists the MSRP sticker price at $47,965. Can the wheelchair conversion, top of the line actually cost $62,000?