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opinions wanted on old Pride Wrangler AKA Ranger/Outback mobility scooter

hiddenemailer

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Dec 13, 2021
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Ive been looking for a affordable used Mobility scooter because my province is taking forever to fund one (they blame mostly covid shortages)
anyway i'm a fat guy about 430lbs 5'10" ive got cerebral palsy and arthritis, flat feet and more thus the need for a scooter as walking is hard, clumsy and painful, so im supposed to get a bariatric scooter i'm not having much luck locally finding a local bariatric scooter especially thats affordable.

i live rurally so it's be on older paved roads and the odd gravel one.
for example town is 11km away all paved( probably wont want to drive that often but its nice to hypothetically have the option)
it's mainly be so i can go to my sisters down the road a ways about 1km (gravel road), the community center/mailbox 2km away (mostly paved), trips to the zoo, park, that kind of thing or at most if i go to the big city the for like a doctors appointment, mall or Walmart there is a once a day transit bus has a wheelchair/scooter lift/platform area.

when i was talking to the local scooter provider when we put in the request for ministry coverage he pointed out how my only real option was the maxima because they don't like to sell scooters where your more than 85% or so its max capacity let alone me being over the maximum.

as the title suggests I do however see a old Pride Wrangler on a local buy and sell (AKA the Pride Ranger in the UK or Outback in AU)

anyway i found a copy of the manual as well Owners Manual

anyway the seller doesnt know much about it as it was her late husbands but she says it runs well, quiet and is peppy and the only issues they know of is the scratches/cracks in the fender (you can see on the tire pic) and the fact the batteries are older.

but i can't find much other info on it otherwise since whenever i look up the wrangler i get the newer Baja wrangler's 1 or 2 and this older style doesnt seem to be heavily reviewed and such.

according to the manual its rated for 400lbs but unlike most of pride's 400lbs limit scooters since the wrangler mentions its got dual motors (claims its 2*24 VDC motors but googling parts multiple stores and ebay mention it uses 2*36V motors by SHIHLIN)

do you think i could make due with being over the weight limit for now? (hoping i continue to lose weight these next few months but you never know with the holiday season approaching. but im down 49lbs since march so i'm cautiously optimistic)

if it would be a workable solution its $800 but they say it will need new batteries as the ones are a few years old (2018) (not the biggest concern cause ideally i wanted to do lifepo4 to get more range etc anyway);

TLDR:
question 1)
should it work alright with me being 30lbs above the 400lbs maximum?
question 2) is it a OK deal at $800 keeping in mind i'll also need to upgrade the batteries sooner rather than later.
question 3) any questions or concerns i should have with this model that i should ask the seller?
question 4) its battery box houses 2* 12V group27 batteries what would be the best/most economic replacement lifepo4 to use and/or as a electronics newb should i research and DIY a battery solution)




sorry for rambling,
thanks

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Before you make your decision, I'd be sure to visit this site - even though this isn't a wheelchair:


In the "Everything Powerchair" category, you'll find some great info to help you decide if LiFePO4, or perhaps simply an upgrade to batteries like Enersys/Odyssey pure-lead agm's are the better bet depending on what your environment is like.


Note that these guys eschew the use of "drop-in" LFP batteries, but homebrew them out of individual cells, and rely on a balance charger, rather than any sort of bms. There is a difference and need for that in this motive-power application.

Helpful tips include the fact that merely replacing your existing Ah with the same with LFP, may net you some joys of LFP, and maybe a bit of extra range, but the cost might not be worth it, since in a motive-power application, cycle life will be less due to motor surge currents (which we don't usually encounter in a "storage" environment like most do here - so the usual recommendation is to put in MORE Ah than what you have now to truly realize a major benefit.

If you decide an agm upgrade is in the works, you'll also notice that most scooter / wheelchair OEM chargers UNDERcharge, leading to an early demise. An emphasis on using a good replacement / external charger is recommended.

AND, other useful tips when using lead is to take advantage of "opportunity charging" - that is if you are on say a lunch break, and you have a small charger or other power source with you, to charge even if it doesn't mean obtaining a full charge. The objective with opportunity-charging, is to lessen your overall DOD, depth of discharge, extending life. And also meaning that when you DO get to fully recharge, it will complete the charge faster at the end of the day, since getting that last 1% of charge in to an agm takes time - and there's no way to rush that.

Probably too much info, but be sure to visit that site before you open your wallet. :)
 
Re: exceeding weight limit: with the visible rust on the frame pieces I wouldnt push that. Look at the rails underneath.

Otherwise Pride has a very good product. Ive had 2 of theirs and no problems.
 
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