Practical Helps For The Handicapped - http://eiw.com/handi/

Things you can do
with an old van

    I think an old van is better than a new one for handi use because you can make any changes you want without worrying about ruining a big financial investment. Provided that the old van runs like a new one! So, the first thing you do is replace the motor with a new one if needed; and as needed, new shocks, brakes, transmission, or whatever else is necessary! I have less than two thousand dollars in my 1975 Chevy Van including $400 to buy it and everything else listed above.

    Next, get a motoring club road service subscription, making sure they pay the tow truck driver without you having to advance the money. The kind where you get paid back later is worthless if you're broke or you forgot to stop at a teller machine. And, a cellular phone is essential for folks who can't walk to a pay phone. With it, you can forward your home phone and never miss a call.

    This winch setup opens the side door automatically. What you can't see in the photo's is that I drilled a hole in the middle of the winch pulley (off center to clear the pulley shaft) and I have the 3/16" aircraft cable wound in opposite directions so the winch will pull in both directions. The reversable winch switch (with the yellow button) is mounted so I can reach it from inside the van, or from outside the passenger door in my wheel chair. The cable doesn't even have to be spring loaded, and the right pulley arrangement is mounted with a 3/8" bolt through the side of the van. There is a narrow upright between the passenger door and the side door. The winch is mounted with two 3/8" bolts through this; into holes I drilled in the winch bracket. It's noisy, but it works! This modification requires removal of the bolts that the door latches grab onto; but the winch doesn't slip when power is not applied to it, and the door stays closed when riding. CAUTION! This setup has no travel limit switches! You have to be attentive and let go of the button just when the door is open or closed to avoid damaging your van! It's really not hard because the winch doesn't move the door too fast.

    If you have gotten an older non-automatic chair lift, you'll find that the metal landing for the chair is impossible to fold up from inside the van by yourself. This boat winch with the rope attached to the landing, makes possible getting the landing up without being too physically taxing (my opinion - I don't know how strong you are, or the length of your reach).

    Power chairs are nice, but can be more trouble than the stop is worth if you can move around well using your hands and arms. Since the van seats were "ratty", I threw them away and bought a brand new one from a van conversion shop for $50. I replaced only the driver's seat; putting big screw-eye 3/8" bolts through the floor so that a tie-down strap could be used as a seat belt for anyone riding with me seated in my wheel chair.
    It's fairly easy to transfer from a chair at ground level to the van floor; and this photo shows how I get into the driver's seat (see the Arm-Strong Step Unit), and was taken looking into the passenger door.

    Lifting the wheel chair into the van can be done using a miniature block and tackle for leverage. I mounted another screw-eye bolt above the doorway on the inside. I am using a two pulley top, with a single bottom. If you need more leverage, use three and two.

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©1999 Mark Krell - ©1999 Equity International Webcenter

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:

Ideas, artwork, and elements of this website are the intellectual Property of Mark Krell. If you are a disabled person who wishes to use any of my ideas to help you to improve your life, you have my permission, my blessing, and my sincere hope that I have helped you. If you are interested in manufacturing, marketing, or in some way making money from what you see here, you are not free to do so without compensating me. This is right and fair because I will use your money to develop new ideas and prototypes; thus creating new opportunities for you to profit.

DISCLAIMER:

Because everyone who is disabled has different individual needs due to differing physical conditions; you use any of my ideas with the express understanding between you and me that I cannot be held responsible for anything that may happen to you as a result of such use. It is your responsibility to determine your own physical capabilities. It is your responsibility to consult your physician to make such determinations if you are in doubt. By making use of my ideas, you agree to release me from any and all liability from any occurance connected with such use from this day forth until the end of time. You also agree to the same conditions with any contributor of ideas to these pages other than myself.

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I think an old van is better than a new one for handi use because you can make any changes you want without worrying about ruining a big financial investment. Provided that the old van runs like a new one! So, the first thing you do is replace the motor with a new one if needed; and as needed, new shocks, brakes, transmission, or whatever else is necessary! I have less than two thousand dollars in my 1975 Chevy Van including $400 to buy it and everything else listed above. Next, get a motoring club road service subscription, making sure they pay the tow truck driver without you having to advance the money. The kind where you get paid back later is worthless if you're broke or you forgot to stop at a teller machine. And, a cellular phone is essential for folks who can't walk to a pay phone. With it, you can forward your home phone and never miss a call.


This winch setup opens the side door automatically. What you can't see in the photo's is that I drilled a hole in the middle of the winch pulley (off center to clear the pulley shaft) and I have the 3/16" aircraft cable wound in opposite directions so the winch will pull in both directions. The reversable winch switch (with the yellow button) is mounted so I can reach it from inside the van, or from outside the passenger door in my wheel chair. The cable doesn't even have to be spring loaded, and the right pulley arrangement is mounted with a 3/8" bolt through the side of the van. There is a narrow upright between the passenger door and the side door. The winch is mounted with two 3/8" bolts through this; into holes I drilled in the winch bracket. It's noisy, but it works! This modification requires removal of the bolts that the door latches grab onto; but the winch doesn't slip when power is not applied to it, and the door stays closed when riding. CAUTION! This setup has no travel limit switches! You have to be attentive and let go of the button just when the door is open or closed to avoid damaging your van! It's really not hard because the winch doesn't move the door too fast.
	If you have gotten an older non-automatic chair lift, you'll find that the metal landing for the chair is impossible to fold up from inside the van by yourself. This boat winch with the rope attached to the landing, makes possible getting the landing up without being too physically taxing (my opinion - I don't know how strong you are, or the length of your reach).

	Power chairs are nice, but can be more trouble than the stop is worth if you can move around well using your hands and arms. Since the van seats were "ratty", I threw them away and bought a brand new one from a van conversion shop for $50. I replaced only the driver's seat; putting big screw-eye 3/8" bolts through the floor so that a tie-down strap could be used as a seat belt for anyone riding with me seated in my wheel chair.
It's fairly easy to transfer from a chair at ground level to the van floor; and this photo shows how I get into the driver's seat (see the Arm-Strong Step Unit), and was taken looking into the passenger door.

Lifting the wheel chair into the van can be done using a miniature block and tackle for leverage. I mounted another screw-eye bolt above the doorway on the inside. I am using a two pulley top, with a single bottom. If you need more leverage, use three and two.

PRACTICAL HELPS FOR THE HANDICAPPED
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