subject: Ford Wheelchair Van: Customized Innovation [print this page] Ford Wheelchair Vans are a range of specially built or customized work utility vehicles that can accommodate wheelchairs by providing access in the form of ramps or lifts. The floor is often lowered to ensure more room, and the entrance made wider for more convenient egress and ingress. The precise steps involved in modifying these vehicles can vary depending on the model, but the general process consists of taking a regular vehicle and customizing it. Such customization can include removing the floor, installing a ramp and/or hydraulic lift, and stiffening the suspension to allow for the extra weight incurred. Additionally, gas tanks on Ford wheelchair vans may be modified or replaced outright, and even the front seat can be specially adjusted for wheelchair access. With all the changes involved, extensive testing is conducted to ensure full operational capability.
Ramp installation is the most common kind of modification performed for Ford wheelchair vans. So as to allow for more headroom, the van's floor is lowered, which may in turn require those aforementioned specially modified gas tanks to ensure operational safety on the road. The floor is not typically lowered when it comes to rear-entry configurations, but removed altogether and replaced with a tub of steel or a composite material. In some used wheelchair vans this is the case with folding ramps and sliding ramps, motorized and manual. The Freestar is one typical model that can accept ramp-based conversions.
Rear-entry conversions on some used wheelchair vans are for cases where the wheelchair-bound person is intended to be a passenger; if the person in the wheelchair is able to drive, side-entry conversions are not only preferred but absolutely necessary. As convenient as such modifications are, rear-entry conversions are also relatively simple to perform, and require no complicated engineering or electronics - unlike the case with side-entry conversions. This is why rear-entry wheelchair vehicles are typically deployed for commercial and heavy-duty applications by paratransit companies and dial-a-ride services.
Some of the most popular "mobility motoring" options are electric restraint systems, manual tie-down systems, and upper torso restraining systems. The latter are particularly useful for those with weak upper body muscle strength and poor balance. Manual systems require assistance to operate as they are inaccessible from the wheelchair. Electric options require modification of both vehicle and chair. Full-sized vehicles will require lifts in the form of a platform that is raised and lowered from within the vehicle outwards and downwards to the ground outside. Even more elaborate options involve cranes and seats that turn and lower to the ground.
