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5-Items To Consider Before Buying a Mobility Seat for Your Vehicle

Lady sitting in turny evo mobility seat in a van and image of handicap transfer seat installed in a van

What is Mobility Seating for Cars, Trucks, Vans & SUVs?

Mobility seating is designed to assist a person with physical limitations to safely enter or exit a vehicle for transport.

The most common type of mobility seating is the turny seat. This type of seat is customized to turn and lower outside the vehicle to make seating transfers easier and safer.

The second most common type of mobility seating is the transfer seat. It is designed to assist wheelchair users in transferring from a wheelchair onto either the driver or passenger seating inside a vehicle. 

Before You Buy Mobility Seating for Your Car, Truck, Van or SUV - Consider these 5-Items

  • PERSON WHO NEEDS IT – Similar to wheelchair options, it’s equally important to consider a person’s vehicle seating needs and how the product can best assist. Is it for a child or an adult? Which seating area in the vehicle makes sense to replace with a mobility seat?  What controls or customized control buttons are available for drivers versus passengers?  If a child or someone needs assistance, what options might a caregiver need to assist them in safe seating positions?
  • USAGE – It’s best to have a plan for usage.  Will a mobility seat be used once or twice a day or less frequently? Is the seat for the driver or passenger of the vehicle? 
  • COST – The cost of mobility seating products can vary according to the type of seat and the vehicle it will be installed into. There are also new and used seating options available at most mobility dealers. Often, a used mobility seat might be the best option for your budget.
  • FIT AND COMFORT – A mobility seat is an investment in your mobility and independence.  It’s important to ensure the type of mobility seat you choose gives you the support and comfort that you expect and need. This includes accounting for any health-related seating reasons. Many seats are compatible to work with your factory OEM seating. However, in some applications, this is not the case. For these applications, there are numerous aftermarket seats available that provide the same level of comfort and options.
  • IS A MOBILITY SEAT YOUR BEST OPTION?  Are you looking for a short-term or long-term solution?  When considering this, you’ll want to consider the reason for the mobility seat. Is it an injury or illness? Is there a condition that will progressively advance requiring additional needs?  These are important questions to ask upfront, to ensure your investment is going to be your best option. While a mobility seat might work now for you now, is it going to in the long-term?  Know all your options first by taking into account the long-term need. A mobility consultant will best assist you in understanding your options.

Here are a Few Videos of Available Mobility Seating Products

Announcing New BraunAbility Turny Evo® OEM Mobility Seating

Announcing New BraunAbility Turny Evo® OEM Mobility Seating

Three mobility seating imaages

Turny EvoⓇ OEM Seat Applications

Have you been asking for an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) seat option for the Turny Evo seat? Well coincidentally, so have we! And thankfully, BraunAbility has listened to us both!

So what exactly does this mean? This means that we are delighted to offer our customers the option to retain your vehicle’s OEM seat. This allows you to not only match your vehicle’s interior, but also the original seat’s comfort. Not to mention that depending on the vehicle and available options, select OEM seat functions are retained, such as power reclining and heated seat. 

In some instances, the aftermarket seat (or Comfort Seat), might be a better option for some. Some questions that you might want to ask to decide for yourself include:

  • Will altering the OEM seat impact my vehicle’s resale value? If so, how important is that to me?
  • Typically, the OEM seat requires an additional 2.5 – 3 hours of installation time, will there be additional costs involved?
  • How many armrests do I prefer? If I need up to two armrests to assist with transfers, the aftermarket seat may be a better fit for me.
  • How much space do I need relative to the type of seat application I have? Some OEM seats are too large and are unable to rotate out of the vehicle. The aftermarket seat provides more space for vehicles whose application is considered tight.

 Safety & Affordability

Safety and cost are two factors that will not limit your decision between the two, because they are identical. The Turny Evo with the OEM seat application and the aftermarket seat option both meet the same testing and safety requirements. Both seats also cost the same. If you are wondering why the OEM seat option isn’t cheaper, it is because there are extra costs associated with the OEM seat mounting kit, such as additional brackets and a cable/harness. The OEM seat development time is significantly longer as well.

 We are now taking orders for the following OEM seat applications:

  • 2015+ Ford F150 SuperCrew (front right)
  • 2015+ Ford F150 SuperCab (front right)
  • 2017+ Chrysler Pacifica (mid-row position)
  • 2008 – 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan (front right and mid-row position)
  • 2008 – 2016 Chrysler Town & Country (front right and mid-row position)

Coming Soon!

  • 2015+ Ford F150 (front left)
  • 2018+ Ford Expedition (front left and front right)

Braun is continuously testing the OEM seat option on other vehicles as well, so please check in with one of our mobility consultants for the most current list of vehicles and applications!

Still not sure which one is right for you? Call us at any one of our locations and receive expert guidance from one of our compassionate mobility specialists today!

Handicap Van Options Make Transit Easy

Handicap Van Options Make Transit Easy

4 images of Harmar & Bruno Power scooter and wheelchair lifts and carriers

What Can These Options Do For You?

New or used handicap vans are the main means of transportation for people with disabilities. They can compensate for most disabilities while providing comfort with the available options. Depending on your disability, you can choose which options would best fit your needs.

Here’s a list of customized options. These options will make commuting easier and more comfortable for you and your family.

The Options:

The main options for additional handicap van equipment include; Bruno Valet, portable ramps, hand controls, driving aids, lifts, jump seats, wheelchair tie-downs, transfer seats and platform carriers. Here’s a description of each:

Driving Aids: Driving aids include pedal extensions, wheelchair pulleys and sensors to help drivers maneuver safely.
BraunAbility Turny Evo: A Turny Evo seat allows someone with limited mobility to get in and out of their vehicle with very little effort and strain.
Lifts and Scooter Carriers: Lifts and mobility scooter carriers are probably one of the most useful options for a handicap vans and other accessible vehicles. Lifts and platform carriers for a van can be mounted internally or externally. They can lift a person in a wheelchair in and out of the car or store a mobility scooter during a commute.
Wheelchair Tie Downs: wheelchair tie-downs can be installed into the floor of a handicap van to secure wheelchairs during transit.
Hand Controls: In the instance of someone who has limited or no use of their legs, that person can have hand controls installed into their steering column so they can operate their vehicle.
Transfer Seats: A transfer seat works just like a lift and platform carrier. It can lift a wheelchair into a handicap van.

Understanding all of these options will make customizing your handicap van an easier process. Click here for additional buying tips.

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