Are We Done?

We have a 26' Born Free Class C that was custom designed for my wife's use from an electric scooter. Unfortunately, our health has also deteriorated to the point that we'll have to sell our coach soon.

It's possible to design Class C floorplans that can be managed from a Quickie sports-type wheelchair or scooter, but we found it difficult to retrofit a platform lift & chair-wide corridor into most existing Class C's. You can put a Burr Handy-Lift on the outside of the box, but she'll probably need to be able to stand and pivot to a chair.

Karen is right; unless you rebuild the front seat(s) to level them with the rear compartment floor, it's tough to set them up for a slide transfer. (We used a B&D Independence transfer base to allow the passenger seat to move between the front compartment and dinette area.)

If you have any more questions, send us a PM and we'll give you our contact details. (My wife was a rehabilitation counselor / supervisor for over 20 years, and knows a lot about adaptive equipment.)

So sorry to here this. Prayers to your wife and you. Just take one thing at a time. Wait and see how she is after treatment.

Maybe I am putting the cart before the horse. It is inspiring to hear from others who have travelled this road before us. Our RV is paid for and if it has to sit for awhile until we are able to use it, it won't be a hardship. We are still in hospital and rehab and after a month here, it is getting hard to see beyond our noses. We love our little RV and would hate to have to either sell it or replace it. I am hoping we can get back to what we enjoyed almost as much as our grandkids.

Before you go spending a lot of money, you need to see what she is going to be able and willing to do. My wife is in stage 4 Kidney failure and congestive heart failure, and we've been camping once this year, and only once last year. She and I were both very active and active campers until she got whacked with this. I'm leery of going anywhere where I don't know the hospital capabilities are, which means cruises are out too. Once you've seen the "hospital" in Falmouth Jamaica you'll understand that. Once you get through the radiation this winter, you may have a better idea of what she's going to be able to handle.

So sorry to hear. Hope that medical treatment can help. The bathroom in the Aspect is so small I think it would be difficult to make it work if handicap is too severe. There are solutions. We met a woman whose husband was handicapped. They had a class c with a nice large rear bathroom. They pulled a trailer with his electric wheel chair. They loved to travel and traveled a lot.

Don't give up, I know this is a difficult time. May not be able to use the passenger seat but could use a wheel chair tie down like in our public transportation. I hope it will work out in the end. Thoughts and prayers are with you.

If you planning on changing the RV the toy haulers models should be very easy to gain access to them...

You can get them with just an open bay in the toy hauler section then can mod that to suit almost any needs you will need to have...

Just a thought...

Roy Ken

I have to agree with LadyRVer. It would be difficult to use your current RV if your wife needs to use a wheelchair. A class A with a level floor and more room would work much better.

That being said I have no use of my legs, use a wheelchair and travel full time with my husband in a small class C. It was custom built with an open floor plan and a http://www.superarmlift.com/products.htmlSuper Arm Lift. It's perfect for us.

If I'm looking at the correct floorplan for your RV it might be possible to make it accessible by cutting the bed down or removing it completely. The bathroom door and wall would also have to be removed. The dinette could be removed and a bed installed in that spot. You will need to have a wider door installed which is probably possible because there isn't anything on the right side of the door.

The main problem is access for your wife to the passenger seat. Most class Cs have a step down between the cab and the house. Fortunately I'm small and thin so we manage it but it's not the best option.

I have a lot of information about RVing in a wheelchair in my blog - link below.

Best wishes for your wife with her treatment and recovery.

Sorry to hear about your wife.
I, currently have been going through the same thing! In December, last year, i had a CT scan that revealed 5 tumors wrapped around my spine. They radiated them, and knocked them out of action. This has left me with the numbness down both arms, and legs (to my knees). My C6 vertebrae had completely disappeared & i had to wear a hard collar for 5 months.
I, also started looking at lifts, renovations, etc., but decided to just wait & see. Glad i did! While these numbing sensations (desensations?) are annoying, it hasn't progressed! Perhaps that is an option for you guys, just wait & see. No use spending all that money if it's not needed eh.
Best of Luck!!

I had the exact same model and year. Would have been hard to manage my late DH in that model. A lift for the entry door would make that part possible, but to have gotten him into the passengers seat would have been all but impossible for me. Mine had a chair with seat belt at the entry door, so he could have ridden in that.

I have seen handicapped rv's for sale, which might make it a lot easier for her to maneuver once inside. Bed and bathroom access would also have to be planned.

My hubby and I went from FL to Branson, MO and back, after Dr said he would never be able to travel again. Then, 2 years later, we went to TX and back.

Figure it out, plan ahead and do what you and your wife can do, for as long as possible. Good luck and God bless you both.

You're not done.
There are many Handicapped RV's For Sale.

And, there are Lifts available for different types of RV's.

I'm hoping your wife will beat this and no equipment will be needed.
Please, keep us updated.