3 or 4 wheeled scooter?

[disneysmiles]

Taking my mother-in-law for her first visit in october. Because of her knee, back and hip problems, I want to rent her a scooter for the week. She says she doesn't need one, but she has no idea how big the place is! She chooses to use a scooter every time we go shopping "because it's so much walking", so I know she needs one.

My question is would a 3 wheel or 4 wheeled be better? The only experience she has is the scooter at our local store that is a 4 wheel and she has problems sometimes making sharp turns. Would a 3 wheel be easier?

[Itchy]

My recommendation is two fold.

1st: I would get a 4 wheel unit as it will be alot more stable and less likely to tip on uneven surfaces.

2nd: I would rent from Apple Scooters as they are cheaper and newer units. In addition their price includes insurance covering the unit if something happens to it at no additional charge
I would check out their web site to get the prices for your length of stay. I have one rented for my lady friend for our visit in 13 days and this will be the 3rd time have used them. They are great to work with. They will deliver and pick up from your resort for free. It will be a lot cheaper than the parks price and you will have it to use at the resorts.

Hope this helps...

[disneysmiles]

Thank you so much for the suggestion. Yes, I actually do have Apple's info and was going to rent there. I just wasn't sure whether to pick a 4 wheel for the stability or the 3 wheel for the manuverability. The 4 wheels is what she is used to and since it is more stable, I'll order that.
Thanks!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I don't want to "steal" this thread, but we're having the same discussion with my mother for our upcoming trip.

How "unstable" is the three-wheeled one? She's really concerned about making tight turns, and wants the three-wheeled one, but should I convince her to get the 4-wheeled one?

[Itchy]

I read a few months back where one of our Intercot'es was using a 3 wheel scooter and was sitting on it in the bus and it tipped over. I don't believe there were any injuries except ego.

I just think it would be safer with 4 wheels on the ground. As far as being able to maneuver easier with a 3 wheel compared to a 4 wheel I don't know that there is much difference.

I am sure that someone who uses or has used one a lot will provide information on that topic.

Hope this helps...

[PETE FROM NYC]

I am an experienced ECV user, been riding DWs for 10 yrs, renting one from Apple for myself when in WDW. I have ridden both 3 and 4 wheelers. The 3 is by far easier to maneuver especially in tight turns. The 4 does not turn as sharply and can be a pain going through lines. I have dumped over in 3 wlrs, so has DW. Luckily, neither of us was hurt.
For a rookie driver, go for the 4 wheeler.

[Disney4us2]

I read a few months back where one of our Intercot'es was using a 3 wheel scooter and was sitting on it in the bus and it tipped over. I don't believe there were any injuries except ego.

I just think it would be safer with 4 wheels on the ground. As far as being able to maneuver easier with a 3 wheel compared to a 4 wheel I don't know that there is much difference.

I am sure that someone who uses or has used one a lot will provide information on that topic.

Hope this helps...

That might have been me I have a 3 wheel scooter and was belted and secured on the bus. The scooter and I went down when the driver made a left turn. Glad it was not a full bus. Just minor scrapes. So a word of caution. Take a seat on the bus and not stay on the scooter.

I too love the ease of a 3 wheel but my next one may be a 4 wheel for more stability.

[ransam]

i am a very big person.
I have always used a 3 wheel scooter and last time i went i tried a 4 wheeler and hated it. it was not very flexible. I called Apple and they came right out and gave me a 3-wheeler and it was much better.

and i echo. Apple is by far the best as shown w/ their customer service shown above.

[disneydeb]

I use a four wheeler, the tracks at the MK ar sometimes a bit difficult to negotiate and I think they would seem even worse in a 3 wheeler. Good luck!

[TheDuckRocks]

I use a four wheeler, the tracks at the MK ar sometimes a bit difficult to negotiate and I think they would seem even worse in a 3 wheeler. Good luck!

That's the exact reason I get the 4-wheeler GoGo Elite from Apple. I have used my personal 3-wheeler all over disney property and have exerienced near tip-overs at both MK because of train tracks and AK because of really uneven walkway surfaces.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I just got back from a 10-day trip with my Mom in an ECV, and the 3 wheeled was WAY easier than the 4 wheeled one she had on the last trip.

We couldn't believe the difference in how she was able to get around, queues were so much simplier, and we'd watch people with 4 wheels having trouble, while she'd have no issues.

So, we're going 3-wheels from here on. But, unlike most people, we had a horrible experience with Apple, so I would recommend anyone other than them!

[TheDuckRocks]

Heather, would you mind sharing with us what happened? I have always had superior service with Apple I'm very curious.

[ransam]

i have never had any problems w/ stability on a 3 wheeler, and like i said, i am a very big person.

I would also be interested in what happened w/ Apple. I use them all the time in Vegas, Disneyland, WDW and to be honest I am shocked you had a bad experience (not saying you didn't). but i am curious what happened.

and i am sorry you had a bad experience.

[Itchy]

I have had no issue with Apple, last trip when we got back to POP on the bus the ECV we had ( a 4 wheel model ) would not turn on.

We had to push it off of the bus. I called Apple and they had me do a little trouble shooting to no avail. Apple told me then they would be bringing me a replacement. This was at about 8 pm. In about 15 min the truck arrived and traded out our unit from the smaller unit to the larger unit at no additional cost.

Very happy with Apple...

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We were told the four wheeled ones are more stable so we used that for mom last trip, she did just fine. We also used Apple and had wonderful service when someone unplugged our scooter and it died in the park they brought us a new battery in minutes.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Just a quick update on our Apple "experience".

We'd heard so many good things about them, and their prices are more reasonable, so we were delighted. When we arrived, the EVC was waiting and off we went.

In the middle of the trip, we had horrible battery issues (despite charging it every night). I actually had to push the ECV out of DHS. We got back to the resort, called Apple and they told us to return it to Bell Services and someone would come and look at it that evening.

So, the next morning we head over to check out the ECV and nothing had been done with it. We called Apple and they said that someone would be there in an hour to look at it. (We never did get an explaination of what happened the night before). Well, an hour comes and goes and we call back (it was about 90 minutes after we first called) and the person on the phone yells at me that we only called a half an hour ago and that someone is one their way.

Sigh. When the gentleman arrived, he was wonderful and had a new EVC for Mom (which was only slightly better on battery than the first one), but the whole "getting the replacement" process was nothing like I'd heard, or what I expected.

So, we're off the Apple bandwagon ... not so much because the ECV needed to be replaced, but the attitude and lack of follow-through really bugged me and put quite the dent in our vacation time that day.

[Itchy]

Oh wow! On my previous post I pointed out that I had issues with one of their ECV's but got good service. If they did that to me I would have been less than happy as well.

I will try them again though...

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Wow, that's terrible. We had battery issues and they were very good about helping us out and they came right away both times we called-within 30 minutes. I'm hoping it was just an off day and an isolated event maybe new employees, but I will be watching to see if anyone else on Intercot has problems. If more are reported guess I'll have to find someone new.