Wheelchair Ramp Lift

Product Family: Power Transmission
Product Used: Float-A-Shaft gearbox
Product Type: Standard Foot Mounted Model

Application Requirements

• Limited space (4-inch envelope)
• Fast, easy use for emergency purposes
• NHTSA compliant

Application Description: 
Manual override on vehicle wheelchair ramp

Challenge:
BraunAbility, a manufacturer of mobility equipment for specially equipped vans needed a way to manually operate their electric/hydraulic wheelchair ramp should the motor encounter power loss. The lift, which is floor mounted into a Chrysler mini-van, required the manual override solution to be compact, cost-effective and safe.

Tolomatic Solution:
A compact style Float-A-Shaft right angle gearbox with a foot mount configuration and a 1:1 ratio was selected to conform to the 4-inch envelope requirement, and mounted opposite the motor on the ramp frame. A small hole was retrofitted into the floor of the vehicle above the gearbox, providing access to the Float-A-Shaft’s gearing mechanism via a key. Once inserted and turned, the key (much like a tire iron), engages the gears and moves the lift outward.

Customer Benefit:

• Maximized speed for given envelope
• Minimized cost
• Safe, easy access to manual feature

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