When you are thinking about purchasing a 4 wheel mobility scooter, especially a heavy duty mobility scooter, many times a question comes up: Am I better off with a 4 wheel mobility scooter, or would a 3 wheel mobility scooter work better for me. On this page we will review a few of the main advantages and disadvantages of the 4 wheel electric scooters compared with the 3 wheel ones. After you have seen both the advantages and the disadvantages, your purchasing decision should be easier.

The main advantages of the 4 wheel heavy duty mobility scooter are: Increased stability, Car-like feel for the road, Increased comfort.

Increased stability

Due to an added front wheel, the 4 wheel mobility scooters will be more stable on the road. They will be able to take the curves at higher speeds without the danger of overturning. Likewise, when riding and turning on slopes, four wheel mobility scooters retain their stability longer.

Car-like feel for the road

Have you ever driven a van? If so, you know it feels completely different on the road than driving a car. Similarly there is a substantial difference between the feel for the road between the three-wheel and the four-wheel mobility scooter. Due to four wheels, riding a 4 wheel mobility scooter will have a more of a car feel to it and less of a scooter feel. It is difficult to decribe this but it must be experienced. It has something to do with the way the front wheels respond to the tiller in the 3-wheel scooter versus the 4-wheel scooter. The feeling of the road is just different. Surely, the feeling can change depending on the tilt of the tiller towards you as you are driving.

Increased comfort

The 4 wheel heavy duty mobility scooters ride more comfortably because they, unlike the 3-wheel counterparts, include the suspension mechanism on the front wheels. This increases the comfort in itself. Furthermore, any obstacle on the road will usually affect just one front wheel which now carries just one half of the front weight. Therefore, the hit from the obstacle will be more easily absorbed, and with less added stress and shaking of the scooter.

Let's now look at the disadvantages of the four wheel heavy duty mobility scooter. The main disadvantages of the 4 wheel heavy duty mobility scoter are: Decreased maneuverability and Higher weight.

Decreased maneuverability

Due to the steering mechanism applying to the front wheels, the turning radius is always bigger for the 4 wheel mobility scooter as compared to the 3 wheel mobility scooter of the same kind. What that means is that the four wheel scooters will less likely be able to negotiate spaces such as small kitchen, bathroom or a narrow corridor. You will want to keep this in mind when ready to purchase a 4 wheel mobility scooter. It would make sense to measure the width of the smallest place where you would be likely to want to make a U-turn in your mobility scooter in your home. Then compare this with the turning radius in the product description of the 4 wheel scooter. If the turning radius is larger, you may want to consider forgoing the benefits of the four wheel version, and switching to the 3 wheel version of the same scooter.

Higher weight

Obviously, because of the added wheel and more complicated steering mechanism, the 4 wheel mobility scooter will usually be a bit heavier than the equivalent 3 wheel mobility scooter. Likewise, the heaviest part of the scooter when disassembled completely for transportation, will be heavier in a 4 wheel scooter.

Here you have it. As you browse the online stores for mobility scooters, you will now know what to look for both in a 3 wheel mobility scooter and in a 4 wheel mobility scooter. Just make sure you compare the turning radius of either one of them with the size of the narowest spot in your home, consider the weight issue, and, if everything checks out, you will be able to enjoy the advantages of the 4 wheel mobility scooter such as higher stability, more car-like feel for the road, and overall higher riding comfort.