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swalker

Very helpful member
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
1,576
Reason
DX MND
Diagnosis
07/2014
Country
US
State
CO
City
Vail
We all need some way to secure our wheelchairs in our wheelchair conveyance (minivan, full sized van, etc.). For most of us, that seems to boil down to either a system that straps the wheelchair in (such as QStraint) or one that automatically locks the wheelchair in place (such as the EZlock).

We bought our wheelchair van used and it came with an EZLock. Staying with the EZLock solution was an easy decision for us. We have used it long enough for me to feel like I have learned enough to make it worthwhile sharing some of my knowledge.

The EZLock system consists of a base that is physically mounted to the van floor and an adapter plate that is physically mounted to the wheelchair. That adapter plate has a "pin" (really a 5/8" coarse-thread hardened bolt) that sticks out the bottom. That pin engages with the base installed in the van when the wheelchair is properly located.

When the pin is properly engaged with the base plate, the wheelchair is effectively locked in place. Supposedly, the wheelchair will be held in place even if the vehicle were to roll over. We have not tested that just yet;)

When we bought our van, the moving parts in the EZLock base mechanism were very stiff. The base was also mounted in a place that was not appropriate for my wheelchair. We took the van to Performance Mobility in Denver, Colorado, who repositioned the base, serviced the EZLock system, and also serviced the Braun Vangater II lift. They also installed the adapter plate on the wheelchair. It took a couple of tries for them to get it right, but they did a good job.

The total cost of this service was a bit over $1,000, which I thought was pretty reasonable.

Once the adapter plate was fitted to the wheelchair, I discovered the primary drawback of the EZlock system. There was only about 1 inch of clearance between the ground and that stupid pin (the 5/8" bolt). I would up making a hideous racket every time I high centered it over some uneven terrain. I have a penchant for uneven terrain, so this happened quite often. The screech was like fingers on a chalkboard.

I discovered that the pin was longer than it needed to be. The pin is easily removed with an 8" adjustable wrench. I procured an assortment of grade 8 bolts from Ace Hardware and installed the shortest one that was long enough to properly engage in the EZlock base. This made a tremendous difference. It does not completely solve the problem, but I can live with it.

In the process of doing that, we found that the bolt is really easy to remove and reinstall. When we are headed out over rough terrain we regularly remove it as we unload the chair and then reinstall it when we load the chair. It takes just a few minutes to do. I can bare do it now, but my wife can easily do it for me.

Another shortcoming of the EZLock is that there is an interlock with various systems in the car to keep you from exiting the base while the car is on (and thus, could theoretically be in motion). To exit the EZlock, I must press a button. This releases the lock for about 30 seconds so that I can move the chair forward and disengage the pin from the base (I back my chair into the base because it is positioned in the van's middle row seating).

Of course, that button is not active unless the car us turned off, the emergency brake is set, and the keys are removed from the ignition. In practice, this makes us deploy the wheelchair lift with the car off, which is hard on the battery.

Since I have to back the wheelchair into the EZlock base, I found that it took a lot of back and forth to get it lined up correctly. We installed some non-residue duck tape (gaffers tape made by 3M) in a line leading from the EZlock so that I could visually see if I was lined up correctly to engage with the base. This made a huge positive difference. I recommend this to anyone who has to back into the EZlock base.

I was pretty surprised by how expensive the adapter plate for my wheechair was (close to $500). Over the last year I have found many for sale on ebay. If I had it to do over again, I would by a used one from ebay and save about $300.

The whole system is pretty simple mechanically and electronically. While we had ours serviced by a specialist, I don't see any reason that a regular mechanic could not install and service the system.

Overall I am quite satisfied with the EZlock system and would buy it again. I recommend it, even though it does have a few limitations.

Steve
 
The EZlock base can be had in a variety of heights, too.

I managed to high-center my chair soon after I got it. Moving to a taller base helped.

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Regarding the question about permobile M300. Permobile makes their own locking system called Permolock.
 
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Thanks so much Steve!! We have recently purchased a van with the EZ Lock system. We are using the Qstraint tie downs for as I currently have a loaner chair. I look forward to having using the EZ Lock when I get my own chair this fall. Thanks for the tips!!
 
My easy lock is in the passenger seat. I love it, but sometimes miss on my first attempt to lock in. One thing Steve alluded to that we have had a problem with is the battery, and have had to replace it twice in a year. Now what we do is deployed the ramp, turn the car off and push the button to release me, then turn the car back on to bring the ramp. No problems with the battery since we started this routine
 
Thanks for the great information Steve!!
 
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