Segway Lifts
 

I made my own . . .
 

I made my own with two (2) aluminum ramps, one (1) aluminum 4x2 basket, two (2) one (1) inch ratchet straps and a two (2) inch receiver on the back of the Expedition. Further, the rear power outlet allows charging whilst traveling from place to place.

The Segway powers itself up the ramps, though dismount typically is done by pulling it over the basket edge and letting the X2 bounce to the ground. I suppose I could use the ramps to get Trigger down, but down is a lot easier than up so I skip the ramp setup on the downside.

All this for under $300US a number of years ago. Have taken Trigger on many, many trips to numerous states and haven't had a problem. Outdoors on the back of the Expedition is a weather issue, but I deal with the rain/snow etc. by adjusting travel plans or limiting exposure as best I can. Originally, I would remove the handlebar/steer bar, but as of late, I just secure it and let it wobble a little bit. Doesn't seem to have been an issue and Trigger has over 11,500 miles. Blinky is active & blinking!

If you aren't able do any modifications then the only one I can think of is the Segway PT Carrier:

http://www.segwayofcentralflorida.co...ay-Carrier.php

Do you have any tools and ability to modify any other lift?

I have had multiple lifts that I have added a wooden wedge platform angled to support the Segway under the batteries. I also added ratchet straps to clamp it down across the foot pads. A rope is used to hold the lean steer from banging side to side.

I used a table saw to cut the wood ( A hand held power saw would work. A hand saw would too ) for the mounting platform which I screwed together and then had to drill holes in the lift to mount it and to mount the ratchet straps. Accuracy isn't too important for most of the work. You have to do a little planning to place the platform and straps.

I'm cheap so I buy used lifts. The one on the back of my truck I bought for $75. The 2" hitch adapter cost $125 from the dealer. :-(

When my wife and I travel longer distances we use her older Toyota Avalon. Small cars can't take the weight of the lift and Segway hanging off of the back. I discovered the Bruno Chariot and after looking for one for about a year I found one about 400 miles away. It took some effort but it cost me only $800 instead of $3000.

I modified it the same way I explained above. It is a great way to carry behind a small car. It has swivel wheels so backing it is easy. The way it is designed it only puts around 20 lbs. of tongue weight on the car hitch.

If you want any other details let me know.

Jeff

I have a cargo carrier and a 2" hitch on our Buick Enclave as well. Now I'm considering how to get the Segway in/out of said carrier. What ramps did you use?

And when transporting upright, did you ever come up with something to hold the Leansteer bar in place? I'm thinking about making some kind of brace or bracket I can attach to the basket to keep the LeanSteer steady. Probably just an upright piece of wood notched appropriately with a strap, but I haven't really prototyped anything yet - too danged cold to do anything... that'll be a springtime project!

I bought a pricey set of folding aluminum ramps to load our Segs into our van and that turned out to be a complete waste of $125. They were a real pain to use and then it's one more thing you have to carry with you so you'll have them when you need to unload

Our 'solution' was to install the cargo racks on the Segs - That makes it really easy for two people to lift them into the van. We carry them in a Ford Transit Connect which has recessed cargo hooks in the exact perfect place for carrying a pair of Segs. It's only about a ten minute process to load and strap them down and about half that to get them out. My wife is just 5' 4" and she has no problem lifting her half of the Segs

https://forums.segwaychat.org/attach...0&d=1498859296

Don

The ramps were purchased either through eBay or Tractor Supply in '07 or '08. Memory is that they were less than $100/pair. In order to make the ramps work with the basket I drilled holes in both and then use quick disconnects to keep them static. Power Trigger up the ramps and lock down with the ratcheting straps. Then store the ramps in the vehicle compartment for the trip. As far as the LeanSteer, I originally took it off (added about 10 min. on each side of ingress/egress). As of late, last 7+ years, I have been just tying it down and it doesn't seem to have caused any excessive wear. It does however "wobble" a bit during the trip. Your idea of a bar seems like a very useable idea assuming you can lock it down sufficiently that it doesn't fall off and bounce into the vehicle behind yours.

From initial setup (installing basket & ramps), loading, then to dismount it probably takes less than 10-15 minutes. If the basket is left on the vehicle (as is typical on trips); ramp setup is less than 3-4 minutes on loading and less than 1 minute when doing the ramp less dismount. If you use ramps for both loading & dismount, then probably 3-5 minutes on each side.

Pic of my setup is in my profile.

The Ford TC has quite a bit more "headroom" than our Enclave. For me to carry it inside, the Leansteer would have to come off. I'd rather not do that if I don't have to -- otherwise it has to lay down on its side, and I don't particularly like that either. Just trying to be cheap here and not spend the $500+ for the hitch carrier!

This is more akin to what I'm thinking currently... which is why I was asking about the ramps themselves. I can probably fabricate something or just get folding motorcycle ramps; it's a matter of how long they are and how badly I want to carry them around. :-)

I'm thinking about building some kind of a "leaning triangle" if you will - maybe a pair of angle irons coming up to form a triangle with the carrier as the base. That'll give me a single point of attachment for the Leansteer in the center. I can maybe make them swivel on a bolt off the carrier frame so I can "collapse" them down when not in use. Just thinking out loud - trying to come up with a convenient way to travel.

Manually lifting in/out of the vehicle will be all on me if we go that route - It'll likely be "just" me and my 10-yo son traveling (he with his MiniLITE, and me with the i2 SE) - don't think my wife wants to be seen with a Segway....

.... yet ... :-)

Consider Segway-Carrier
 

I've used the Segway-Carrier from Segway of Center Florida on two different sedans over several years. Do like it. The present design is very light and simple to use.

Only issue I've had is a limited height adjustment range. On a Jetta I needed to add tubing to rise the carrier an additional inch to allow nice road surface clearance. On a Mazda 3 had to use a 1 1/2 inch board (platform/ramp) to allow roll-on, roll-off usage. While with my Chevy Colorado 4x4 the Segway-Carrier just does not work. When it's in the lowest position it is still way too high for loading the SEG.

Have not investigated a fix for that . . . for now just using the above mentioned aluminum ramps to roll into the truck bed.

11,000+ Gliding Miles over 7+ years :)

Carrying the ramps. . .
 

[QUOTE=This is more akin to what I'm thinking currently... which is why I was asking about the ramps themselves. I can probably fabricate something or just get folding motorcycle ramps; it's a matter of how long they are and how badly I want to carry them around. :-)[/QUOTE]

Trigger is an X2 with cargo plates. As a result, if you have limited in-vehicle space, one could strap the ramps across the cargo plates. I've done that a couple of times when my in-vehicle storage limited. Also the plate's handles make it relatively easy to offload Trigger.

More thoughts on the ramps. I use four (4) foot ramps as my Expedition sits high, perhaps a bit higher than your Enclave. You should, therefore, evaluate your height needs as you may be able to use two (2) or three (3) foot long ramps in your application. As another option, you can probably also find a hitch that drops down a couple of inches or so which will also reduce your need for longer ramps. As another Glider here stated, be careful it doesn't ride so low as to bottom out. Finally, the rate of incline from ground to basket increases the difficulty of loading Trigger. This is mostly because Trigger is an X2 and has wider tires which sometimes catch the ramps side. Obviously an i2 would be less susceptible to this risk.

Glide On!!!!

I'm trying to avoid adding the cargo plates if I can help it; I kinda like the sleek look without it. Vein I know!

But I suspect you're right, the Enclave sits a little lower than the Expedition (I think) ... I'm thinking 3-ft ramps may do the trick. The question is of angles - obviously the shorter the ramp, the steeper the climb. The cargo box won't be an issue as far as bottoming out - It has a 2" riser shank and I can accommodate a flat ball mount if need be; the hitch is well designed on the Enclave.

And yes - given the smaller tires (100/85R14's currently; 80/80R14's shortly) on the i2, I'm not worried about catching the side. Truth be told, I could probably do this with a set of notched 2x4's instead of a "dedicated" ramp.

Hmm - now that I think about it - maybe I'll check with my warehouse team at work. We ship palletized racks quite often and they come with prebuilt ramps; if we have a spare set ...