Anybody live near MOON, Virginia 23119???

Like the title says.... I just won an E-Bay auction for a power wheelchair, and the seller is located in Moon, VA. Google maps and the seller both seem to say it's a very rural area, a fairly long way from anything... The seller doesn't seem to have any way to get the chair to a freight terminal, and the trucking places I've contacted all want a fortune to pick the chair up and ship it to me...

Does anybody live in the area and have a pickup truck or van that could pick the chair up for me and get it to a trucking terminal or similar location?

If so, please send me a PM w/ contact info...

Thanks,
Gooserider

Hey Goose. Cant help ya a bit bein so far away. Glad to see ya found a good chair though. I hope you find someone that can help ya out. You could try posting something on Moon VA most local Craigslist. "Have a pickup truck? Need money for new teefs? $20 bucks if you.." Never mind, someone would just end up stealing the chair.

What kind of freight quotes are you getting? If you get me your zip code I can ask a few of my freight companys and see what they would charge for picking up the chair at the home. At your end, can you pick it up at a terminal or would you need residential delivery as well?

Most of the quotes that I've been getting are in the $5-600 range, going from door to door, and getting the chair onto a pallet and tied down at the pickup end. Best price has been a little over $450, worst was UPS at over $1,300 :bug: The closest terminal that Googlemaps shows to Moon is about 15 miles away in Whitestone, and seems to be associated with Wilson Trucking - however if I go to the Willson Trucking website, they say that Moon is served out of Richmond :-S


At my end Mary-Anne and I could possibly pick it up at a freight terminal as long as the folks there could help get it into our minivan. I'm not sure just what companies they are for, but there are several terminals that I've seen in the local area. The other option is a lift-gate delivery with a straight truck.

According to the factory specs on the chair, it's weight w/o batteries is 128 lbs, and it takes two "Group 24" size gel cells, which are about 55 lbs each. It has batteries in it that I think are at least somewhat good, and that I'd like to get. Shipping weight is supposed to be 250-300 lbs.

I'll attach a few pics as well...

Try ABF Trucking, and/or one of those companies that deliver a pod, you load, they pick up the POD and deliver it. Try a google search for pod moving.

Looks like it has 'tude, but right now it has the same limitations and issues that just about anything put out by the mobility industry. Over sized, over weight, and vile handling because of the ugly programming on the motor controller (which they don't want to let patients get a hold of the software to fix!) and "suspension" that will beat the crap out of you as soon as you venture off of perfectly smooth floors....

Now THIS is a chair (and rider) with 'tude! :coolgrin: It is essentially what I want to turn the chair in the photos into... Shrink it so that it's no bigger than my manual chair, shed some of the excess weight, fix the programming, and give it some nice squishy riding, all terrain capable tires... Right now I'm figuring on something like a Mark 2 model, which sticks with the stock voltages and controller hardware, but if it proves to be as good as he is expecting it to be, I might well end up working on a Mark 3 design in a couple of years...

Delp, the PODS idea is a good one, though I don't know if it will work until I get a quote (they are closed right now) It may be overly high as it looks like they are designed for bigger / heavier stuff than just a chair. ABF was also a good idea, as they are the current low price champs at $450 and change The thing that I find ironic, is that I had originally been thinking in terms of getting one of the British F55 chairs to use as a starting point - except that it seems that the Wheelchair Driver site has caused so much demand for used F55's that they are no longer affordable. However one of the posters on the site does chair refurbishing for a living, and he said the cost to ship a chair from ENGLAND to me would only be GBP 103 to 145, or about $160 to $220, less than half what they want to take it around 500 miles in the US...

Gooserider

You need to talk to Jags about getting that wheelchair in his pic.! :lol:

Also, have you checked uship.com?

Best bid off of uship so far is $799.00

Gooserider

Geez, whose pickup is in the background of that middle pic?

This is going to sound strange but with the number of members here on the east coast how about a delivery chain. The total distance is about 700 miles between the chair and Goose. If someone picked it up in Moon and looked about about a 150 or so mile run and then handed it off etc. we could deliver it. I will volunteer to come down from New Hampshire and pick the chair up in Hartford Ct for the final leg.

Any one else want to fill in the blanks? Moon VA to Port Royal VA - Port Royal VA to Deep Water New Jersey - Deep Water, NJ to New Rochell, NY - New Rochelle, NY to Hartford, CT then Hartford CT to Goose's. You get the idea


Forrest

Great idea ! ,Count me in, New Rochelle, NY to Hartford, ct

I'll help out some if possible. The bad part is I checked on the map and it would mean about a 2200 mile trip for me. I'll still try to help if possible.

I am in rockland county NY and would be willing to help!! Bruce

We are up to three. The destinations I put in were pretty arbitrary. If we get five or more people spaced out along the route we can set up the relay point then.

It just got a bit more interesting - I just got a bid from U-Ship for $325.00, which is under the max I'd set of $350.00, however the bidder has ZERO feedback - which may just mean I'm getting a bargain price so that he can get feedback, OTOH, he's a bit of an unknown quantity... The description says he has 4 trucks, and 5 drivers, so sounds like a really small outfit.

The bid is only good until the 13th, and I really should respond to it sooner, so if we are going to put this chain together (which would be really great!) it needs to be done pretty soon...

Gooserider

I'd be more than willing to help if I didn't live 2,500+ miles from where you & the chair are at...

Mapquest shows the trip at approx 608 miles from Moon to Lowell, MA. All of the proposed legs are built on a mapquest directions search of Moon, VA to Lowell, MA


Moon to Wash DC - 155 miles
Wash DC to Woodbury NJ - 132 Miles
Woodbury NJ to New Rochelle NY - 118 Miles
New Rochelle to Hartford CT - 96 Miles (Gregbesia)
Hartford CT to Lowell, MA - 107 Miles (Forrest)

Others said they would help. Let us know if you want a specific leg or can split a leg if someone else steps up in that area.

Pen...... From NE Pen would the Woodbury NJ to New Rochelle or part of it make sense? I am sure it would be a bit of a triangle drive but I am not on the route either.



Forrest