Choosing the right type of portable wheelchair ramp that best suits you is important for reasons of comfort, enhanced mobility and practicability. There are various factors that you must consider such as: the material that the ramp is constructed of, the ease of installation, and even the cost involved when choosing to buy a portable wheelchair ramp. And although there are already established and mandatory measurements and procedures for the construction of the permanent and semi-permanent ramps, this is not always the case of the portable kind since their most important feature is their flexibility and ability to adapt to all sorts of environments.

This means that there are rarely any standard size portable wheelchair ramps on the market today; because of this each one you buy may vary slightly from model and/or manufacturer. One of the most important factors that you should consider before even considering installing a ramp however is your body size and weight as this will determine the carrying capacity of the ramp. Most ramps will accommodate individuals who are up to 400lbs. For those over this weight limit, you must make sure that the wheelchair ramp that you purchase has the ability to handle the extra weight.

Even if you are using a power wheelchair it is important that the wheelchair ramp that you get is easy to install. This is especially true for users who travel in their wheelchairs unaccompanied and thus will require ramps that are easy enough for a single person to set up with little or no help at all. Suitable ramps in those cases are those that are light in weight, portable, and can be carried around with minimal strain. For this reason, aluminum wheelchair ramps are better than steel ramps because aluminum is the lighter one of these two metals. The flexibility of the ramp is another important consideration; flexibility means that it not only offers ease of use and storage but is applicable in as many settings as possible. Remember portability is the name of the game. Furthermore you need to consider, the activities that one is involved in on a day to day basis which should determine the functional applications of the wheelchair ramp that you decide to purchase.

As far actual prices of wheelchair ramps, they can be quite costly especially with regard to its uses. Those that can be used in all types of settings even in icy landscapes are costlier than those than are used for limited purposes such as mobility in the house, into a car and other commercial buildings. It is however possible to get portable wheelchair ramps at discounted prices from charity organizations and local stores if you look hard enough.