Disabled Explorers Sportsmobile 4wd Wheelchair Accessible Van Build

[1leglance]

I would rather not type "Disabled Explorers Sportsmobile 4wd Wheelchair Accessible Van for Expeditions" over and over so let's just be friends and call it the DE SMB WAVE and that will be much easier


We are working on a new project vehicle and thought it would be interesting to document the process and our thoughts behind the choices we make.

Up until recently this was the Disabled Explorers demo rig, but not any longer. While the FJ Cruiser is a great off road machine and I have been impressed over the two years I have owned it, there are requirements that it just doesn't meet. One is payload as we tend to take alot of gear to events, presentations, gear test and general outings. Another is passenger space as we haven't been able to work with anyone in a power wheelchair or who can't boost themselves up into the rig.

So this is the blank canvas that Sportsmobile West will use to create our 4wd Wheelchair Accessible Van (WAV for short) using their proven 4x4 conversion, adding a custom interior layout that includes sink, fridge, porta-potty, stove and more. To give everyone an idea of what the end result will look like just check out Andy T's rig.

The plan calls for a wheelchair lift, tie-downs, a power drivers transfer seat and hand controls. This should give us a great platform to take almost anyone out for their first backcountry experience and since the rig has a nice sleeping setup we can offer overnight outings . I hope to post some pictures soon of the already completed 4wd conversion and the roof installation. I also hope to get out to the SMB West Fresno factory before too much longer to do work myself on the camera system, laptop mount, gps, and adding some extra insulation. But until then please enjoy some previews of the project and our reasons for the choices we are making.

[1leglance]

At the Overland Expo I had a chance to really look over just about every option for a new rig there is to dream about. However it was Andy T. who was cool beyond belief when he offered me a chance to drive his rig on the demo course. This was a perfect opportunity to see how much interior room is available, how stable the rigs are and how the diesel engine and Atlas transfer case work together.

Once the choice is made it is a only a matter of money, right? Well from Alan at Sportsmobile West I learned some pretty cool things, one was that the rigs are RV's and thus qualify for longer term financing, two they often qualify for a second home tax deduction or in the case of Disabled Explorers as a business expense and lastly as an RV insurance is often cheaper. All of these facts combined help me work out the numbers, for while we will seek out sponsorship from many of the component makers and Sportsmobile West is assisting us, in the end I am personally responsible for covering the project cost.

Part of the fun of working on a custom rig like this is making your choices and then changing your mind. SMB is well versed in this process as can be seen by the number of pre-planned layouts they offer. But even better is their DYO online tool that is very valuable to the disabled community. Because there are so many different mobility issues in the world it really helps to be able to change the floor plan for a wheelchair user or a upper limb amputee or someone who just can't bend over easily. In our case I wanted something that would work across a wide range of users. The front seats will swivel and allow easy transfer from wheelchair The 3rd seat is removable with wheelchair tie-downs so we can secure someone in place who must stay in their chair and the sideways gaucho sofa allows access to the rear of the rig without having to exit. I also opted for a large bay window by the 3rd seat and long windows along the side to allow maximum visibility during trail time.


When it came to the type of roof on the Disabled Explorers Sportsmobile 4x4 Wheelchair Accessible Van (from now on know as the DE SMB 4wd WAV) I was presented with two great options. The penthouse pop up top allows a low profile when driving and plenty of upper sleeping room when camped. However I went with the Voyager fixed top so that someone who needs to stay in their wheelchair would have plenty of headroom, so that we could "stealth camp" much easier and so that if we needed to make a quick road or trail side stop for hygiene there would be no need to attract attention by raising the roof.

[1leglance]

I am very grateful to Aluminess for their support of this project and their willingness to customize the rack to our needs. And for those of you curious why a disabled group would even want a roof rack, well it is a great place to hang some lights, support a solar panel, screw on some antennas and keep the sun off part of our roof here in the brutal desert southwest. Another Aluminess feature that helps the disabled is the cool storage compartments within both bumpers. This is a great place to store recovery gear, has easy to open lockable latches that can be operated with one hand and aren't too high for someone in a wheelchair.

Rigid Industries is another company supporting our cause with their LED lights. These will be installed on the roof rack to provide front, side and rear lighting. While super bright lights look cool, in our case there is a real benefit. Seeing clearly isn't just for baja bashing down the trails, it makes a real difference in preventing suspension damage, busting a tire or missing a turn, all things that could strand a person with mobility issues who can't hike home. The side and rear lights are great for checking the ground before getting out to make sure a wheelchair can get around or there isn't anything to trip up a lower limb amputee.

Speaking of seeing what is going on, we will be transplanting the Total Vision Camera Self Spotting System over to the SMB WAV, it has held up great to my use and abuse. The only real change we are planning is to add a roof rack camera looking down at the passenger side to check clearance for the wheelchair ramp before stopping on a trail. We will continue to have the front and rear bumper cams along with the two axle cams so we can watch what we are rolling over. Running the cameras into the laptop will let us record some cool video for you guys to watch after everything is built.

[1leglance]

Speaking of rolling over things, we will be crawling along nicely thanks to the Atlas II transfer case SMB West installs. One of the features I really like about this setup is that in case of rear axle issues you can shift into front wheel drive only. This is a tremendous advantage for folks who can't walk out of the backcountry and could make the difference between a slow drive home and a rescue.

I wanted to say thanks to Advance Adapters for their help on our build. Even though the Atlas isn't a glamorous bit of hardware that folks will see everyday, it gives me a real sense of relief to know it is there working mile after mile.

Making use of the Atlas transfer case up front will be an ARB air locker. With the size and weight of this rig along with the importance of trying not to get someone in a wheelchair stuck we are very grateful for ARB USA's support. They also make the special order springs and shocks that SMB puts under their 4x4 conversion. I already was a happy owner of the X-Jack and Adventure Light so I am looking forward to having more ARB gear to trust in the great outdoors.

We will also make a unique change to the common SMB setup with the ARB fridge instead of the standard RV style that opens outward. After talking with a number of wheelchair users and folks who can't bend over easily we wanted a solution that was creative and functional. The ARB fridge will give us plenty of cooling power during the wicked desert summers yet not suck our batteries flat doing so.

Even though we have faith in the ARB fridge not to abuse the batteries there is still the laptop, lights, gps, ham radio and so many other electron sucking devices I love so well. Odyssey was my battery of choice for the Continental Divide Expedition and they have never let me down. I was very happy to learn that Enersys was willing to support the project with two of their PC1500 batteries. I have no doubt the will work great regardless of what I throw at them.

[1leglance]

Also from our Continental Divide Expedition we will be continuing our relationship with Overland Journal. These guys created a whole new standard here in the US for what a vehicle focus magazine could be. And really magazine is not a worth descriptor if you have ever held one in your hand and flipped the pages. Large format, amazing pictures, adventurous story telling and product reviews that aren't based on who spends more money on full page advertising.

Another item that we are really looking forward to trying out are the Staun Internal Beadlocks. The idea of not dealing with a busted bead is a huge relief for someone in a wheelchair or an amputee. Even folks who are just getting on in years find changing tires a tough bit of work and since airing down is a fundamental part of off road driving it is important to take away the worry of breaking a bead. Speaking of airing down we will be making good use of Staun's deflators and once back home the Massojet will get all that muck off the rig so we can check for any wear. Believe it or not time spent in the driveway looking for small problems sure beats hours spent on the trail trying to get a fix done well enough to get you home.

There are more cool things in the works, and plenty of pictures to come as things progress. I will go deeper into some of our choices in wheelchair left, power transfer seat base, hand controls, wheels, tires, and more as things develop. Thanks for tracking this project and if you or anyone you know is disabled and lives in the southwest US and would like to venture out on a daytrip or overnight backcountry experience please contact us, that is what this rig is for!

[RevLimit]

Can't wait to see how it develops...my dad could use a rig like that. I'll have to direct him to this site to watch the build.

[1leglance]

Sportsmobile West has built a number of rigs for disabled drivers and works closely with Nor-cal Moblity. That was one of the reasons I completely trust them to pull this project off without a hitch.
If your dad has any questions he can also go to the DE website and contact me or pm here.

[ujoint]

Can't wait to see it!! Gonna be an awesome rig, and you're using all the right gear. I bet you're counting down the days!!

[1leglance]

Counting down the days in a panic
The goal is to debut the rig at SEMA so both my laptop & desktop have a small countdown timer haunting me. 64 days to go...I really should change it to show working days till SEMA but then instead of being an ICU RN I would be a heart attack pt in the ICU

I completely and fully admit that Alan & Jonny at SMB West are hugely responsible for the cool things happening with this project. Without there extra time, phone calls, talking with sponsors, and just the original offer Alan made to help with the project, well this would not have happened.

Signing the loan papers was really tough but having seen the rigs and test driving one at the Overland Expo helped ease my mind.

[Rusty-Ford]

This is totally awesome what you are doing and i can't wait to see the finished product.
As i am sure you will... you have to do some real conditions testing and report back on what you love and what your findings are.

Thanks for your work!