Virtually all mobility products have a specification indicating the maximum weight capacity of the item. A common question we receive is how to interpret this spec. Let us point out a few things to keep in mind when choosing a rollator or wheelchair.

The weight capacity includes the total weight exerted or placed on the product. If a person siting in a transport chair weighs 200 pounds and is wearing a winter coat weighing 8 pounds, the total weight exerted is 208 lbs.

In addition to clothing, one must consider the possibility that they will sometimes carry packages with them. This alone can add 30+ pounds to the overall weight exerted on the wheelchair.

When it comes to walking aids such as walkers and rollators there is another factor to determine as well. It is possible for person weighing 125 pounds to exert more strain on a walker than another person weighing 175 lbs. It depends on how much pressure that person exerts on the walker when they push it.

One more point that I would like to mention is that a wheelchair or rollator operating at its limits can easily be damaged should it hit a really bad rut or crack. The total strain exerted at that moment would be much greater than during normal use.

So the short answer is that the listed weight capacity is not to be taken as a literal figure, but an approximation. My recommendation to customers is to purchase a product with a maximum capacity considerably higher than the intended usage. Someone who weighs 275 pounds, for example, should probably be purchasing a bariatric wheelchair or rollator, even if the standard version lists 300 pounds as its capacity.