New Zealand Design

Unit 5/1 Hamatana Road,  Snells Beach 0920      Ph: 09 425 6431   Fax: 09 425 6491

Media Coverage for Lowatowa Trailer

The following article covered our trailer in our local community Newspaper Bill Manning of Snells Beach thinks all his Christmases have come at once now he has a LowaTowa to help him get around. The world’s his oyster With a flick of a switch, Bill Manning, 84, of Snells Beach, can lower his specially designed trailer, drive his mobility scooter aboard, raise the trailer again and head for the destination of his choice. The LowaTowa trailer is a prototype of a trailer designed by Snells Beach Encon Engineering Concepts Ltd owner Roger Grant, and is believed to be unique in New Zealand and even internationally. The trailer will be launched at the 50s Plus Lifestyle Show in Auckland this month. For his birthday in March, Bill and Gill Manning bought an Invacare mobility scooter for Bill, whose mobility is so reduced he needs a walker around the home. They then went for all the trimmings, with a storm cover for their wedding anniversary. "It was lovely for Bill getting around Snells Beach, but then we thought how nice it would be if we could also do Matakana and Warkworth," Gill says. "So we approached Roger who said he’d make us a specially designed trailer to take the scooter." The Mannings have a wheelchair, which folds up, but is heavy to pick up and put in the car boot. Also they found scooters, which are supplied in some malls such as Westfield, are not permitted outside the mall, allowing only for shopping in that mall. Roger made the trailer from scratch, taking a couple of months to refine the design. "Now we can go to Albany and do all the shops," Gill says. "We are over the moon with the independence this trailer has given us. It’s real Kiwi ingenuity." Roger says the trailer, which lowers pneumatically, is much safer than trying to negotiate a ramp on a scooter or wheelchair. He has been involved in trailer design for years, but for this one really had to look 'outside the square'. With the scooter able to travel at 16km per hour and cover up to 50 kms a day, the world is Bill’s oyster. "All we have to do for parking is find a double park, so the trailer can fit too, and then Bill can manage on his own," Gill says. Already, after only two weeks, the couple has 'done' Albany, Middlemore Hospital and Pakuranga. Matakana is next. A bonus is that the parked trailer is a very secure home for Bill’s expensive scooter. It rests on the ground when not in use, so cannot be towed away. "We'd like to thank Roger for all his effort in developing this trailer," Gill says. "We couldn't be more pleased with his enthusiasm." Info: Roger on 425 6431. Article courtesy of Mahurangi Matters October 2008