The Braun Vangater II has 6 operations:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Unfold - unfolds the tri-folded lift
Deploy - lowers the lift from vertical to horizontal position
Down - lowers the lift (typically with the wheelchair) to ground level
Up - raises the lift (typically with the wheelchair) to van floor level
Stow - raises the lift from the horizontal to vertical position
Fold - folds the lift for compact storage
Not having the Model-Series-Serial number it is difficult to say with absolute
certainty, but my bet is that the fold potentiometer needs adjustment. The lift
incorporates a feature that allows it to detect weight on the platform. Obviously this
is so that the lift will not fold with someone sitting in their wheelchair or standing on
the platform. As the weather gets colder the operation of all functions become, at
least, slightly more labored. This can be interpreted by the lift as weight on the
platform; therefore it stops, as it should
I interpreted "fold" to mean "stow". Now I was off to hunt for the appropriate
potentiometer.
The circuit board on the Vangater II is under the plastic housing for the lift controls.
That housing is removed by removing 6 screws (pretty obvious).
The circuit board has two obvious potentiometers on the left side. The upper one is
labeled "Barrier" and the lower one is labeled "Lift".
First I confirmed the problem was present with the ambient temperature of 32
degrees fahrenheit.
I rotated the potentiometer labeled "Lift" about 15 degrees clockwise. That made the
problem worse. The stow operation stopped with the lift just a few degrees from
horizontal.
I then rotated that potentiometer about 30 degrees counterclockwise (that is, to
about 15 degrees counterclockwise from its original position). Low and behold, the
lift stowed properly. I tested it several times and it worked fine. This is the first time
the lift has stowed at 32 degrees fahrenheit out of over 100 attempts during the last
year.