Pony Batmobile Weight *Last update*

[KellyS]

Hey there! Could someone tell me what the weight is on the WCC Batmobile Pony 140? Your thoughts on how it fits a 14.1 pony? Any other thoughts on appropriate carriages? Kutzman?

Thanks! :)

[horseyfolks]

Kelly.... I am familiar with both carriages. Sam has driven Kutzman and the Batmobile. It is not really fair to compare the two carriages heads up, as they are apples and oranges.

The Kutzman carriages are basically entry level vehicles and priced accordingly. This is not to say there is anything wrong with them. They have developed into dependable, affordable vehicles. I never actually weighed Sam's Fox so I can't tell you the actual weight. Shelly was Sam's first carriage sponsor, in fact, Sam's Kutzman (a Fox) was sold to a friend of ours and she loves it. She drives it to a 14 hh Haflinger pony, competes in prelim single pony, and has had absolutely no problems with the carriage since she bought it (about 2 years ago). I sold a FeelX to another CDE'er here in Florida and once again they love the carriage.

In the beginning there was a problem getting parts and accessories that were promised and/or ordered but that seems to be a thing of the past. When we were involved with Kutzman the paint was not power coated. This allowed the paint to crack and eventually rust would form at the cracks. I believe this has been corrected.

Sam is currently sponsored by WCC and drives the newest model Batmobile 140. The 140 is roughly twice the money of the Kutzman but is a lot of vehicle. Sam's 140 weighes 312 pounds including shafts, seats, and all equipment. That was weighed on the carriage scales at the Laurels. I also double checked the new one at my local truck stop. The new ones have 4 wheel disc brakes with a single pedal, auto adjusting shafts, foot controlled hydraulic 5th wheel brake, Stainless bumpers, adjustable 'gator hand rails, and all the other things that can run up the price of a carriage.

Sam drives her 140 with AJ, a 13.1 hh Haflinger, and also Boo, her 14.2 hh Welsh Cob. Both ponies do well with the vehicle and it fits them both. I can send you some photos of both ponies pulling the 140 if you would like them for comparison.

Both vehicles do what they are designed to do. I think what an individual can do with these vehicles and how high a level he/she wants to compete at with them depends completely on the individual.

Don

[Ashemont]

As an owner of a Batmobile 130, and a Kutzmann Fox and a Kutzmann Feel-X I'd like to chime in.

First, I don't think the Kutzmann is an entry level vehicle. I mean, it could be because of the price, but certainly not because of the quality. We've had our Feel-X for over 2 years and it's seen lots of use as it's done double-duty: as a horse single and as a pony pair. And in fact we bought the Kutzmann Feel-X on Don's and Sammi's recommendation. We were so pleased with its performance compared to other vehicles that we bought the Fox for exclusive use with the pony pair. I used it in my first competition yesterday and have absolutely no complaints.

Now I do like my Batmobile but I can't see where the difference in cost is justified. If money is not a concern then it's a great vehicle. But if price is part of the equation then I don't think you can beat a Kutzmann.

As far as weight, that's comparable on the smiliar carriages made by each company so not an issue.

[KellyS]

Thanks so much! Yes, the price is definitely part of the equation; but I think that's the case for many out there. A friend of ours got a Kutzman last summer and really likes it. I was curious about the Batmobiles just for comparison. If there was a big difference in performance between the Kutzmans/Batmobiles, it's always worth considering whether it's worth paying a bit more.

We are a bit away from actually getting something; we knew last fall that we'd need to eventually replace our original marathon carriage. We've found that our current 315-pound carriage might be too light for the 14.1 pony...first time we've had that problem. We'll have to get a weight on the Kutzman and perhaps try out our friend's.

Thanks again for the feedback. Any other suggestions of carriage manufacturers? Geez, this is like doing research to buy a car. :)

[friesian4me]

New Pony? oohhh tell all.

[KellyS]

New Pony? oohhh tell all.

:lol: Yup...we can't seem to help ourselves when it comes to ponies.

Actually, after hearing about Merlin, Sara Schmitt gave us one of her ponies. He was too small for her pair and needed a home. It was so incredibly nice of her!

Dutch is a hackney cross pony; very cute and has a great personality. We're bringing him along slowly (mainly due to the very wintery weather we've had up here), and we'll see if he'd like to eventually be a CDE pony. :)

Dutch (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015501&id=1059684218&l=b7eff)

Well, and then there's my new pair (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=328952&l=f6d78&id=1059684218), but I thought it would be more fun to have a troika. It started out a bit ass backwards (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=328953&l=e0b72&id=1059684218), but then we had success (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=328959&l=8f0a3&id=1059684218). :D Rally (the bay roan colt) is my baby! He's a Welsh/TB cross and the cutest (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=325989&l=40049&id=1059684218) thing in the world!

[friesian4me]

Congratulations! enjoy your new pony and baby! Love the pics. I can't believe you keep your manes pulled over the winter. I feel like such a slouch.

[KellyS]

So we are kind of narrowing our search down. :) Looking at an 06 WCC Batmobile (pony, about 306 lbs); and considering the Bobcat II/III (New England Carriage Imports, waiting to hear back on weight) and a Pacific Dartmoor (pony, about 330 lbs). I've also received some other emails about carriages for sale and going through those now.

Any thoughts/experience on the Bobcats or Dartmoors? Also, does anyone know offhand which size Kuhnle is appropriate for a large pony (147?) and what the weight is (just trying to get an idea for comparing)?

And friesian4me, you made me laugh! I am kind of OCD about manes. I'm slowly getting Dutch's pulled--he had such a long mane, but I just can't deal with long manes. :) The old man (big gray horse) likes getting his mane done the most. He's retired and I think he feels a bit left out some days because the ponies get all the attention. Aaron and I were talking about the impending spring weather yesterday, which means body clipping the hairy ass! Now that is a rodeo! :lol:

[nickers]

I asked my coach about the Dartmoor a few years ago, and she told me that there isn't a lot of footroom on the backstep - she hated gatoring for the client she had that had one.

The pony size Khunle is the 147 (for 13-14hh ponies) and if I'm not mistaken, the 147 refers to the weight in kg, so it would be about 324lbs. I've had the opportunity to drive one and it is sweet!

I can't speak for the newer batmobiles, but my friend's older horse size one isn't the nicest ride. It would be good if you could go for a ride on a few to test out the feel.

[LexInVA]

Unless it has Atomic Batteries, it's just not a Batmobile. :D

[KellyS]

Thanks Nickers! That's the hard thing about looking at carriages long distance. The feedback heps a lot.

You know...Aaron and I were at the grocery store last night, and while we were shopping we were talking about carriages (haha...can't take the horse out of horse people). I noticed this lady giving us the strangest looks...and realized that when your conversation revolves around "batmobiles," "bobcats," and "how it rides," others might have a hard time figuring out what you are talking about. :lol:

[Ashemont]

I can only say that my Batmobile rides SUPER! Never had a wheel come up and it's always been extremely stable no matter what the terrain. Same for my Kutzmann's :) Although the ride in my Fox is softer than either of the other two carriages :D

Hey, you should see the strange looks you get when you're a BREEDER and are just chatting out in public!!! :uhoh:

[horseyfolks]

Kelly... I think a lot depends on what your main use of the vehicle will be as to "how it rides". Sam drove an '06 Bat a lot. She won the marathon in her class at the Laurels, Bromont, Live Oak, and Katydid in an '06. I can not say she "never had a wheel come up" nor can I say the Bat has the softest ride. However, a comfortable soft ride is not necessarily a good thing on a primarily used for serious competition vehicle.

I know next to nothing about the Bobcats.... I don't think I have seen anyone with one yet. The Bat has only a single seat so for recreational driving passengers by necessity have to stand on the step. On the other hand the ride on a Bat is completely different with or without a gator. Without someone on the back the suspension does not load up the way it is engineered to do and it feels completely different to the driver. The braking system is a lot less efficient without weight on the step as well.

If you would like to try a Bat Sam will be at Sunshine, Live Oak, Garden State, and Bromont if you are planning on attending any of those.....

Don

[nickers]

Kelly, I just sent you a PM. There's a Khunle 147 for sale on the ADS website

[KellyS]

Thanks so much Nickers! I hadn't seen that. I posted on the CD-L on Friday that we were starting to look for a pony marathon carriage and the response was overwhelming! If anyone else is looking, I'd be happy to pass information along.

For us, we are looking for something that we can use at Advanced eventually. The nice thing is that since we already have our current marathon carriage, whatever we get next will mainly be a competition vehicle, not used day in and day out. Ride is not a big issue...most of the time, once you have someone of the backstep, things are fine; stability is, however, of upmost importance, but I haven't heard that this is an issue with any of the carriages we are looking at.

My yearling should grow up to be around 14.1/14.2, so what we get now will work not only for Dutch, but also Rally eventually. :)

I have to say that despite some of the bad rap the Bellcrowns have gotten here in the past, that ours has been pretty great. We got it in 2003 for our 11.3 hand pony, then added larger wheels in 06 to fit Merlin (he's 13.2). Aaron had one freak wreck with it in 06 and when I saw it afterwards I didn't think we'd ever be able to use it again. However, his dad works in the steel fabrication and was able to make us new shafts, reinforce the frame, and straighten the wheel that was torqued. Aaron rebuilt the top half (seat).

Every CDE we've been to in the past 2 years, we've said--if we come off marathon and feel like the carriage has held us back, we'd get another one. But that thing just keeps going and going...never had problems with stability, always a great ride. Not the "coolest" looking carriage out there, but, hey, it worked! But, it really is too small for a large pony, and it's time to retire it to "at home" use.

At this point, our search is narrowed down pretty much to the following carriages:
- Kuhnle (if we can find something used that isn't too expensive)
- WCC Batmobile (used, older style)
- Kutzmann (new)
- Bobcat (new, may be too heavy)

Continued comments are much appreciated. :)

[KellyS]

Well, it looks like it's going to work out to buy a Kuhnle 147. :) Thank you so much for all your input and comments; it was extremely helpful in the decision-making process.

I received quite a bit of information about pony carriages for sale. If anyone else is looking, please let me know and I'll send you all the information I have. The CD-L was a great resource in this regard.

Happy weekend!

[leegn]

Why would anyone need that much velcro? These guys sell it by the roll http://www.liangdianup.com/miscellaneous_1.htm and is
hook and look and velcro the same thing?

[Thomas_1]

The kuhlne IMO, is far and away the most preferable out of those 3.