Trail Cart

[mavella]

I am looking at getting this cart
http://www.gscart.com/atcart.htm
although I am planning on getting it first with the pneumatic tires, checking out the ride then getting the steel wheels. I realize there isn't much shock absorbtion here, although he claims the springs under the seat are much better than the frontier I 've been driving. I wondered a couple of things, I kind of wanted a deeper seat, 15" instead
of 12" , also if I plan to do trail, gravel road, logging road driving as well as some cones,and obstacle classes what about the shafts? they are aluminum alloy and they have bend from back to front, but I was wondering about some bend like a gig shaft? Would that be better for turns in close spaces?
Anyone ever given one of these a try?
Thanks!

[Trakehner]

Don't get it...unless you really have a masochistic streak.

Those little bitty bicycle seat springs aren't going to do anything for you. The ride is going to be bad...they're a joke. His cart will ride just as badly as a Frontier cart...except the Frontier's have adjustable seats that slide front & back to keep the weight out of the tugs (of course, as I found out when I mistakenly bought one, I had to do some additional additions to make the cart work-not onerous, just a pain)

I liked the comment: "Specially engineered so the weight is on the axle, not the horse"...well, DUH. where else is a cart's balance going to be concentrated? Unless I don't see it in his photo...just where is the seat adjustable for balancing the cart? His "wood swingletree" isn't a great claim...they use the crappiest and cheapest blade sort of design, a thin thong to hold on the trace...you'll be replacing it with a real one in no time...more hassle.

Get a nice wood cart (or a much better designed and built vehicle)...don't waste your money for $1,000 of tube and bike spring that'll beat you to death. You can get a real cart for less money.

[Cartfall]

If you are looking at that cart for almost 900 bucks, check this one out.

http://www.ahonen.com/training.htm It is only a couple hundred buck more.

Sue Ahonen makes carts for competitive trail distance driving. Her wheel/tires are pneumatic but not bicycle like.

Good luck.

[Drive NJ]

Are you driving a horse or a pony?

I, like a lot of people, had one of this type (not brand) of cart for taking my geriatric horse out for walks. Wheels were replaced with steel that removed pretty much all suspension - you could feel every pebble or uneveness on the road. Very unbalanced and shaft heavy without a lot of adjustment to cart design

Because it was easy to transport we tried it a couple of times with the 'youngster" (over 20 yo) rather than moving the wood cart. It did NOT function well with a horse - too much animal for the construction of the shafts. The wheel caught in small rut, horse turned rapidly and the whole shaft assembly promptly turned into pretzels. To say nothing of the lack of height for the driver to see properly. Lastly, because they are low, shafts tend to be longer, rather than shorter to give the horse room to move.

I'd keep looking for something else.

[Thomas_1]

Looks dreadful.

No suspension at all. Those piddling little springs under the seat are merely a safety hazard. They'll collapse over time and with use and the seat will then tip back.

It claims balanced over the axle but not the case. The weight in the vehicle is all back from the axle and as soon as anyone sits in it then it's going to be further back.

I'm not happy at all about the supportive struts from the shafts down to the footplate. What are they about?? I can see that they're to compensate for inappropriate choice of construction material ..... flimsy shafts!!! But it looks to me from the photo that they've been drilled through to fix the struts and a fixed swingletree fitting. That makes them even more vulnerable to stress and breakage.

Why is the swingletree wood??? Why is it fixed? VERY VERY dodgey!

I think you'd be a heck of a lot better off with a 2nd hand 2 wheeler trap or gig. Much more comfortable and safe.

[Trakehner]

Why is the swingletree wood??? Why is it fixed? VERY VERY dodgey!

The swingletree moves, they just have the straps too tight in the photo...I hate those propellor-blade trees though, really crappy stuff.

Better a good quality used cart than a crap new one.

[Cartfall]

I have to agree with Trahkener on the swivel tree. I changed my sword swivel tree out for a barrel one with hooks. Much safer.

[mavella]

Ok I will keep looking. I have prev owned a Meadowbrook, I hated the rear entry, then I had one of the Oak wood wheel easy entry, it felt heavy and I didn't like the ride, I wanted something front entry, easy to hook and go on my own, and easy to get in and out of with bad knees. I have tried a Bellcrown and liked it except for the 3K price. Any idea's where to look for used carts?

[Cartfall]

If you have not already checked the link I sent youon the trraining cart--look very closely at the suspension system. It is not like the one you originally asked about. The suspension is a spring steel system very much like what most tractors have. The spring is basically a U ---one of the the U is bolted to the bottom of the seat and the other to the framework of the cart-- the top of the U is the amount the seat can move. They are very comfortable.

If Ridesahaffie reads this she can confirm the ride. Beats the little coil springs any day of the week.

Sue Ahonen makes a very nice cart in the price range you are speaking of.

[RidesAHaflinger]

If Ridesahaffie reads this she can confirm the ride. Beats the little coil springs any day of the week.
Sue Ahonen makes a very nice cart in the price range you are speaking of.

Yes, I can definitely confirm this. My Ahonen cart is a very comfortable ride. I've put a lot of trail miles on mine and have even done a couple of schooling HDT's with it. The seat can be moved as needed in order to balance it. The shafts curve upward from the lowered singletree, giving a good line of draft. The wheels are heavy-duty and, yes, they are pneumatic (motorcycle) tires :eek: but there is no comparison between them and the flimsy bike tires with skimpy spokes that you see on so many of the inexpensive carts. Mine have stood up well to a great deal of abuse. :lol: I think you can still buy this cart from Sue Ahonen for under $1K, making it pretty attractive.

[toowoomba2]

I had a crappy metal jog cart that did fine on the terrain you mention.

I'm now going to upgrade to this: https://jeraldsulky.com/cart/agora.cgi?cart_id=6947517.30759*y52rJ8&p_id=00053&xm=on&ppinc=1a

It looks adequate and there's a person on this bulletin board that got one for christmas and loves it.

[Cartfall]

For a beginner cart on flat terrain asin arena those flimsy wheels will hold up fine. I would not drive something like that in the woods for any distance without a spare. Change the wheels out for a more sturdy wheel and tire such as a motorcycle rim and tire then yes they are fine out in the woods.

You can work on them to make them more balanced and comfortable for you and the horse.

See below. http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1295185584057548781tepYIC

[mavella]

I did look at the Ahonen carts and I would have loved the spirit cart, I actually have emailed her about it, but when she quoted nme $550 for shipping that nixed that.
Who or how would someone get the motorcycle wheels? I would actually like to put some on my Frontier cart to get through this year and then if my mare is going well think about a Bellcrown cart for next year.
ALso I saw the Frey Sprint Sport cart on the Colonial Carriage web site, and it looked nice but I really want to see feel a cart in person before I spend that kind of money.

[Thomas_1]

Sorry to do this to you when you're trying to make a decision and starting out ..... but......

I'd personally recommend Bennington over Bellcrown.

[49'er]

There are not a lot of Benningtons in the US. And really rare used. There is only one dealer for them and she is in the Northeast. There are more Bellcrowns. In fact there is one used 4 wheeler for sale in my area.

[RidesAHaflinger]

I did look at the Ahonen carts and I would have loved the spirit cart, I actually have emailed her about it, but when she quoted nme $550 for shipping that nixed that.


Ouch, that's a deal-breaker for sure. :eek: My Spirit cart came to me in boxes via Fed-Ex and Mr. RAH and I put it together in the garage (it was pretty simple). But that was five years ago and shipping was maybe half that. Sometimes you can find someone with space in their truck or trailer to haul a carriage for you for a lot less than a commercial shipper would charge. That's how my marathon carriage (also from Ahonen) got to Florida from MN for a reasonable amount of money. But again, that was a few years back. Shipping a carriage is going to be costly now no matter how you do it.

[Trakehner]

Go local if at all possible.

Check with John Greenall in Vermont...he carries Carriage Machine Shop new stuff.

Think perhaps "road trip" to PA. School Lane Carriage Shop in Gap, PA makes lovely stuff and is a bargain.

Go for wood, not pipe.

[Oldgreymare]

Trakehner,

Does that shop in Gap have a website or any other information? What type of carts do they sell?

[MauryaMarie]

I have one very similar. It has never been on my horse. My trainer took one look at it and said "NO WAY". It sits too low for a horse and the shafts are too big for a mini. If anyone wants to try one, its sitting in Sarasota Fl collecting barn dust.