What is the value of this cart?

[Fantastic]

Hi. I'm not a driving person, so please bear with me. Sorry if I sound driving illiterate, because I kind of am!! :winkgrin:

Horse sized show cart
Brand: Wilform
Black shiny fancy wood shafts with pin striping
Excellent condition
Wood thingies across the bottom for you feet?
Has a black cover for the wood thingies
Also has the foot holes (if you took the wood off?)
Black leather (or vinyl?) seat fits two people
Bicycle wheels
Always kept in dry storage

Not sure what else to say about it. West Coast location.

[Drive NJ]

These are not the kind of cart I drive or have interest in but . . .
over the years I have heard that they sell - in verygood to excellent used shape - for $1000-$1500
You need to find driving clubs in your area or Morgan or Arab barns that do driving

even Morgan or Arab barns NOT into driving may be able to direct you to the other. Those are more likely where this sort of vehicle would have greater interest that general carriage driving or CDE drivers

Best of Luck

[Fantastic]

Hey thanks for your response! I think it is more of a fine driving cart or would you call it something else? Excellent ideas about contacting breed barns. Could the wheels be changed in to the wood type - if so, how much would it cost? Or is that not done?

[Drive NJ]

Depending on what the axle is, the wheels can be changed to wood
Jerald and other makers have an interchangeable axle for both types of wheels
otherwise you could get a new axle for the wood wheels but its going to cost a couple hundred $$ for the wheels and axle
you would want the wheels to be on hard rubber tires - not steel

the "problem" with this type of cart for just general carriage driving is how low it rides behind the horse. Even with larger wheels you will still sit very low, so many people are not interested except for use in ring driving

the wilform brand does have a following of people who desire it though, so its worth investigating

[Fantastic]

Hey, thanks again! Can you tell me more about the type of axel and how would I know what to look for if I wanted to change the wheels?

[Drive NJ]

I live in the mid-atlantic states adn we are near the Lancaster PA Amish who supply all the carriage parts - wheels, axles, etc

If you were to just replace the wheels and axle you would probably be getting a 1 inch square steel axle with axle stubs to fit short hub ("hubless") roller-bearing wheels

If you have a carriage maker in your area or an Amish community, its easiest to take to them - since you have to decide on the anxle diameter and length as well as type of hub and the wheel size.

Its all going to depend on what the cart size is and how high you are trying to make it

Most of the carts - wilform, jerald etc have 26 inch pneumatic tired wheels. Im not sure how large you can go with wood wheels for this cart

sounds confusing - yes it is!

[Renae]

Painted and with wire spoke wheels and with that brand I assume the cart is older I would say without seeing it that it is worth $500. Natural finish and wooden wheels are more in style and desirable, and thus more valuable at the moment.

You can't change the axles on these two wheeled show ring pleasure carts. The axle is a built in part of the frame of the cart, not a seprate piece on a standard show pleasure driving cart.

Wooden wheels should only be used on these carts if they have solid steel axles. If they have hollow axles, which some older carts do, they are not sturdy enough to handle wooden wheels. You would have to talk to someone with a lot of experience with these types of carts and refurbishing them, such as Terry Bennett, to try to figure out if the cart can handle wooden wheels. The wooden wheels usually used are 30" for horses with these carts.

Also if it has stirrups ("foot thingies") that can be used when you take the basket off ("wood thingies") it may be a style of cart that is designed for using in either pleasure driving classes or roadster classes. This is not common at all anymore and hasn't been a popular option for some time, another clue that the cart is older. Also in which case the wheel may be put on in a fork like a sulky, in shich case only wire spoke pneumatic wheels can be used, wooden wheels are not even an option. Does the wheel slide on to a fixed axle and is it kept on with a chrome "hub cap"? Or does it go between a fork and a long bolt slides through the wheel with a simple nut to keep it in? If the latter type the cart can not be used with wooden wheels for sure.

A pair of wooden wheels is $600-$800. All in all not worth it to upgrade an older painted cart to wooden wheels, in my opinion. Sell the cart to someone who wants to use it at home or as an entry level show cart.

You should confirm if the shafts are 88" or 96". 88" shafts work for Arabs, Morgans and some smaller Saddlebreds and Half-Arabs, where larger Saddlebreds and Half-Arabs need 96" shafts.

[Rayman421]

As an owner of a Wilform show cart - you are probably looking at $800-$1500 depending on size and condition

The wood thingies is your basket and the cover that goes over them is the boot.
The stirrups for your feet are so you can also use it as a road cart or jog cart - in which case the wood thingies (basket) would be removed. More than likely if it has the stirrups it is a closed wheel cart, so you would NOT be able to put wooden wheels on it.

It is a show cart - designed for show ring use only. Not for pleasure driving. You can get away with using them at the lowest level of fun shows (ADS) but really not legal otherwise.