My coach came out to check my cart for me, and she says that replacing the wheels would buy me some more years with my current cart as the rest of the cart is sound, there are just some bolts that need to be tightened here and there due to the shrinking of the wood.
I contacted a couple carriage makers here in Canada and apparently they get their wheels from somewhere in the states, rather than making their own. So I figure I might be better off just buying straight from somewhere in the states and having them brought up to Canada, or even shipping them to the border and driving down to pick them up if it is enough of a difference to hop on the ferry vs having them shipped the rest of the way to me, otherwise I’d just ship straight to me.
My axle is sound, but would it be better to order a new axle with the new wheels regardless? If keeping my existing axle makes more sense then how do I measure it for the new wheels? When measuring for new wheels, does the wheel size include the rubber or is it just the wood measurement? Do I need to order new bearings separately or would they be part of the package of buying a new pair of wheels?
Is there by any chance a source in the states for large diameter steel wheels with solid rubber tires? I’m looking at somewhere in the ball park of 42" (measured without including the rubber). I’d be happy with wood, but I feel like if I can find steel wheels big enough, the longevity factor would be enough to be worth the extra expense. Especially given that there is only one wheelwright in my province and he is likely to retire very soon, so steel wheels might make more sense in that they would need to see a wheelwright less often, saving me from having to send my wheels back east for servicing.
Is there a huge difference between flat vs round solid rubber tires in terms of pullability? Current wheels have narrow, rounded tires, but I have seen flat rubber as an option in some places. My guess would be that flat tires wouldn’t sink into softer footing as easily as narrower rounded ones so might be better for me given that the majority of my driving is in sand/ggt or hogfuel footing.
Who are the best makers to talk to about ordering a pair of wheels?
Thanks again for all the help! I have very few resources since I am one of very few local drivers with a non-VSE or draft. Most people have minis, and then there’s the local carriage tour companies who aren’t typically willing to answer questions about things that aren’t booking a tour.
