Picking the right cart

[SLW]

I passed on the Kingston cart when someone shared her thoughts on the one she had with me back in early 2015. “I have two carts, one is a Kingston, the other is a cart made by the amish locally (Ohio). When I compare the two, the Kingston cart just seems more cheaply made and not quite as sturdy as the Amish made cart. The shafts are two piece shafts, the screw that holds them together broke in half within just a few months of buying the cart, it is stuck in the shaft right now and I will probably have to take it to a machine shop to get the screw drilled out. I appreciate that they have a lot of various options for wheels and such and when we got mine, it was the heavier duty with the heavy duty wheels and pneumatic tires. The Kingston cart is an ok low level easy entry, it’s certainly better than the mass produced or foreign made carts, but my next cart will probably be from the local Amish as the prices are similar (no shipping for us though) and the quality just seems very superior and they have options for suspension for a smoother ride which Kingston does not appear to have.”

I had two Silver Penny Farm wooden carts- one was an easy entry style and the other was the Show/Pleasure cart- that I used with my mini’s. They are lovely, sturdy, well made carts and as someone pointed out, the wooden carts often do not break down for transport. My mini carts did not.

On the advice of the poster who’s remarks I shared here I went with the Fairview Country Sale metal/pipe cart for my 12.2 donkey and I have been very pleased with it. The shafts do come off easily for transport and Fairview sells the parts you need to get the seat height correct if the standard height isn’t correct for your horse/pony. I bought both wooden wheels and off road wheels for my cart and they are easy to swap out. I will also add that Fairview packaging for shipping was excellent. The cart arrived crated and well wrapped with no damage to the cart.

[goodhors]

Ahonen is a good brand name for carts, has been in business for quite a while. Vehicles are quality and come with various options as shown on their website photos. Those cast spoked wheels with motorcycle tires are quite popular for what we call “trail driving” of old farm lanes, wooded routes, and add to the ride comfort.

I have only heard good things about Ahonen vehicles, with owners really enjoying using them. Not many come up for sale, they go from owner to owner without advertising, but sometimes you can locate a used one.

[rugbygirl]

Cloverbar carriage sells a nicer training cart than the one you linked. It’s not fancy…I’m jealous of the Freys. …but for my own pleasure driving, it’s very adequate and I picked mine up for 900. The welds are good, the steel a decent weight. Suspension only on the seat…but the tires help. You can also get skis to make it a sled. The seat is reasonably comfy. I’m letting this be the cart that I beat up around the farm and trting things out. I’m saving for a Frey

Mine’s the horse size, I had to widen the shafts for my fat draft cross. But she’s REALLY big. Decent visibility and reasonably balanced.

[red_mares]

[QUOTE=CERT;8996786]

The only real downside to the wood carts is that they don’t really break down for easy transport. Being able to remove the shafts and in some cases the wheels reasonably easily is a great feature on the metal carts that allows you to go more places with horse and cart. If you just plan on driving on and around home it isn’t so much of a deal.
.[/QUOTE]

It’s really not much of an issue. With the basket off of my wood bike, it fits easily on the top of any car or truck. They make brackets so they can be hauled on the back of trailer.

I think one of my carts has logged more miles on top of a car than it has behind a horse.

[2tempe]

OP - the black “travelers cart” that you posted is way too tall. Skip that concept. I like the easy entry wooden cart idea. Meadowbrooks are somewhat similar in size/structure, but I never liked the entry/exit set up in those - have to flip the one seat.

It will be helpful to get info from Zu Zu. I will add that I drove one of those little metal things for a couple months. It is hard to see because you aren’t high enough. The tires are a pain. Most importantly, if something goes awry a horse can literally fling it around in short order. I know this from personal experience. And the cart did not survive the event.

[Zu_Zu]

Carrie94 did you receive my pm ?

[Carrie94]

Hi Zu Zu - I did but was unable to respond because your inbox was full? Or something like that.

[Zu_Zu]

Ok try again please pm

i think I cleared a spot in my clogged mailbox

[Lily_Joe]

First you kept in mind that how much you spent on horse carts. Then better you went in market and then check there what is available for you

[Trakehner]

Please search and read past forum questions about carts…this is a pretty common topic.

There are a few items you want to think of:
Comfort…for you, good seat/back rest and how much leg room do you have?
Comfort…for horse, does the cart balance in the tugs, or is the girth going to be always pulling into your horse’s belly or pushing down on the saddle?
Safety…NO WIRE WHEELS! Wire wheels are not made for side loads.
Cost…cheap is expensive and not safe. Don’t but junk, and if you don’t like it, you can’t get rid of it. Think of riding, better a good used quality saddle than an Indian piece of crap.