Sorry to be 'weighing in' late-I have been nearly overwhelmed with the work of caring for my horses and place with the weather here since just after Christmas(volume of snow, drifting of snow, removal of snow, now unbelievable ice in the AMs, mud in the PMs--to do much of anything but collapse in a bone-tired heap at the end of each day....there is no question but that I have to reduce the number of horses I keep this year--I can't continue to do this; it is darn near killing me.
Excuse the whine....as for the Bennington? I REALLY like it, though I don't think it, or any other cart I've seen OR tried(including Bellcrown, which I've driven) is 'perfect'!! It weighs no more than the 110 lbs. that was stated(shipping weight, in its metal 'shipping framework' and shrinkwrap, was 142 lbs., and I can testify that the framework weighs every bit of 30 + lbs., !!) I have no problem at ALL with the "fat" shafts;in fact, I like the ease and range of adjustment - there are three adjustments for the height of the shafts - and the 'goose neck' shape of the shafts - it makes the cart very manueverable. However, it was a bit of a challenge to cut the shafts down to the proper length. I also LOVE the deep(front to back) seat; it is VERY comfortable! And, the seat is wide enough to comfortably accomodate two normal-sized adults, if need be. The Frontiers, and actually, most other carts I've seen, esp. any kind of easy entry(except Bellcrown, which also has a nice deep seat)are very shallow, front to back; such a configuration is to me very tiring and makes the backs of my thighs ache on a drive of any length. There is also plenty of leg room in the Benny-notably more so than in a Frontier or the Frontier 'knockoffs' I've seen. Nowadays, of course, shipping on ANY cart/carriage is apt to be expensive; shipping across the US may well be as expensive as shipping clear across the ocean! The Benny has half elliptical springs, a pretty standard suspension-and the metal wheels are just under 24" diameter. It rides quite comfortably-as well as, if not better than, my Pequea road cart(which is identical to yours, Shari-they were made by brothers!)HOWEVER, I have to add that I have yet to ride in ANY carriage, two wheels or four, that 'glides' over uneven surfaces-and am not at all sure that it is really possible, so you should be prepared to be realistic about the quality of the ride of any vehicle, Shari. Certainly better suspensioned vehicles 'buffer' the bumps better than the likes of a coil-springed Frontier(the hydraulic suspension of the 'Eazy Rider' carts, which look much like Frontiers, as they started out as a Frontier 'knockoff, is supposed to be their big 'selling point'-but they still have some of the Frontiers' other drawbacks, like the shallow seat and basket, IMO....so....as I said before, I don't believe ANY of them are truly as 'perfect' as their builders might like us to think!!) I like the Benny's 'high' seating position, but will concede that it is a pretty good step up into the basket-the biggest drawback to the Benny, IMO. I do think that the Benny is really best for 34-40" horses; though it can be used for smaller horses, it is better proportioned to the size range I mentioned, IMO. I have driven it almost exclusively to my 38" mare; have hooked it only once to one of my 34"horses-who had no problem pulling it on a trail which goes both up and downhill. I will tell you that there were a couple of 'quality control' issues with my Benny that weren't taken seriously by either the US dealer or Bennington UK-most were relatively minor, and I was able to deal with them myself, but I ended up not very satisfied with their customer service attitude. The price, about 15 months ago, wasn't cheap, but was comparable with some of the products Leia mentioned-and was several hundred less than the price of the new Pacific.
The "Fun Bug" isn't made in a size for minis; like others, I don't think I'd want one. Pacific, as yet, at least, doesn't make a 4 wheel for minis. I have a Glinkowski 4 wheeler, and I DO like it! I got the "Mini Mix" marathon style, not the wagonette style. It came with both a pair pole and my choice of shafts for a single; however, I don't think I would ask anything under 38" to pull it as a single, and am not sure even one that size would be comfortable pulling it. I have not actually tried hooking it to a single - not sure I will ever try, as I really got it as a pair vehicle. BTW, I am 99% certain that either Glinkowski, or the American dealer for same, told me that Hartland is just the name for the British dealer for Glinkowski, so they actually built Wally's lovely new mini wagonette....in fact, just recently I read that something like 90% of carriages made on the European continent are made within a certain area of Poland...no matter what the 'brand name'!
Having driven both the Bellcrown and the Bennington, I would incorporate features of both into my "ideal" mini EE vehicle, I think! Pacific has an excellent reputation, and I'm sure will also be a quite satisfactory vehicle, albeit pricey, IMO. I am quite satisfied, however, with my Bennington as a tough, well-built, and comfortable vehicle that suits my needs.
FWIW.....
Falling over with fatigue-goodnight, all!
Margo
