I think I'm finally ready for my first cart!

[LowriseMinis]

And yes, it needs to be cheap.

I've been keeping an eye out locally for anything used but I'm not having much luck.

Does anyone have any ideas where to find a decent quality easy entry that would come in around $500, shipping included? There's obviously cheap stuff on eBay, but I'm hesitant to go that route unless someone can recommend a seller to me. I found this one that looks nice, but I don't know anything about the sellers.

 

[lilnickers]

I haven't bought my first cart yet, but have been checking them out, too. Double TT Minis and Kay's Mini Farm both carry real nice-looking carts and I have heard good things about them both. (Their carts have the wooden shafts and have good suspension ) and they are very reasonably priced, I believe around $500 total. Try doing a Google search for both websites. Good luck

Karin

 

[Rebecca]

If you want just a nice, basic easy entry cart, I got a very nice one through Ebay!

It was between $200-$300, which is really cheap, and came brand new, never used or taken from a box right from the store, it also had adjustable shafts. I had to assemble it but with help from my mechanically-skilled brothers, it only took an hour!

 

[LowriseMinis]

Oh, I like both of those. Thanks for the links!

 

[LowriseMinis]

New Mini Owner-do you remember the name of the seller? Do they have a 'store', or was it just an individual selling a cart?

 

[Charlene]

got mine at Frontier Trading Post. very reasonably priced and VERY nice cart!

http://easyentrycart.com/products/minicarts/

if you click on the small picture, that's the one i ordered.

 

[Katiean]

I bought my EE cart off ebay and got it cheap. It too was brand new. I used it about 3 times and the wheel bearings went out. You get what you pay for. If I would have had to buy the bearings which were hard to find they would have cost me $80 plus shipping. It turned out that my mother was working at a printing plant and they used the size of bearings I needed and they gave her 4 of them (2 per wheel). I would suggest though that if you can not store your cart in a totally dry place I would get the metal shafts. My show cart is stored in my horse trailer and my EE cart and farm wagon are stored infront of my rabbit cages which is a problem at feeding time.

 

[LowriseMinis]

I think if I can build a little ramp, the cart will probably be stored in the tack room, so it should be safe and dry.

And it's NEXT to the rabbitry, so we should still be able to feed without issue.

 

[JourneysEnd]

Do NOT try to cheap out on a cart. If the welds don't hold you'll find yourself on the horse's hiney.

Ask Al B about that.

You can get a good cart around $500. Be careful with Ebay.

Check out this site.

http://www.minitack.com/feecmp.htm

Remember, it's your A that's gonna hit the ground if the cart fails.

Good Luck

Vickie

 

[LowriseMinis]

Does anyone have any opinions on wood vs. metal shafts? I've had people tell me wood is safer than metal, metal is safer than wood, and so on. I know I like the look of the wood better, but are there any major concerns?

Also, how hot does that blank vinyl seat get? Are the other colors any cooler? I know I won't be driving in the worst heat, but I keep looking at the seat and thinking of our 110+ degree summers.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I would be concerned about proper balance with an inexpensive cart. If it is not balanced properly, it will be hard on your horse. You will probably be driving for a long time and "cheap" cart might be a false economy.

 

[JourneysEnd]

If you can find a good one with wooden shafts, that's what I'd get.

Having seen wrecks with metal shafts (which bend or brake) and wooden shafts which don't, I prefer wooden.

That's just MHO

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Sort of like the "leather harness is better because it breaks" debate, I have to admit I'd rather my metal shafts bent then the horse get injured because they didn't. Frankly both wood and metal shafts have their advantages though and it's really up to your personal preferences. If you like wood, get wood! It'll be fine and less likely to burn your hand in the summer.

As for hot vinyl seats, don't worry about it. A) If you're driving in short shorts, you're nuts, and B) you can always make a cloth seat cover for it.

Leia

 

[LowriseMinis]

I'm already envisioning a 'pimp my cart' thread...custom seat covers, pin-striping, cup holders, perhaps some speakers and a battery pack...

 

[JourneysEnd]

Leia, I've had my hands on a Pacific Smart Cart, I'm betting those metal shafts aren't going to bend or break.

I was talking about the less expensive carts with the hollow tube steel. I had a client have a minor accident with one of those and the shaft broke and went into the horse's leg. He won't be driving anymore.

I'm sure the wooden ones will break in a bad enough accident, I just haven't heard or witnessed one yet.

I've also seen way too many people have a minor wreck with the cheaper steel shafts and then bend them back straight and continue to use the cart. Scary, huh.

It is personal preference. When I started driving I felt the vibration was less with the wood than the steel. I find It's the same between wood and the better steel carts though (as in the smart cart, etc.)

There is no perfect cart. It's like picking the perfect feed.

As for vinyl seat, don't polish them prior to driving

Just thow a towel on them in the summer.

 

[mgranch]

www.kayjayfarm.com Check out these carts!! All wood and gorgeous!! I own two and they are amazing!! Melissa is the best and you won't beat her price!! Give her a call!!

 

[Kathy2m]

My first cart was a Frontier EE, It has held up very well. It came in just under 500.00 w/shipping. For the money most people agree its a good starter cart. I live in Fl. and the seat doesnt get that hot, but you do sweat and stick to it I made seat covers for mine but like someone else said you can put a towel over it. Silver Penney farms makes a beautiful wood cart that I have heard lots of nice things about, but they are up in the 800.00 range. Kathy

 

[Minimor]

I was talking about the less expensive carts with the hollow tube steel. I had a client have a minor accident with one of those and the shaft broke and went into the horse's leg. He won't be driving anymore. I'm sure the wooden ones will break in a bad enough accident, I just haven't heard or witnessed one yet.

The thing is, wooden shafts can, and do, break as well--you see, I do know someone that had a wreck, the wooden shafts broke and one went into the horses abdomen.

Our carts have always been the homemade ones (and I was fortunate to have good, well made "homemade" carts--some are poorly made/poorly balanced/too heavy) with the shafts made of square steel tubing--I was always confident that those shafts would bend but not break in a wreck. Because my Mini EE cart wasn't quite big enough for my bigger B horses I sold it and now have the EE cart from Ozark Mtn (the one in the link someone posted earlier). I'm very pleased with this cart--it's lightweight & pulls nice, is easy to balance properly and seems to be holding up well to use--but I do realize that the light metal shafts on it (just like any of the metal EE carts on the markets) are not as strong as those square tube ones on my earlier carts.

The shafts on my Smart Carts are much stronger, for sure, but then the price reflects that too.

I would say that the choice of metal or wooden shafts on the ordinary EE style carts is entirely a matter of preference. Some people prefer one, others choose the other. Is one safter than the other? I rather have my doubts.

 

[Carriage]

When we started years ago we purposely chose steel over wood for a variety of reasons. Square tubing on the shafts specifically gives one the ability to have good strength in lateral and vertacle directions and get away with lighter wall tubing to maintain a "prudent" amount of flex. How the materials are put together AND what they are made of DO make all the difference.

I distinctly remember when we got started that breakage of wooden shafts was very much part of the fabric of cart psyche at that time and to come near a persons cart with wooden shafts on the ground made the cart owner VERY protective and nervous. Wood shaft breakage and impalement was very real in most drivers minds. While it certainly wasn't an everyday occurance it didn't take very many "occurances" to make folk mindful of the possibility.

Always looking to promote an edge in our products, I would go over to our rig and start jumping up and down with all my weight on both shafts and then only one shaft.

I will take bending over breaking any day of the week. If everything has been designed properly with enough flex and give in the right area's, you will be left with replacing what should be by far the cheapest part of the cart "frame-works" to replace. Proper strength design ie. not too weak but ALSO not too strong will help prevent worse injury (both horse and human) in a wreck. It should also be able to mostly isolate the damage to that one part. Knock on wood (that's the only thing we use wood for) "and to my knowledge" we have never had a shaft set break (as in two pieces from one). We have had them bend irreperably but not break. Replacement of the bent part should always be the course of correction as a permanent (and un-engineered) stress riser has been introduced and failure due to this weakness is usually just a mater of time and sufficient stress.

Just my two cents (which is now worth a tenth of a penny...)

Bb

Graham Carriage Works

 

[joylee123]

[SIZE=12pt]I'd recommend a frontier easy enty. They are a good solid cart and can be used at local shows too. The nice thing about theses carts is after years of use, after they become rough looking, you can sand them down, repaint with a primer and black spray paint and they look new. Also you can purchase new seats and single trees ect... So they basically last forever

[/SIZE]

Joy