I have steel wheels with hard rubber on both an Alpine and a Frontier and love them.....the pneumatic tires just don't last. The steel wheels are a bit heavier but not my much......and accepted for cde/adt and most shows.......from what i have been told. Also have a Houghton cart with black wood wheels and it looks nice too.....yes they do pull a bit harder in mud or nonpacked ground but still like them.
BBH - can you post pictures of yours? Where did you get the steel wheels for your EE carts and did you have to do any modifications on the axles?
I'm getting the heavier duty spoked wheel from Fairview Country Manufacturing in Millersburg, OH with the solid <hard> rubber, no air, insert on some of mine now. So far my regular spoked wheels have held up w/ the driving we do, but not the innertubes or tires (even the heavier duty ones from a local mountain bike shop only last one drive when we are out on trails here in NC - come back w/ punctures that are slow leaks but hard to repair!). Even "tore" one of the tires once - not even sure where on that drive, LOL. We didn't go thru any close up thickets or get caught in any trees, that time!
Overall, the best tires we've had have been the type on farm equipment. I guess if we ever have to replace them - they are regular car or tractor tires. The set on my wagon are VW tires - 14" (with VW hubcaps) and the pair on my forecart (Hafflinger sized) are 13" like a small car but approx 6" wide - need to measure them. Have had the wagon for 2 years now - sits outside in the weather a lot, but not always. Don't know when the tires were put on it or how long the previous owner had it. The forecart has been here since January and has been used/hooked about 35 times total - at home and out on the trails.
I have had tires go flat while in storage and both the rubber outer tire sidewalls and the innertubes get damaged (er - ok, I've also left them on the cart - not the wisest choice!). I have gone long times in between driving when didn't have ponies/horses that were driving or decent harness options. Have had my sulky cart since 1997(very used then). I pick it up next week in Millersburg, OH - it went to get refurbished and should look like a new cart when I pick it up (all new wood shafts, both straight & curved bar, new singletree and new wheels). I think I also had the seat redone, but honestly can't remember - I can't WAIT to see it!! Total cost - less than a new cart (didn't get the total after having the tires switched out - close to $500, I think w/ that). When I talked to a Jerald rep - it would have cost $300 - PER SHAFT! The shafts are longer - my one mistake - I should have had them shortened when I had the cart redone - but completely forgot about it until too late. I can use it with the longer shafts and then w/ larger tires can still use it to start larger ponies that fit between the shafts.
This is what it looked like in 2010. This was one month before this mare's "meltdown" that included 3 bucks. She broke the circle bar and damaged one shaft and the straight bar in front of Madira's shins. There have been times I've replaced innertubes in these tires 2x in one week when trail driving! Pain in the "arse"...
And here is the cart that will be getting new wheels next week (and maybe some other work? - we'll see what they can do with it - metal shafts are bent uneven, no singletree...Might see if they can either do new metal shafts for me OR preferably wood shafts. May have to stay in OH for a bit...). It's smaller, has shorter shafts, no name brand that is HEAVIER than the larger EE cart I traded to my driving freind because it fit this little mare better than it fit hers...
