Aerocrown club members

[drivin*me*buggy]

I am really thinking about getting an Aerocrown. Those of you that have them can you tell me about the wheel width? Are they wider than wooden wheels? Dig in less?

I am short... and although it sounds weird of me to say, after driving in my Pequea cart I am feeling like my posture isn't the greatest but also that I could use a bit more leg room so I could sit up taller. After looking back at Adair's pix driving her Aerocrown it looks like there is a little more room like what I am looking for.

I won't make a decision until after this clinic in 2 weeks, but then may offer my Pequea up for sale to put towards an Aerocrown. I'd love to be able to go see one in person before I buy....maybe someone at the Orelton show will have one...

Angie

 

[shorthorsemom]

Hi Angie, I am 4'11 inches. I fit fine in my aerocrown standard seat height. Plenty of leg room for me to stretch my legs out forward. I have the seat adjusted so the cart becomes weightless with me in it. There are several sets of holes to move the seat back and forth. I considered getting a lowered seat because in the mini bellcrown I couldn't touch the floor all the way, but the aerocrown seems fine at standard height because the seat pad is deeper on the minibellcrown than on the aerocrown.

The seat pad is removable on the aerocrown (on mine with the high back seat choice)...and you can take off the floor and put in stirrups for less weight and drag. You can get a custom lower seat or have the floor raised for the same price but it is special order and takes a couple of weeks to come in.

The weels are wider than my meadowbrook, dig in MUCH less and I can go out in less than perfect ground conditions without rutting everything up like in my meadowbrook. I can measure the wheel width if you need an exact number, but they do seem to be flat and wide rubber and they go great over any ground for me. Nice wheels is one of the bonus features IMO. I may have enjoyed the larger wheels but was trying to keep my price down, they cost extra, but custom colored wheels are the same price as black in the 26 inch height.

 

[ClickMini]

I agree with the above poster. I had a Meadowbrook that had similar wheels to your Pequa, and those were pretty narrow and dug in. The wheels on both the Aerocrown and the Smart Cart are pretty wide and flatter, I think they float as much as a non-pneumatic cart can.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

That was one of the things I liked about a Bellcrown versus the Ite Bte or other carts that were out there at the time I was choosing. (To be clear, the Pacific hit the market just about the time I had ordered my Minicrown so I am NOT dissing that cart!

) The wheels on the Aerocrown are the same as the Minicrown, and they are VERY wide compared to the rim of most steel wheels currently available. I used mine for the first time down at Ram Tap in CA, which was mostly sand, and it did a very good job floating across the surface. We wallowed a little, but at least we stayed on top!

I don't hesitate to use it through deep mud or heavy footing as it will not dig in but is not a heavier wheel overall.

As far as the floor length, a wedge seat will help you considerably. So much of it isn't the actual length available but how cramped you feel and a wedge seat will straighten out all those angles, put your weight on your feet for greater security and overall improve your comfort.

Leia

 

[shorthorsemom]

Newbie question Leia... what is a wedge seat? I have heard the term a bunch of times and finally decided to ask even if I sound dumb doing it. thanks Adair.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

That's not dumb!

A wedge seat is just what it sounds like- a cushion that is shaped like a wedge, being higher in the back than the front. It helps keep your body aligned a little more comfortably and is usually paired with a marathon seat in general, i.e. one with high sides that surround your butt and keep you in place while driving at speed. Trust me, once you get going really fast it's a pain in the rear to try and keep yourself in one place on a bench seat!

Much better if the seat simply holds you there and you can concentrate on driving.

Leia

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Thanks for all the info. It sounds like something I would love. I have enjoyed the pix and video I have found online. Running Brook farm is about 3 hours from me and they have one in stock so at least I could see one in person. I also think Driving Essentials will be at the Orelton Farm show I am volunteering at so I emailed them in case they may have one to see in person at that show.

Angie

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

How does the paint hold up?

And is it a quiet cart or squeaky/rattly at all?

Sorry so quick..headed to work.

Angie

 

[ClickMini]

I haven't had mine long enough to comment on the paint, but I find it to be a very quiet cart.

 

[shorthorsemom]

It is quiet as a mouse. I think the paint is powder coat. They send touch up paint with the cart when you buy it. Even for the different colored wheels.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

It's a very quiet cart, the only time I had it make some noise was when sand got in the singletree's nylon washers and it started squeaking. All I had to do was unscrew it, rinse the parts, put a little lubricant on it just to be sure and put it back together. Boom, instant silence!

When I asked Steven at Carriage Machine Works about it he said they are usually done with automotive paint but can be ordered powdercoated for the same price if you'd like. I miss my powder-coated cart so will be ordering mine done that way although the paint has held up pretty well on my MiniCrown. Some rust at the screw-holes and the like but I live in a rainforest and those parts got scraped bare when putting the cart together so it's not too surprising!

The paint has held up well everywhere else.

Leia

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Oh man girls....what's a girl to do? Unless I buy a new riding horse ( and I am looking at a fjord mare), I feel like I have no choice but to buy an Aerocrown and then decide which cart I want to sell. Would the Aerocrown make an appropriate training cart for new horses (thinking long term to when I start a new horse)? I can't see why it wouldn't but since you guys have them I figured maybe there is something I am not seeing.

How would I choose a color? I know- ask here! LOL

Angie (who is going to try and be good 'til after her clinic)

 

[hobbyhorse23]

There's nothing about it except the price tag that would make it inappropriate for a green horse in my opinion. Just use a kicking strap so they can't get a foot through the dash and you should be fine.

Leia

P.S.- You're slowly working your way towards copying my cart selection! Hehe. I have a Hyperbike, a Bellcrown (will probably switch my Minicrown for an Aerocrown depending on what works for the tandem), a Frontier for goofing off in the mud and taking passengers, and a Graber show cart for breed shows. I need to add to that a chariot, a Tadpole for the pair and an ADS Pleasure Show-type wooden-wheeled Graber and I'm all set!

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Leia, that's funny on the cart collection.

OK, 'nother question...is it stable turning and on hills?

Angie

 

[shorthorsemom]

Leia, that's funny on the cart collection.

OK, 'nother question...is it stable turning and on hills?

Angie

Oh yeah, it is stable. my trainer had me go down hill at a trot, turn left and canter up a nice hill and it felt GREAT. Very stable cart in my opinion. It was a fairly decent left turn and my boy turned a little short and was starting to canter before he was straight up hill and my boy was feeling silly and it didn't skid or skip at all and felt really secure. My trainer was at the top of the hill directing and watching me and she said my smile was a mile wide.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Awesome to hear about the stability. OK, Does anyone mind measuring the wheel width for me? And lets say one was going to order a cart for their 34-35.5 inch horses...would the standard wheel height that comes with it be fine?

Angie

 

[shorthorsemom]

Awesome to hear about the stability. OK, Does anyone mind measuring the wheel width for me? And lets say one was going to order a cart for their 34-35.5 inch horses...would the standard wheel height that comes with it be fine?

Angie

The web site says 41 inch track width. I can measure mine if track width is not the same as wheel width. My boy is close to 34 inches high and standard wheels is what I have. I wanted the bigger wheels but didn't want to spend the money and the bigger wheels add a bit more weight. Leia could give the feed back on bigger vs smaller on wheels from experience and performance, but I am happy with my choice for my boy. I have burgandy color, the blue ones would have been my second choice. They flattened the curve on the shafts a bit for me to accomodate my tug height measurement, but it wasn't much of an adjustment. You can give them your tug height measurement and they can check it for you. You need trace carriers. I have some home made ones out of baling twine and need to order some. It fit in the back of my SUV. They gave me shaft covers with my order.

Now I just need to get out there and use it. It was 3 weeks waiting for my boy to grow back hoof after the farrier incident.

I just sold my meadowbrook on Monday, so no going back now. I feel a little better about all the money I spent on the aerocrown after selling my second cart. I may shop around for a "pony ride" cart someday, but still don't regret buying the single seat cart, very stable and you sit real still in it.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

For stability, let's put it this way...Breanna Sheahan bought one for her girls for marathon and she hadn't been happy with anything but her custom roadster carts until then. If you'd ever seen her drive, you'd know she's justifiably picky about stability for a reason!

Awesome to hear about the stability. OK, Does anyone mind measuring the wheel width for me? And lets say one was going to order a cart for their 34-35.5 inch horses...would the standard wheel height that comes with it be fine?

Angie, for those kind of questions it's time to call the manufacturer.

They'll guide you to the right widths, heights, wheels sizes, etc. for your horse.

Leia could give the feed back on bigger vs smaller on wheels from experience and performance

Not so much, actually.

I've got the standard size wheels and haven't gotten to ride in the Bellcrowns I've seen with the larger ones. I do love the look of the bigger wheels though!

Leia

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Thanks again for the replies. I was referring to the actual width of the of the wheel itself compared to my pequea wheels. As far as wheel height, I saw Adair said that her wheels were 26 inches tall...that is the same of my pequea (24 inch plus 2" with he rubber rims.

Leia, yes, I have seen video of Breanna drive. She is awesome- very inspirational. I had kind of forgotten she had an Aerocrown.

Now I have to ask myself....how will this compare with my hyperbike? LOL

Adair, I love the color of the wheels on yours

I'd have to think what color would be able to look nice with both my horses....your coor may work....

Then I also have to decide where to buy it from...

How hard is it to take apart to transport?

Angie

 

[shorthorsemom]

Angie. I am sure your hyperbike makes you feel like you have wings. The aerocrown was a second choice for me, I wanted a hyperbike in the worst way... I have physical limitations right now and my trainer wanted me to keep my legs down, (actually she said something like "are you kidding?" when I showed her photos of the hyperbike....thus the choice of the aerocrown over the hyperbike. I still have dreams of a hyperbike though... it was my first choice, but I do have some sciataca pain in my legs and I so I listened to my body and my trainer and went with the easy entry choice, but I do think the hyperbike is an AWESOME cart. I don't know about taking the aerocrown apart, Steven can tell you all that at Carriage machine. Unlike most amish, I noticed they answer the phones directly at Carriage and he was very informative and gave me quite a bit of information over the phone. My cart fit in my suv with the shafts taken off like it was made to be there. Really cool.. It was so light weight in comparison to the meadowbrook.

I totally gush over my cool burgandy wheels. I didn't care if it matched my horse.. LOL, spoken like a true rookie. They only had one set of wheels in stock and they were burgandy, luckily it was my favorite. Probably one of the sway factors for me. I went there to buy the mini bellcrown and went home with an aerocrown. I don't regret it at all. Now I just have to get out there and put some miles on my boy. three weeks off with sore feet and I am itching to get out and drive.

ps. if I had to guess on the width of the wheels without going out there and uncovering my cart, I would estimate at least two times or more the width of my meadowbrook as far as the rubber that touches the ground. The meadowbrook rubber is tapered and digs in, this cart is flat and wide and doesn't dig in, barely makes a track you can see. The meadowbrook drew lines in the ground.. I'll try to go and measure tomorrow.