Changing shafts on an easy entry

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I have a gelding who, altho he measures 34" when he is freshly trimmed, has also measured nearly an inch past that. He fits a regular 48" shaft okay but I'm thinking it might be a prettier picture if I went to the 'B' shaft (54") but I am wondering what the longer shaft will do to the balance on my cart? Also how difficult would it be to switch on regular EE type cart?

 

[paintponylvr]

Switching the shafts shouldn't be too difficult - depending on what kind of arrangement you have for the shafts.

I don't know on the other question. I've been surprised that sometimes it seems to matter and others - it doesn't.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Thanks for the response. He is one of those horses who looks bigger than he measures and he can be, and is, driven in a cart with 48" shafts but I really wonder if it would make a more balanced picture with the longer shafts. I sold the only cart (a viceroy actually) I had with 54" shafts or I could try them on him and see if I liked it better. And more importantly if he did. Its one of those things I mull over when the snow is falling and the wind is blowing (Gads I'm sick of winter) I think on the EE carts it should be a matter of unfastening a few bolts but since I haven't actually changed out any shafts I wondered if I was not taking something into consideration. I guess I'll have to see if I can find someone local with a cart with 54" shafts and see if I can try it on him.

 

[Minimor]

If you have the ordinary metal EE cart it is just a matter of removing a few bolts and then replacing them once you have switched out the shafts. I don't change mine out but I put the cart together so know how the shafts go on.

As far as balance I do t believe you will have a problem. My cart has 54" shafts and I use it for 34" to 38" horses.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Thank you, Minimor,I thought it was just a matter of a couple of bolts but I haven't actually looked at my cart for a couple of months (winter is not my favourite time for driving, also I wasn't sure if the tire size would also need to be different on a cart with longer shafts. If the tires remain the same size between them it seems a pretty simple thing to swap out the shafts for the longer ones. I haven't checked into the price of shafts but I do expect it to be a fair bit cheaper than a new cart at least

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I switch out my shafts for my pair pole pretty often and it's very easy- just undo the top bolt of the support braces, one bolt each in the u-shaped brackets along the front of the cart and then pull them out and replace. The problem is you need two people as someone has to hold the body of the cart or it tends to follow as you pull on the shafts, drop to the ground when they come loose or it goes flying backwards! You need to be sure you don't tighten the clamps down very much or you can't get the shafts out easily and scratch things up trying. I also worry about metal fatigue if the brackets are constantly over-tightened then flexed back out.

Leia

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Thanks for the pointers Leia. All things worth considering when/if I decide to make the change. We have a pairs pole but I have never used it. It has sat in a shed in storage for several years. I had heard that it was not very safe to drive a pair hitched to an easy entry cart (have you found it to be safe/comfortable?) so we have stuck to the 4 wheel 'wagon' we started them with. Not that we drive the pair often to be honest. I prefer driving and focusing on a single so the pair spends more time being just pasture landscapers than they do actually doing anything. This year I have decided I must make a commitment to getting them working together well. Then my husband, who they actually belong to, can decide if he likes driving them or wants to consider selling them and enjoying driving one of the others.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

If you have a four-wheeler, use it. My rig has so far been pretty safe and comfortable but that's because I put a wider axle on it, was really careful with my balance and made sure harness and vehicle were both specially rigged to work together for the horses' well-being. I know a lot of people do have problems with the setup and it sucks for taking passengers or hauling any sort of load, so a four-wheeler is definitely preferable. The EE works for getting two exercised at once though!

Leia

 

[susanne]

It's o easy to remove and reattach shafts that we take ours off every time we haul out -- we have to in order to fit the EE in the back of our van. Keith just tips the cart on its back -- no trouble pulling the shafts out at all. (Easy for me to say, haha...)

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Thanks susanne, this is what I love about coming here, no matter what you are thinking about there is always someone who has tried it and is willing to share their experience.

Leia,Good to know you have made modifications to your cart to help keep things safe/balanced. That information should be attached to every team pole made for an EE. I think we'll stick to the wagon since if I make the changes to the EE it won't work as nicely with a single horse I think.