Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: metal workers advice?  (Read 4831 times)

daddymatty82

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • swindon
metal workers advice?
« on: January 30, 2011, 10:02:05 pm »

i need to work out how much it would cost to make an exersize trap for my filly how much in labour and how much in materials and what materials i would need for a trap as i want to get one asap but not let it cost me an arm and a leg to fund

ser3dan

  • Joined Jul 2010
Re: metal workers advice?
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2011, 06:56:47 am »
Morning Matt,
You can either make it in wood yourself and see if you can pick up Indespension units and wheels up from somewhere like Ebay, or you could knock one up from something like scaffolding tube if you have someone nearby who can weld.
If you do it in wood, then there's no labour cost as you can do it yourself, but I'd expect any welder to be able to weld one up in less than 2 hours, and if you do it in scaffolding tube then sometimes you find bits of it dumped so the material is cheap.
You'd need to work out how to get the harnesses to fit it in place though!

Hardfeather

  • Guest
Re: metal workers advice?
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2011, 07:09:23 am »
There are some inexpensive exercise carts for sale on Dragon Driving. You may be safer to buy one. Building is ok if you really know what you're doing, but for a young horse it would be better to have something well-made and safe.

It's fine as long as everything goes well. However, if something happens and the horse bolts, or starts kicking into the cart, your building skills will be tested to the limits.

lazybee

  • Joined Mar 2010
Re: metal workers advice?
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2011, 07:27:30 am »
Hello,
A few thing to think about...........

It would cost you an arm and a leg to buy the materials. Just think, most steel stockholder don't like cutting full lengths. If they do, they charge you. You need tubing of maybe two sizes, angle iron or box section some flat bar. Then you need wheels, axle some kind of suspension then all the nuts and bolts and paint. Then the shafts have to be shaped properly. Then you need to get the balance spot on and that's the hard bit. Motor bike wheels aren't really good enough either as the wheel spindles are too thin. I (I a past life) was a welder fabricator (time served) and I can tell you it would take at least a day to weld. without all the careful balancing work and that's without cutting the steel. I have been driving horses for years and would not build my own or buy a home made cart. Most home built attempts I have seen put too much weight on the horse and are dangerous. the shafts are so important to get right as too much stress in the wrong place will cause them to break; yes I have seen it happen.
You would be much better to buy a secondhand training gig (not home made) I got one for 60 quid but had to fit wheel bearings but at least it was built properly. Have you looked on www.carriagelink.com or www.dragondriving.co.uk

daddymatty82

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • swindon
Re: metal workers advice?
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2011, 08:38:24 am »
Hello,
A few thing to think about...........

It would cost you an arm and a leg to buy the materials. Just think, most steel stockholder don't like cutting full lengths. If they do, they charge you. You need tubing of maybe two sizes, angle iron or box section some flat bar. Then you need wheels, axle some kind of suspension then all the nuts and bolts and paint. Then the shafts have to be shaped properly. Then you need to get the balance spot on and that's the hard bit. Motor bike wheels aren't really good enough either as the wheel spindles are too thin. I (I a past life) was a welder fabricator (time served) and I can tell you it would take at least a day to weld. without all the careful balancing work and that's without cutting the steel. I have been driving horses for years and would not build my own or buy a home made cart. Most home built attempts I have seen put too much weight on the horse and are dangerous. the shafts are so important to get right as too much stress in the wrong place will cause them to break; yes I have seen it happen.
You would be much better to buy a secondhand training gig (not home made) I got one for 60 quid but had to fit wheel bearings but at least it was built properly. Have you looked on www.carriagelink.com or www.dragondriving.co.uk

am on dragon driving everyday but ave only ever found traps to far away  years ago when had horses the 1st time had an engineer build one on motorbike wheels not with tiny spokes kind of alloys but still thats what i wanted to know i knew  there was alot of balencing involved as you say  and know of complications but  i just wanted to run it by a better person than myself in that field . The way i saw it was alot of balence and then working out dimensions and then there was the weight issue it would need to be a certain type of metal to make it as little weight as possible. i wanted just to clarify weather it can be done as it is done alot  but then they got the knowledge and means to do this. i am saving up £500 and going to get a trap  and not home made i think. i work driving vans for a haulege firm so i think the picking up from distance will be easier now i have transport capable. thanks all who responded

lazybee

  • Joined Mar 2010
Re: metal workers advice?
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2011, 09:07:37 am »
Hello again,
For training carts I bought 3 of the Oxter types from this place www.sulkys.eu I found a rep in Ireland. All three came flat packed on one pallet. They are quite cheap about 500 quid I think but I can't remember. They have been good with young green horses, they are very lightweight. I had to change the wheel bearings in these as well after a few months (Chinese) I have the email of the chap I got mine from, but I don't know if he still imports them it's cyril.gammell@gmail.com

lazybee

  • Joined Mar 2010
Re: metal workers advice?
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2011, 09:17:10 am »
One more thing. Others might disagree it's better not to get a governess cart. They are cheap for a reason, they're hard to bail out of in an emergency and you often have to sit sideways. Old wooden carts are best avoided in my opinion, as the structural parts are made from Ash. Old Ash can snap like a carrot without warning.

 

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