Shafts

In the 19th century, children’s carriages were made to fit a variety of dog breeds and many photographs show proud children with their dog carriages. These toy dog carriages were hitched to Chihuahuas, Jack Russell Terriers, Miniature Poodles, sheep dogs, farm dogs, retrievers, Great Danes, Saint Bernard’s, and etc. It appears that in the 19th century, children’s dog carriages were as common as children’s pedal cars are today. Obviously, parents one hundred years ago had similar views about children learning to drive. Small children should be encouraged to learn about driving, but NOT with the parents’ horse carriage or car!

Today, there are few manufacturers of canine carts and prices range from five hundred dollars (USA) to several thousand. In addition, not all modern manufacturers make high quality dog carriages. For those on a limited budget, a hand wagon (figure 1) can be converted into a dog wagon by replacing the handle (tongue) with some home made shafts (figure 2).

The ideal hand wagon should have a pivoting front axle. In the 19th century, many children’s pull wagons were sold with both dog shafts and handle.

Hand Wagon Fig. 1

Home Made Shafts Fig. 2

Figure 3 shows a simple wagon shaft pattern that will fit Retrievers, Labradors, and German Shepherds. The pattern for the wagon shafts is adapted from the shafts of a 19th century dog sulky. The design was modified so the shafts can be used to replace the wagon handle. When laid flat on the ground, the shafts should be thickest on the horizontal and thinner on the vertical. Shafts need to be strong enough to steer a wagon but should not be heavy.

Massive shafts look out of proportion to the dog and add unnecessary weight for the dog to pull. Traditionally, shafts were made of oak or ash. Today, dog shafts are made of wood, metal tubing, and PVC pipes. Do not use plywood to make your shafts.

The primary function of shafts is for the draft animal to STEER the vehicle. If you use long traces with your wagon (four wheels), steering the wagon is the main function of the shafts, and braking is the secondary function. (Another article about dog harnesses and braking will be written.) Thus, there is no need to make heavy shafts. On the wagon shaft plans, the function of the bent wood half circle is to stiffen the shafts in the horizontal direction for steering. Figure 4 shows how to measure any size or breed of dog for shafts.

Figure 4: How to Measure Your Dog for Shafts

A to C: Distance from chest to back of rear leg under base of tail.

B to C: Distance from front of chest to behind the shoulder blade and under the withers.

B(left) to B(right): Width of dog behind the neck and under the withers. B to D: Shaft Height from Ground. On a cart (2 wheels), the shafts should be level to the ground.

E to A: Distance greater than half the distance from B to D. This space is for kick room of the rear legs. If the shafts are used on a wagon (4 wheels), this distance may need to be greater.

E: Front of cart body should not extend beyond this point

F: Back of cart body, this distance is adjustable

Wagon Shafts Pattern Fig. 3

Shaft Measures Points B Fig. 4

With carts (two wheels), another function of the shafts is for the draft animal to balance the cart. The cargo in a cart should be distributed so that the two wheels and axle primarily support the weight of the cargo. A small draft animal such as a dog should have very little weight supported on its back. In fact, a horse, goat, or dog can pull more effectively if the cart just slightly lifts the draft animal. Modern horse racing sulkies are designed to take advantage of this fact. There are safety reasons for why recreational horse carts are not balanced the same way modern horse racing sulkies are balanced.

On a cart, shafts also work as primitive springs. They should be thin enough in the vertical cross section direction so they can flex slightly and help cushion the dog’s back from the jostling of the cart over bumpy terrain. Think of standing on a long board supported on the ends by two sawhorses. The board flexes as you shift your weight. Shafts are designed to flex, too.

A long metal pin attaches the wagon handle (tongue) to the hand wagon. Remove the pin and handle from the wagon. Drill a hole large enough for the pin in the end of the pole that extends from between the shafts. Install the shafts in place of the wagon handle and attach the shafts with the pin. See the inset picture in the figure 3. The wagon conversion is almost complete.

The two traces need an attachment point to the dog wagon. There are two ways to attach the traces. The simplest manner is to install two screw eyes to one of the cross bars between the shafts. The eye screws are screwed on each end of the cross bar near the shafts. The other method is to attach the traces to a swingle tree (or whipple tree) and to attach the swingle tree between the shafts and the cross-bars.

Swingle Tree

Fig. 5

See figure 5. A swingle tree is a bar that is as slightly wider than the dog and has attachment points for the traces at each end. The center of the swingle tree has a hole dilled in it for a bolt. The swingle tree is attached to the center of the front cross bar, such that the swingle tree can pivot around its center without hitting the shafts or the crossbar. As the dog swings his front leg forward, one side of the dog’s chest pushes forward, and so on. The swingle tree translates the side-to-side pull of the dog’s shoulders to pulling the center of the wagon. In addition, a swingle tree makes pulling more comfortable for the dog.

Figures 6 – 8 show several hand wagon conversions into modern dog wagons. For those who are interested, some photographs of antique dog shafts are included.

Dog wagon Fig. 6

Dog Wagon Fig. 7

Dog Wagon Fig. 8

Rebecca Morris AutoCad Drawings by Michael Moran