| Author | Message | ||
     Harriet Posted From: 88.110.204.199 |
I must say that carriage does look very unsafe, and a bit wierd ! | ||
| Chris Posted From: 86.129.138.3 |
Well I think disc brakes are probably safer than a shoe acting on the wheel/tyre, as less chance of it being covered in slippery mud etc. Disc brakes are practically obligatory in mountain bike racing (the best comparison I can come up with, sorry) and components are pretty much availible from most motor parts shops (in theory). Similarly, solid tyres don't go "pop" or deflate after scraping a post. I understand the FEI rule requiring a smooth profile is for safety. The "idea" is that a smooth profile would allow a vehicle to slide rather than tip over, but I'm not aware that this has been tested scientifically. As regards leaf springs, independent rubber torsion suspension was all the rage in the 1990's, but its now pretty rare on new vehicles so I suppose you could put it down to fad. But I do think carriage design has been evolving because of practical design issues. Fifteen years ago, the two wheeler was king. Then in the mid nineties, simple four wheelers with a short back steps appeared - looking like two wheelers with a turntable and extra axle. Then the backstepper's bars went further back, then they turned in at the top to stop knuckle injuries, then the back wheel got smaller and space was provided for a groom to lean over the wheel. I noticed at Catton world pony champs, that many of the faster foriegn drivers had very low seat positions - perhaps this is the next development. Beyond the basic chassis layout you have more mechanical systems, such as delayed steering, and I noticed something about rear axles having a system of their own on some of the latest carriages to come out of Germany. I'm all for design improvements. It just amuses me that this design has resurfaced when it was seemingly abondoned as a cul-de-sac concept in the past. | ||
| Alan Posted From: 212.100.250.225 |
Hmmm. Tried, tested and discarded probably because it was different. The majority of competitors in our sport react badly to anything new or inovative, hence the fact that we have to compete with solid tyred wheels and that most express a preference for leaf springs! I am constantly surprised that disk brakes are nearly universal when a steel shoe to slip under the rear wheel could be used. | ||
| Chris Posted From: 86.129.138.3 |
I say dinosaur party tongue in cheek and partly because my point is that it's a design that was tried and tested in the past; if it was any good, it'd be in common use today... I'd also add that it isn't as simple as just having a different driving position. One has to consider how the vehicle's articulation would affect stability (ie would it jacknife?), and how the whole bending in the middle thing would cope with scraping the side of obstacle posts - is there a greater chance of the back end being "knocked" round or posts being tangled up between the two halves? Anyone used such a design of the past ? | ||
| Alan Posted From: 212.100.250.225 |
Why dinosaur? This is a perfectly valid concept, it's no more articulated than a conventional four-wheel carriage. You just sit on the front axle instead of the rear. | ||
| Chris Posted From: 81.152.200.61 |
On our recent holiday to Tenerife, I picked up a Spanish horse magazine at the airport and found this being advertised: www.equitworld.com/carros/maraton/koniek/KONIEK-1.gif www.equitworld.com/carros/maraton/koniek/KONIEK-2.gif www.equitworld.com/carros/maraton/koniek/KONIEK-3.gif www.equitworld.com/carros/maraton/koniek/KONIEK-4.gif www.equitworld.com/carros/maraton/koniek/KONIEK-5.gif https://www.equitworld.com/ I remember hearing about what a flop these "Equi-rotal" articulated carriages are back in the early 90's, and read recently in Prince Philip's autobiography about how he thought about using one. He dedicided not to bother in the end, but only after he had built a model out of Lego :1biglaughA . In any case, surely delayed steering mechanisms have effectivly made such concepts redundant? |