 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Our Chariot awaits! |
| People have asked for it, so here it is. This is one of the vehicles we have for running our dogs. It's called a chariot-style scooter. They have become very hard to find, of you find one it needs to be modified for use with sled dogs. It's ideal for running 1 to 3 Malamutes. It fits on or in SUVs easily which makes it much more portable than the larger metal rigs. |
| Front view: Notice the hand brake. It is not very effective unless your dogs are VERY well trained. This brake was designed to stop a 10 year old from rolling forward, not a malamute pulling it. Until we got Bella, it was good enough, but at this point it's broken. See below for and picture on right for modified brake. We use a skijoring line as it serves as a shock absorber for the dogs. |
| Rear view: These are not the original wheels. I had to make modifications to make it trail-ready. The orig. wheels are rollerblade wheels and that makes for a rough ride. The black piece between the runners is called a drag pad. We use them on sleds, they work well for this as they do not tear up the trail yet they provide an effective brake. |
| This is a close up of the wheel modification. I found some super strength training wheel brackets and what I think are lawnmower wheels. I used the original wheel (rollerblade) to attach the bracket. I attached it to the inside of the runner for strength. |
| This is the drag pad. I flipped it over to show the treads. A small piece of snowmobile track works well too. This drag pad was bought from Black Ice dog sledding equip and is normally used on the kicksled. It should drag but you can flip it up too for a quieter ride. |
| Here's the scooter spokespooch Kita, helping us show how this works. If you choose to build your own, here are some things to consider: *Keep the wheels as far back and out to the sides as possible. That makes it less 'tippy' and therefore safer. *Wheelbarrow wheels, though they seem like a good idea, are too big and make it too high in the back and seem to make it less stable (been there done that). *I take a couple tools out with me, just in case a wheel gets loose. It's not fun to get out on the trail and lose a wheel! |