ENGEL’S
COACH SHOP
105 So.
406-962-3573
Shafts
Buggy
Shafts
Shafts
are sometimes referred to as ‘fills’ or ‘staves’ and are designed for single
horse driving, either on a two wheeled cart or a four wheeled vehicle. Different styles of vehicles require
different styles of shafts and these styles are determined primarily by the
shape of the bend at the back, or heel, end.
Typically shafts are made out of hickory, but on occasion one will see
lesser qualities made from ash. We stock
only hickory shafts because of their authenticity and superior strength. All shaft styles are available either as
blank sets, kits, or complete assembled.
Blank sets include two sides and the cross bar; kits include all
hardware and a sword end or hook end single tree; complete are assembled, but
unfinished, ready to use. (Premium
spring-clip singletrees and Bradley Coupler irons are available also, but
additional.) Four sizes are available
and are measured in length from the front of the cross bar to the tip of the
shafts.
Miniature sizes
are 48”
Pony
sizes are 65”
Horse
sizes are 75”
Draft
sizes are 87”
Shafts
often used on runabouts, piano box and similar vehicles are of the drop heel,
or single bend, style. Mortises are
precut for the cross bar.
|
Size |
Blanks |
Kits |
Complete |
|
Miniature Pony Horse Draft |
$52.00 $52.00 $52.00 $59.00 |
$125.00 $125.00 $125.00 $135.00 |
$249.00 $249.00 $249.00 $269.00 |
(Premium spring-clip singletrees add
$24.50)
(Bradley Coupler ends add $28.50)
The
double bend buggy shaft is designed to position the cross bar and single tree
further ahead of the point of attachment of the shafts to the axle. This is necessary on vehicles that have the
body positioned ahead of the front axle, as is common on spring wagons, so when
the shafts are turned extreme right or left, the cross bar will not hit the
corner of the box or driver’s foot board.
|
Size |
Blanks |
Kits |
Complete |
|
Pony Horse Draft |
$59.00 $59.00 $74.00 |
$135.00 $135.00 $150.00 |
$275.00 $275.00 $295.00 |
(Premium spring-clip singletrees add
$24.50)
(Bradley Coupler ends add $28.50)
Cart
Shafts
The two
main differences between buggy shafts and cart shafts are their length and method
of cross bar attachment. Cart shafts are
longer, to facilitate the footboard for the driver, in front of the axle and
the cross bars are mounted either above or below the shafts themselves, instead
of being mortised like the buggy style shafts.
These are provided as blanks only and include both sides and the cross
bar.
|
Size |
Blanks |
|
Pony Horse Draft |
$68.00 $68.00 $81.00 |
|
Size |
Blanks |
|
Horse Draft |
$75.00 $80.00 |
Unlike buggy shafts,
cart shafts are also available in a straight heel style. These are commonly used on Meadowbrook carts
and Village carts.
These are available in two styles; the heels are
rectangular in shape and are available where the rectangle is in a vertical position
or in the horizontal position. Because
of their straight heel design, horse and draft sizes are the same and are
adjusted for length simply by shortening the length of the heel. We have straight heel styles also in a pony
size.
|
Size |
Blanks |
|
Pony Horse / Draft |
$66.00 $69.00 |
(We also have gig shafts available in drop
heel and straight heel styles)
Due to the nature of attachment of
the cross bar to the shafts on carts, it is imperative that a circle brace be added
ahead of the cross bar. This
triangulates the point of attachment of the cross bar to the shafts giving the
necessary strength side to side. The
mortise on buggy shafts, along with the iron placed underneath, strengthens
this joint, but cart shafts need this extra bracing. These are extra long and can be trimmed to
match the width of the shafts.
|
Cart shaft
circle brace $12.50 |
Buggy shafts can also be strengthened by a brace that fits
inside the shafts, just ahead of the cross bar, but it is not a mandatory issue
as it is with carts.
|
Buggy shaft
circle brace $12.00 |
We carry
an assortment of shaft tips to fit most shaft sizes. We have tips in brass, steel, and chrome from
¾” to 1 ¼”.
|
Size / style |
Price / pair |
|
3/4 brass 7/8 brass 1” brass 1 1/8” brass 1 1/4” brass |
$7.50 $9.00 $11.25 $12.00 $12.95 |
|
7/8” steel 1” steel 1 1/8” steel 1 1/4” steel |
$5.00 $5.25 $5.50 $5.95 |
|
7/8” chrome 1” chrome |
$5.50 $5.95 |
These
tee plates are used with carriage bolts, placed under the head of the carriage
bolt when used near the end of a piece of wood, such as the end of a cart
circle brace. These help prevent the
bolt from splitting the wood by bending around the contour of the wood.
|
Tee plates in 1/4", 5/16”, and 3/8” all sizes are $.70 each |
Sometimes the tip of a shaft will be
bro
|
Shaft repair horn
$16.00 |
Shaft
shackles are fastened to the front axle of the vehicle and are where the shafts
or pole attaches. These have either a 3/8”
or 7/16” bolt to attach the shafts to.
Standard placement width on the axle is 43” center to center; this way
both shafts and poles are interchangeable.
(Specify bolt size)
|
Shaft shackles
$16.50 each |
When you
get tired of looking for a wrench to take your shafts on and off, these quick
pins are a real nice replacement for the bolt on the shaft shackles above. These are only available is a 3/8” pin size
and are hardened steel.
|
Quick pins $3.90
/ pair |
Another
option to bolts, and is similar to the quick pin, is this antirattler. Though it works like a quick pin, it also
puts pressure on the pin to prevent rattling in the shackle. This is nice if the holes are becoming worn
in the shackles and you notice the bolts rattling.
|
Antirattler
$10.00 / pair |
If you
like premium shaft and pole attachments, this Bradley Coupler is the Cadillac
way to go. This is a ball & socket
style of attachment where the shaft or pole ends fasten to the ball end (left)
and the spring loaded socket attaches to the axle (right). The spring clip catches or releases the top
of the socket as the shafts or pole needs to be attached or ta
|
Bradley Coupler sockets
-3/4 or 7/8 - $53.25 each Bradley Coupler – 3/4 or 7/8 “ balls - $14.25 each Leather packing - $ 1.50 each |
If you have further questions about what shafts should
fit your particular vehicle, don’t hesitate to call, write or
e-mail us any time.
Dave and Diane Engel
ENGELS COACH SHOP
105 So. Main
406-962-3573
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