page_title: Sulky
section_title: Dog sulky
hierarchical_section_title: Sulky / Dog sulky
caption_attribution_description: Sacco-Cart
context_page_description: A sulky is a lightweight cart with two wheels and a seat for the driver only but usually without a body, generally pulled by horses or dogs, which is used for harness races. The term is also used for a light stroller, an arch mounted on wheels or crawler tracks, used in logging, or other types of vehicle having wheels and usually a seat for the driver, such as a plough, lister or cultivator.
context_section_description: Smaller sulkies are also used for dogs, both for racing and as transportation.
  The dog driving sulkies can be divided into two main types:
  Conventional two-shaft carts attaching to harness on either side of the dog or dogs.
  Single-shaft dorsal hitch carts, which attach to a single point on top of the dog's shoulders.
  A further distinction may be made between sulkies with the axles rigidly connected to the vehicle, and those with the axles insulated from the vehicle by springs and dampers. Those with springs and dampers may be further divided into single-axle sprung carts and "independent suspension" sprung and damped carts. Needless to say, those with independent suspension by coil springs and dampers tend to be both more expensive and smoother riding.
  Driving sulky construction materials run the full gamut from timber, through powder-coated steel tube, aluminum tube, and stainless steel tube. The very latest types (currently undergoing field tests in California) use nanotechnology-based stainless steels of prodigious strength-to-weight ratio.
  The great majority of driving sulkies available have the wheel axles rigidly affixed to the frames. This makes for a rough ride on anything but smooth surfaces such as pavement. But in recent years lightweight, single shaft, independent suspension, driving sulkies have been introduced. These allow safe high speed use in off-road conditions.
  The most recent designs are of the single shaft type, as proponents believe that this type gives the dog(s) greater freedom, less possibility of injury, and a quicker and easier training regime. A single shaft dog sulky, made of stainless steel tube and fitted with independent suspension and disc brakes, weighs a little under 18 kg. The highest speed so far recorded in one of these sulkies is 64.8 kilometers per hour (Driver: James Walsh, Dog: Tom (Giant Schnauzer)-February 22, 2007, Australia).
  However, as at August 2005, multiple shaft types are still the most common.
  For off-road use, dog sulkies with sprung and damped independent suspension systems offer greatly improved comfort and safety over traditional unsprung types.
caption: Sacco Wagon
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