You ask some great questions! I would advise you to be very cautious of a cart that has no wheels. Why? The first thing that comes to mind is its been wrecked. Can you see if its lopsided? when someone sits on the right side what happens to the seat? Middle? Are the springs lined up? You will have to have custom boxing to fit the axel. Is anyone in your area able to do that? You may have to buy boxings, hubs and a new axel to make it all work. You'll have a choice of hubs, flush hubs being very popular as well as safer. Is the cart painted? You cant see splits/cracks through paint.
74 inch shafts might fit your horse but it depends on your horses' measurements. I would measure from the point of his shoulder to the last hair on his butt. Straight line. Then you need to give him atleast a foot clearence to the singletree for trotting. Is the box built at an angle or could he easily hit his hocks? Minor adjustments can be made with your traces.
Since you're looking at half a carriage and not sure of its quality, you should not pay more than half the price of a new one! New carts range from $1200 - $2000+. You can add all kinds of accessories, like a rein rail, whip holder, stripping, bedford cord fabric on the seats, lamps etc.
Before you commit, I would get some photos and send them to the group because there are lots of drivers here that will see things! Be sure to take your measurements of your horse with you, including the point of shoulder height so you can see where the shafts will be when you hold them at that height. You want your shafts to balance. You sit in the cart and trust someone to hold the shafts at the number of your horses' point of shoulder. They should 'float'. You dont want shaft heavy or shaft light! Your shafts ideally want to follow the traces. You will at least have the advantage, if you decide to purchase this, of ordering wheels big enough to make the cart fit. Oh ~ will your haffie fit in the shafts??!!! So much to learn!
Good luck and let us know what you decide!
Mandy in VA
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