"Horseless Carriage" Is Real Crowd Pleaser

"Horseless Carriage" Is Real Crowd Pleaser LIVESTOCK Horses/Mules 22-3-23 "People clap and carry on whenever we en-ter it in parades. They've never seen anything like it," says Dennis Bieri, Jamestown, Mo., who, along with his brother Richard, built a "horseless carriage" that's powered by an 8 hp Briggs & Stratton gas engine that drives a 5-speed transaxle. Some of the parts are off an old riding mower. The Bieri's used sq. steel tubing to build the frame and equipped it with a tractor "buggy top" to form a canopy over the seat. The 2-WD buggy mounts on 26-in. bicycle-type wheels and has a rear transaxle made from a 3/4-in. dia. steel shaft. The engine, located under the seat, belt-drives a gearbox (out of a riding mower) that chain-drives the transaxle. The transaxle is made in two halves, with a separate chain used to drive each half. Both front wheels are connected to spindles. The operator turns a mid-mounted steering rod to steer the rig. A squeeze horn mounts on top of the steering rod. There's a step on each side of the buggy for easy entry. "We call it our eight horse buggy. It took a year to build but it was worth it," says Bieri. "It has rudder-type steering like the first cars had. A buggy spring in front and a pair of wagon seat springs on back give it a fairly smooth ride. The springs were our biggest expense. "We got the idea from someone in New York who had made a similar powered buggy. We usually go slow in second gear although it would probably go 20 to 25 mph. The clutch and brake are both foot-operated. A hand-operated emergency brake mounts on the left side of the buggy. There's a small plexiglass window on the back side of the canopy just like on the real horse-drawn buggies. Both rear wheels are covered by steel fenders." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard and Dennis Bieri, 21872 Hwy D, Jamestown, Mo. 65046 (ph 660 849-2163).

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