Three wheels or four?

Three wheel cars are a lesser option than four wheels (cheaper tax, licence, etc) so why is it that three wheel prams are so sought after? They are harder to drive and less stable than four wheel prams yet offer no savings that I can see.

Baby opted for a four wheel pram as we couldn't afford three wheels!

Reply to
David
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The three wheel prams are much more manoeuverable because there's only one wheel at the front.They've also got a lower CofG than a 4 wheel pram. They may be less inherently stable by type, but I don't think it makes much difference at walking/jogging speed :-) They've also got larger wheels and proper inflatable tyres, which helps make them more stable.

Ever driven a Reliant Robin. Apart from the awful driving position if you're more than a dwarf, they're fantastic around town. Shite on the motorway though. Same principle innit?

Mike

Reply to
Mike P

Whoops! Missed off an "IMO" at the start of all that.. I can read.. really I can!:-) We couldn't afford 3 wheels either, though I think we bought our 4-wheeler because it came with a babyseat attachment thing free.

Mike

Reply to
Mike P

Hi People buy them to pose because they are a fashion item. You don't seem to have one but you say they have bigger wheels and a lower centre of gravity, if something has bigger wheels their C of G will be higher, making them more unstable.

Nigel

Reply to
nigel.bywater

Because the Becks have one.

What do you mean less stable, why do photographers use tripods!?

Reply to
Charles Sweeney

One reason the missus wouldn't let me buy one!

I found it easier to push. They seem to have a longer wheelbase than most 4 wheelers and with bigger wheels and real tyres it rode bumps better too. Not worth the extra wedge though at the time we bought ours. Might get one now though if I had to buy another.

Anyway. What is this turning into? uk.rec.prams.buyerguide or something

Mike

Reply to
Mike P

I think it's fashion David. Same as those 4WD vehicles with rollbars that you see outside the school gates!

Unless you mean the older pram, where the wheels aren't steerable and you have to push down on the bar to turn so that the far wheels are off the ground? Those are more stable still but hardly ever seen these days. I would call the little folding jobs 'buggies'!

Cheers,

Rob

Reply to
Rob Dixon

"nigel.bywater" mumbled:

Not necessarily. The weight of the sprog may be slung consderably lower, so the overall CofG can be lower.

Mind you, you need a heck of a large boot to fit one in.

Reply to
Guy King

They /are/ front-wheel drive aren't they? :-D

Rob

Reply to
Rob Dixon

That's the impression I got from them, but I'd been to the pub this afternoon and couldn't think how to put it in words :-) Thanks!

Mike

Reply to
Mike P

... because no one's ever made a four-legged camera support. There's an idea!

I've never driven a three wheel pram over a curb, but I've done it with the tricycle and it's certainly less stable than anything with four wheels.

Reply to
David

Yes. They're hilarious fun. Easy to lift the rear wheel when cornering :-). I got an indicated 90mph out of one too. Try that. Then you'll know why cars have 4 wheels!

No:-)

Rob

Reply to
Mike P

I think it depends on where you take them, they seem more stable over uneven stuff. & you're holding onto them so they're not truly 3 wheeled.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

Meant to ask you something actually. Saw a couple of 3 wheelers in Norwich (UEA car park to be precise), from Germany and Holland IIRC, both had the engines uncovered at the front of the car, and they looked to be small V engines. Any ideas?

Reply to
Doki

"Doki" mumbled:

Sometimes done with a Honda CX500 engine, sometimes a Motoguzzi, but of course, for originality, it has to be a JAP like the Morgans used.

Reply to
Guy King

Hmm. They did look like replicas or at least like they were trying to look like something old. I saw a surprising number of 3 wheelers around Norfolk. Including one coming the other way around a corner with a lot of roll :P.

Reply to
Doki

Indeed, but the more obtuse it gets, the less stable it will become.

Reply to
Charles Sweeney

Err maybe it's both.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

"nigel.bywater" mumbled:

Don't see why it can't be all three. Nothing inconsistent there at all.

Reply to
Guy King

I don't think they were Morgans, it was pitch black and I didn't really have an in depth look, but one had a luggage rack on the back which didn't really look like something Morgan had put on, and I doubt anyone would put anything that's not quite right on a Morgan. Could they be lookalikes?

Reply to
Doki

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