Sprung cart and unsprung cart are terms used mainly in Britain and Australia to denote a utilitarian type of two-wheeled horse-drawn

cart A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

, and indicating whether or not springs were used to support the body of the cart.

Overview

Unsprung vehicles, meaning without any springs, were simple sturdy two-wheeled vehicle used by roadmen, farmers and tradesmen. They would be used at slower speeds or carrying heavier loads, such as farm carts, those carrying coal or peat, and some heavy delivery vehicles. Farm wagons were usually unsprung, as were most of the freight and dray vehicles such as lorries and trollies. A vehicle without springs was also called a ''dead axle''. The

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

of India is an unsprung cart. Constructing with springs adds to the cost of the vehicle. A vehicle would be sprung if it was to be used at faster speeds, carrying certain loads, or carrying passengers. Milk floats were usually sprung. The Australian spring cart was a simple cart designed for carrying goods and did not have seating for driver or passengers. Two-wheeled

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

s such as gigs and dogcarts were not usually referred to as "carts", though they would be described as "sprung". Most of the utilitarian carts did not have a seat for the driver. The driver would either stand in the cart, sit on the load, or walk beside the horse. In America, many vehicles had unsprung bodies, but instead were constructed with a sprung driving seat. Starting in the late-1700s in England, taxes were assessed on horses,

wagon A wagon (or waggon) is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by Working animal#Draft animals, draft animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are i ...

s, carts, carriages and coaches. Conveyances with springs were taxed as luxury goods, while crude agricultural vehicles were taxed the least, leading to creative vehicle construction to avoid or lessen taxes. The so-called ''taxed cart'' was the cheapest and crudest of carts, rating the lowest possible taxed category; it was completely devoid of adornment, springs or cushions, and the owner was required to conspicuously paint their full name on the rear.

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

used a donkey cart made as a miniature gig. Though it utilized springs, because it wasn't pulled by a horse or pony it was not taxed.

Overview

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Further reading