Rhino Dog Scooter (Rhino All Terrain Scooter)
We have some comments from our customers. If you have any questions, please ask them through e-mail.
1. Comments from Heather in Ottawa, Canada, July 4, 2001
Hi Kaz,
I have had a couple of chances to try out the ATV (All Terrain) scooter so far. The rear step-on brake makes a really nice gentle drag brake (speed reducer). From looking at the pictures, I thought it would be hard to step on the rear brake and make a nice even pressure to control the dogs speed. In reality, it
痴 quite comfortable to stand on the scooter with pressure on the brake. Works great. What the rear brake can稚 do for me right now is really stop. I can stand on it with all my weight (115 lbs.), and we池e still moving if the dogs are motivated. If we池e on the gentle downhill, the dogs don稚 even slow down to a trot-they池e still at a run with me standing on the brake. My two dogs are 56 lbs. (retriever) and 52 lbs. (short haired pointer mix).So far I
壇 only recommend the scooter for use with one dog, and not a really powerful one.But, I
知 going to look at ways to improve the braking. I was thinking maybe taking some rubber and bolt it to the face of the brake so that it痴 rubber against rubber for the rear wheel brake. That should work better as long as the grass isn稚 wet. I値l tell you if I come up with anything.Heather.
From Ottawa, Canada on Sep. 14, 2001
Hi Kaz,
It
痴 Heather here from Ottawa, Canada. Now that the weather is cooling off, I致e taken the ATV scooter out for some great runs with the dogs. I知 pleased with the way it handles rough terrain - the clearance is fairly low because it痴 a scooter, but it has a sturdy skid plate so that it just slides over large lumps. I致e improved the brake by drilling holes in the brake lever and attaching a longer piece of heavy steel. Now when I stand on the brake I can lock up the back wheel, at least on gravel. On pavement I can稚 quite lock the wheel so the dogs can still pull forward a bit - but works well enough for my two dogs. I知 114 pounds, so perhaps a heavier person would get more leverage out of the brake as ordinary designed. For me, the original brake didn稚 even provide enough leverage to stop going down a hill. If there is a re-design in the works, please consider putting in a longer brake bar with more bend to it, so that there is lots of distance for it to move before it hits the foot plate. It should put a big dent in the tire when fully applied. I知 sure any customers using your scooter at ski hills would appreciate this as well. Overall I知 much impressed by the rugged construction. Hope they are selling well. Will send a photo when I get one.Heather
2. Comments from Jane of Alaska, July 29, 2001
Hi Kaz,
Just wanted you to know I am enjoying my scooter and will send pictures of my dog pulling me as soon as they are developed.
I scooter with two Siberian Husky sled dogs, and our biggest problem is that the weather is too warm for these dogs to work hard. In the fall when the temperature is closer to 50F we will be able to go faster and farther.
I am not having problems with the brakes. I wonder if your customer in Canada has enough air pressure in her tires. I don稚 think better brakes will stop a team of dogs anyway, since the scooter is too light and could easily be dragged with the wheels locked.
I use the brake to keep the scooter from hitting the dogs when they slow down or stop. I never try to slow the dogs down with the brake, because I use voice commands for slowing down and stopping.
My friends and I are impressed with how well this scooter handles in loose gravel and on trails with big rocks. It is very solid, and I don稚 worry about it coming apart on even the roughest rides.
The only thing I have added to the scooter are reflectors and a flashing red light on the front. I run the scooter on public roads, and need to be seen by cars and people who are walking.
I値l write again later.
Jane
Rhino All Terrain Scooter (chrome is not available.)
Rhino All Terrain Scooter
Jane rides her Rhino All Terrain
Scooter with her Siberian Husky
dogs.
Hi there,
I just stopped by your website for the first time in several months and I wanted to say what a nice job and how much I like the improvements and changes.
I particularly enjoyed the section on using your scooters with dogs. When I bought my scooter several months ago it wag with the intention of using it to do some specific lead dog training one on one with my various dogs. I can honestly say I have not been disappointed. Your scooters are beautifully made and hold up well to the extra punishment this kind of use put them through. In my case I am running my team in the Antelope Valley and the desert terrain (in some places deep sand and bushes with thorns) makes anything with less durable wheels a poor choice.
When I purchased my scooter the only concern I had was with the braking system. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it out. It works well for keeping the scooter from accidentally bumping the dogs and provides enough drag to slow them down slightly when needed. I have run my adult team ( a Siberian, a Malamute, and a Korean Jindo) with the scooter and even with that much power the brake was adequate. These dogs can drag my 140 pound cart with the wheels locked down so I never expected the brake on the scooter to stop them. I am fortunate to have a well trained team...I would not suggest anyone try running more than one dog in front of a scooter unless they are very well trained.
While the braking system currently on the scooter does work reasonably well, I was wondering if there is any way to rig a hand brake as well. I have at times found myself using my back foot for balance (turning corners at speed and such) and at the same time needing to brake. A hand operated brake would make this possible. If you ever do develop a hand braking system for this scooter please be sure to let me know. It would make this currently wonderful scooter absolutely perfect.
I recently added a Malamute pup to my team and have been using my scooter extensively for his initial training. It has been an enormous help, allowing him to pull without adding enough weight to stress his still growing body. The scooter is an excellent alternative to my big cart. I have to compliment the durability of your scooter here as well...my pup has yet to truly learn to STOP pulling and not only did the scooter survive being drug 10 feet on its side (with me standing on top and the handle bar buried in the sand) but it was totally undamaged and the paint didn
稚 even scratch.Thank you again for such an excellent, well made produce.
Nichole
4. Ann Steer, Maxville, Canada Oct. 25, 2001
1st. Mail
Have just ordered a red all-terrain scooter from you based on my friend Heather痴 recommendations. I too will be using it for dog scootering behind my rocket dog. I知 sure I値l be modifying the brake as well.
Please, can you tell me how long it takes to ship? I will be visiting the shipping address in about 10 days and want to make sure that it is there. Thanks, and I知 looking forward to my scooter.
Ann Steer and Havoc (1-dog skijoring ISDRA bronze-medallists) http://www.isdra.org/ International Sled Dog Association
2nd Mail
Certainly, I borrowed Heather痴 scooter for a feature that was done on us for the Discovery Channel ・it won稚 air until sometime next year ・but the film crew was really impressed with both the dog and the scooter ・at one point ・Havoc pulled me on the scooter with the cameraman crouched down in front of me on the scooter as well ・and we were flying ・I get a kick out of those comments who say ・brakes are fine ・I just use voice to slow down my dog ・Ha ・when you have rocket dog ・you need to be able to add some resistance so that the dog knows you mean business when you say 努hoa!・nbsp; Basically, Heather has lengthened the brake pedal so she can apply more force ・perhaps facing the part that comes in contact with the tire with something a bit more abrasive might work ・I値l let you know when I get it. Thanks for your efforts to get it there as soon as possible.
Ann
