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Reverting edit(s) by 199.7.159.91 (talk) to rev. 1291646350 by Grorp: We're literally talking about "carts". Undoing test. (UV 0.1.6)
 
imported>Grorp
focus on human-powered section; ce; remove several uncited sentences
 
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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{About|||Cart (disambiguation)|and|Carting (disambiguation)|and|CART (disambiguation)}}
{{About|||Cart (disambiguation)|and|Carting (disambiguation)|and|CART (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Horse & cart, Town, Beamish Museum, 21 November 2013 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Horse and cart (England, 2013)]]
 
[[File:Horse & cart, Town, Beamish Museum, 21 November 2013 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Horse and cart at [[Beamish Museum]] (England, 2013)]]
[[File:Dockworkers in Cap-Haitien.jpg|thumb|Dockworkers and hand cart (Haiti, 2006)]]
[[File:Dockworkers in Cap-Haitien.jpg|thumb|Dockworkers and hand cart (Haiti, 2006)]]
A '''cart''' or '''dray''' (Australia and New Zealand<ref>{{cite web|title=Dray|website=Lexico Dictionaries: English|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/dray|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930083919/https://www.lexico.com/definition/dray|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 30, 2020|access-date=October 19, 2020}}</ref>) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by [[draught animal]]s such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs.
A '''cart''' or '''dray''' (Australia and New Zealand<ref>{{cite web|title=Dray|website=Lexico Dictionaries: English|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/dray|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930083919/https://www.lexico.com/definition/dray|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 30, 2020|access-date=October 19, 2020}}</ref>) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by [[draught animal]]s such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs.


A '''handcart''' is pulled or pushed by one or more people.
The word ''cart'' is often used interchangeably with ''trolley'' (especially in the UK) and ''wagon'' (especially in the US).{{r|berkebile1978|pp=47, 268, 308}} Over time, the word "cart" has expanded to mean nearly any small conveyance without regard to number of wheels, load carried, or means of propulsion. The word ''car'' has often been modified to ''cart'' through [[Colloquialism|colloquialization]]. For example, several small sport and hobby ''cars'' carry "cart" in their name such as [[pedal cart]]s (manually pedaled), [[soap-box cart]]s (gravity run), and [[go-cart]]s (gas engine). Similarly, ''golf cars'' are more commonly known as [[golf cart]]s.{{r|ansi}}
 
Over time, the word "cart" has expanded to mean nearly any small conveyance, including [[shopping cart]]s, [[golf cart]]s, [[go-kart]]s, and [[Side by Side (UTV)|UTVs]], without regard to number of wheels, load carried, or means of propulsion.


==History==
==History==


The history of the cart is closely tied to the [[Wheel#History|history of the wheel]]. Carts have been mentioned in literature as far back as the second millennium B.C. The first people to use the cart may have been [[Mesopotamians]]. Handcarts pushed by humans have been used around the world.
[[File:Eastern Han Bronze Chariot (10336760463).jpg|thumb|[[Han dynasty]] bronze figures, 1st or 2nd century AD]]
The history of the cart is closely tied to the [[invention of the wheel]]. Pre-dating the wheel there were dragged devices like [[sledge]]s and [[travois]]. The earliest known wheels date back to around 3400 to 3000 BC. The combination of the wheel and axle enabled the development of early wheeled vehicles which transformed human mobility and trade. The earliest wheeled vehicles had four-wheels ([[wagon]]s), however two-wheeled vehicles (carts) required about 40% less pulling force than a four-wheeled vehicle of the same weight and were more maneuverable.{{r|hirst|klein}}{{r|anthony|p=65-66}}


Carts were often used for judicial punishments, both to transport the condemned – a public humiliation in itself (in [[Ancient Rome]] defeated leaders were often carried in the victorious general's [[Roman triumph|triumph]]) – and even, in England until its substitution by the [[pillory|whipping post]] under [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]], to tie the condemned to the ''cart-tail'' (the back part of a cart) and administer him or her a public whipping. [[wikt:tumbril|Tumbrils]] were commonly associated with the French Revolution as a mobile stage elevating the condemned on the way to the guillotine: this was simply a continuation of earlier practice when they were used as the removable support in the gallows, before [[Albert Pierrepoint]] calculated the precise drop needed for instant severance of the [[spinal column]].
With the domestication of animals such as [[oxen]] and [[horse]]s, carts became central to ancient economies. Animal‑drawn carts and wagons were widely used across civilizations for farming, trade, and migration. Their evolution—from solid wooden wheels to lighter spoked designs—marked a major technological advance, improving efficiency and enabling long‑distance transport.{{r|piggott|anthony}}
 
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160" caption="Ancient carts">
File:Greek chariot.jpg|[[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] chariot, 6th century BC
File:Egyptian Chariot (colour).jpg|[[Ramesses II]] on an Egyptian chariot
File:Eastern Han Bronze Cavalry and Chariots2.JPG|[[Han dynasty]] bronze figures, 1st or 2nd century AD
</gallery>


== Human-powered carts ==
== Human-powered carts ==


Of the cart types not animal-drawn, perhaps the most common example today is the shopping cart ([[British English]]: shopping trolley), which has also come to have a [[metaphor]]ical meaning in relation to online purchases (here, British English uses the metaphor of the shopping basket). Shopping carts first made their appearance in [[Oklahoma City]] in 1937.
=== Large carts ===


In golf, both manual push or pull and electric [[golf trolley]]s are designed to carry a golfer's bag, clubs and other equipment. Also, the golf cart, car, or buggy, is a powered vehicle that carries golfers and their equipment around a golf course faster and with less effort than walking.
* [[Pulled rickshaw|Rickshaw]]: Used to transport passengers
* Pushcart: a [[street vendor]]'s or [[costermonger]]'s cart which carries goods for sale and is manually pushed into position near streets or marketplaces.{{r|collins-pushcart}}
* [[Food cart]]: a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell food to passers-by
* [[Mormon handcart pioneers|Mormon handcarts]]: A large cart used in the mid-1800s by westward-emigrating Mormons to carry their belongings


A [[Porter (carrier)|Porter's trolley]] is a type of small, hand-propelled wheeled platform. This can also be called a [[baggage cart]].<!--since the 13th century.-->{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160" caption="Large human-powered carts">
File:Rickshaw by fabichan in Arashiyama, Kyoto.jpg|[[Pulled rickshaw|Rickshaw]]
File:Street vendor's mobile stall in India.jpg|Street vendor pushcart
File:Batagor vendor 4.jpg|Modern [[food cart]]s
File:PlattCrossing.jpg|[[Mormon handcart pioneers|Mormon handcart]]
</gallery>


Autocarts are a type of small, hand-propelled wheeled utility carts having a pivoting base for collapsible storage in vehicles. They eliminate the need for plastic or paper shopping bags and are also used by [[tradesperson]]s to carry tools, equipment or supplies.
=== Small carts ===


A [[soap-box cart]] (also known as a billy cart, go-cart, trolley etc.) is a popular children's construction project on wheels, usually pedaled, but also intended for a test race. Similar, but more sophisticated are modern-day pedal cart toys used in general recreation and racing.
Small human pushed or pulled conveyances commonly called carts can have any number of wheels (not limited to two). The term ''handcart'' can mean any of numerous small conveyances.{{r|collins-handcart}}


The term "go-kart" (also shortened as "kart", an alternative spelling of "cart"), has existed since 1959, and refers to a tiny [[race car]] with a frame and [[two-stroke engine]]. The old term ''go-cart'' originally meant a [[sedan chair]] or an [[infant walker]].
* [[Hand truck]]: A two-wheeled upright handcart for moving boxes, sacks, large appliances and other loads
* [[Baggage cart]]: for travelers to carry luggage in places like airports and train stations
* [[Shopping cart]]: a wheeled basket supplied by a store for use by customers inside the premises as they move around selecting items prior to paying for those goods
* [[Serving cart]]: for transporting prepared food for serving to customers such as in a restaurant or airplanes; may be named for what it carries, such as tea cart for tea service, or pastry cart for offering desserts at a restaurant


Other carts:
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160" caption="Small human-powered carts">
* [[Pulled rickshaw|Rickshaw]]: Transport for humans.
File:Pepsi Cola soda beverage.jpg|[[Hand truck]]s
* Pushcart: a cart that is pushed by one or more persons.
File:Chariot à bagages Orly.jpg|Airport [[baggage cart]]
* AV cart: a cart traditionally used for transporting audiovisual equipment such as televisions. In more recent years, they have been used as [[standing desk]]s, especially in [[school administration]].<ref>{{Cite web| title = The Cart That Brought the Boob Tube to the Classroom|  url = https://tedium.co/2023/01/28/school-audiovisual-cart-history/ |first=Ernie |last=Smith |date=January 28, 2023 |website=tedium.co}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Brilliant or bad idea? Principal trades his office for a rolling cart, sparking debate| work = TODAY.com| date = 2023-09-11| url = https://www.today.com/parents/principal-traded-office-rolling-cart-debate-rcna104413}}</ref>
File:Carrinhosupermercado.JPG|[[Shopping cart]]
* [[Baggage cart]]: pushed by travelers to carry individual luggage
* [[Serving cart]]: also known as ''pushcart'' or ''go-cart'', is a handcart used for serving:
* [[Food cart]]: a mobile kitchen that is set up on the street to facilitate the sale and marketing of street food to people from the local pedestrian traffic.
* Food service cart: also named ''serving trolley'', for serving the food in a restaurant
* Pastry cart: for serving pastry
* Tea cart: also named ''teacart or Chai Cart'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chai Cart – Weddings & Events – Desi Chai – UK – Wedding Hire |url=https://chai-cart.co.uk/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=Chai Cart – Weddings & Events – Desi Chai – UK – Wedding Hire |language=en-GB}}</ref> ''tea trolley'' and ''tea wagon'', for serving tea or other drinks
 
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160" caption="Human-powered carts">
File:PlattCrossing.jpg|Reenactment of 1856 [[Mormon handcart pioneers]]
File:Walking cart at Mackinac Bridge.jpg|A walking cart, used for long-distance travel (2007)
File:Rickshaw by fabichan in Arashiyama, Kyoto.jpg|[[Pulled rickshaw|Rickshaw]] (2004)
File:Street vender, Italian feast LCCN97519079.jpg|A street vender ([[costermonger]]) with food cart (1908)
File:NYC Hotdog cart.jpg|Modern street vender food cart (2007)
File:Passengers waiting for a flight to Shanghai in March 2020.jpg|Airport luggage carts (2020)
</gallery>
</gallery>


== Animal-powered carts ==
== Animal-powered carts ==


Larger carts may be drawn by animals, such as horses, mules, and oxen. They have been in continuous use since the invention of the wheel, in the 4th millennium BC. Carts may be named for the animal that pulls them, such as ''horsecart'' or ''oxcart''. In modern times, horsecarts are used in competition while [[draft horse showing]]. A ''[[dogcart]]'', however, is usually a cart designed to ''carry'' [[hunting dog]]s: an open cart with two cross-seats back to back; the dogs could be penned between the rear-facing seat and the back end.
Larger carts may be drawn by animals, such as horses, mules, and oxen. They have been in continuous use since the invention of the wheel, in the 4th millennium BC. Carts may be named for the animal that pulls them, such as ''horsecart'' or ''oxcart''. In modern times, horsecarts are used in [[draft horse showing]] competitions. A ''[[dogcart]]'', however, is usually a cart designed to carry [[hunting dog]]s: an open cart with two cross-seats back to back; the dogs could be penned between the rear-facing seat and the back end.


The term "cart" (synonymous in this sense with ''chair'') is also used for various kinds of lightweight, two-wheeled carriages, some of them ''[[sprung cart]]s'' (or ''spring carts''), especially those used as open pleasure or sporting vehicles. They could be drawn by a horse, pony or dog. Examples include:
The term "cart" (synonymous in this sense with ''chair'') is also used for various kinds of lightweight, two-wheeled carriages, some of them ''[[sprung cart]]s'' (or ''spring carts''), especially those used as open pleasure or sporting vehicles. They could be drawn by a horse or pony—and if small enough, a dog. Examples include:


* Cocking cart: short-bodied, high, two-wheeled, seat for a groom behind the box; for [[tandem]] driving{{r|smith|page=53}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.caaonline.com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key=15&MCat=16 |title=Carriage Tour |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027142119/http://www.caaonline.com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key=15&MCat=16 |archive-date=October 27, 2007 |website=[[Carriage Association of America]]}}</ref>
* Cocking cart: short-bodied, high, two-wheeled, seat for a groom behind the box; for [[tandem]] driving{{r|smith|page=53}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.caaonline.com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key=15&MCat=16 |title=Carriage Tour |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027142119/http://www.caaonline.com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key=15&MCat=16 |archive-date=October 27, 2007 |website=[[Carriage Association of America]]}}</ref>
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* [[Float (horse-drawn)|Float]]: a dropped axle to give an especially low load bed, for carrying heavy or unstable items such as [[milk churn]]s. The name survives today as a [[milkfloat]].{{r|smith|page=79}}
* [[Float (horse-drawn)|Float]]: a dropped axle to give an especially low load bed, for carrying heavy or unstable items such as [[milk churn]]s. The name survives today as a [[milkfloat]].{{r|smith|page=79}}
* [[Governess cart]]: light, two-wheeled, entered from the rear, body partly or wholly of [[wickerwork]], seat for two persons along each side; also called ''governess car, tub-cart''{{r|smith|page=88}}
* [[Governess cart]]: light, two-wheeled, entered from the rear, body partly or wholly of [[wickerwork]], seat for two persons along each side; also called ''governess car, tub-cart''{{r|smith|page=88}}
* [[Ralli car]]: light, two-wheeled, horse-drawn, for two persons facing forward, or four, two facing forward and two rearward. The seat is adjustable fore-and-aft to keep the vehicle balanced for two or four people.{{r|smith|page=139}}
* [[Ralli car]]: a two-wheeled vehicle for two persons facing forward, or four back to back.{{r|smith|page=139}}
* Stolkjaerre: two-wheeled, front seat for two, rear seat for the driver; used in Norway{{r|smith|page=155}}
* Stolkjaerre: two-wheeled, front seat for two, rear seat for the driver; used in Norway{{r|smith|page=155}}
* Tax cart: spring cart, formerly subject to a small tax in England; also called ''taxed cart''{{r|smith|page=160}}
* Whitechapel cart: spring cart, light, two-wheeled, especially for family or light delivery service{{r|smith|page=173}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scalemodelhorsedrawnvehicle.co.uk/(carriages).htm|title=Horse Drawn Carriages|publisher=Scalemodelhorsedrawnvehicle.co.uk|access-date=August 25, 2014|archive-date=April 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429114025/http://www.scalemodelhorsedrawnvehicle.co.uk/(carriages).htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.driffieldtoday.co.uk/news/local/horse-drawn-vehicles-in-the-19th-century-1-4189245 |title=Horse drawn vehicles in the 19th Century – Driffield Post Times|publisher=Driffieldtoday.co.uk |date=January 27, 2012 |access-date=2014-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220215507/http://www.driffieldtoday.co.uk/news/local/horse-drawn-vehicles-in-the-19th-century-1-4189245 |archive-date=February 20, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Whitechapel cart: spring cart, light, two-wheeled, especially for family or light delivery service{{r|smith|page=173}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scalemodelhorsedrawnvehicle.co.uk/(carriages).htm|title=Horse Drawn Carriages|publisher=Scalemodelhorsedrawnvehicle.co.uk|access-date=August 25, 2014|archive-date=April 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429114025/http://www.scalemodelhorsedrawnvehicle.co.uk/(carriages).htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.driffieldtoday.co.uk/news/local/horse-drawn-vehicles-in-the-19th-century-1-4189245 |title=Horse drawn vehicles in the 19th Century – Driffield Post Times|publisher=Driffieldtoday.co.uk |date=January 27, 2012 |access-date=2014-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220215507/http://www.driffieldtoday.co.uk/news/local/horse-drawn-vehicles-in-the-19th-century-1-4189245 |archive-date=February 20, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>


The builder of a cart may be known as a ''cartwright''; the surname "Carter" also derives from the occupation of transporting goods by cart or wagon.
The builder of a cart may be known as a ''cartwright''. A person operating a horse and cart for haulage was called a ''[[wikt:carter#English|carter]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Carter? |url=https://www.unlockyourpast.co.uk/old-occupation-carter/ |first=Sarah |last=Smith |website=Unlock Your Past |date=21 June 2024}}</ref> and the surname "[[Carter (name)|Carter]]" derives from the occupation.


Carts have many different shapes, but the basic idea of transporting material (or maintaining a collection of materials in a portable fashion) remains. Carts may have a pair of shafts, one along each side of the draught animal that supports the forward-balanced load in the cart. The shafts are supported by a saddle on the horse. Alternatively (and normally where the animals are oxen or buffalo), the cart may have a single pole between a pair of animals. The draught traces attach to the axle of the vehicle or to the shafts. The traces are attached to a collar (on horses), to a yoke (on other heavy draught animals) or to a harness on dogs or other light animals.
Carts have many different shapes, but the basic idea of transporting material (or maintaining a collection of materials in a portable fashion) remains. Carts may have a pair of shafts, one along each side of the draught animal that supports the forward-balanced load in the cart. The shafts are supported by a saddle on the horse. Alternatively (and normally where the animals are oxen or buffalo), the cart may have a single pole between a pair of animals. The draught traces attach to the axle of the vehicle or to the shafts. The traces are attached to a collar (on horses), to a yoke (on other heavy draught animals) or to a harness on dogs or other light animals.
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File:Mejuffrouw Tachard en Ernst van Loon in een rijtuig voor huis Hydepark, RP-F-2007-361-27.jpg|Pony and cart (Netherlands, 1888)
File:Mejuffrouw Tachard en Ernst van Loon in een rijtuig voor huis Hydepark, RP-F-2007-361-27.jpg|Pony and cart (Netherlands, 1888)
File:Driving Competion (3716744148).jpg|Modern cart (England, 2009)
File:Driving Competion (3716744148).jpg|Modern cart (England, 2009)
File:Beverley Gas Works, Old Hull Road 1910 (archive ref DDX1544-1-11) (28284430335).jpg|Heavy hauling cart (England, circa 1910)
File:Grey Orlov Trotter.jpg|[[Sulky|Racing sulkies]] are carts (Russia, 2010)
File:Grey Orlov Trotter.jpg|[[Sulky|Racing sulkies]] are carts (Russia, 2010)
File:Hammond Slides Samarkand 05.jpg|Donkey and cart (Uzbekistan, 1964)
File:Hammond Slides Samarkand 05.jpg|Donkey and cart (Uzbekistan, 1964)
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* [[Bullock cart]] – pulled by oxen
* [[Bullock cart]] – pulled by oxen
* [[Dogcart (dog-drawn)|Dog cart]] – pulled by dogs
* [[Dogcart (dog-drawn)|Dog cart]] – pulled by dogs
* [[Rickshaw]] – pulled by humans
* [[Horse-drawn vehicle]] – pulled by horses
* [[Horse-drawn vehicles]] – pulled by horses


; Horse-drawn
; Horse-drawn
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* [[Float (horse-drawn)|Float]]
* [[Float (horse-drawn)|Float]]
* [[Hansom cab]]
* [[Hansom cab]]
* [[Sled]]/sleigh
* [[Sulky]]
* [[Sulky]]
* [[Wagon]]
; Human powered push-carts
* [[Hand truck]]
* [[Wheelbarrow]]
* [[Baggage cart]]
* [[Shopping cart]]
* [[Serving cart]]


; Miscellaneous
; Miscellaneous
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* {{Annotated link|Sling cart}}
* {{Annotated link|Sling cart}}
* {{Annotated link|Wainwright (occupation)}}
* {{Annotated link|Wainwright (occupation)}}
; Images
* {{Commons category-inline|Carts}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Hand carts}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Pushcarts}}
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="ansi">{{Cite web |title=ANSI/OPEI Z130.1-2020: Golf Cars Safety Specifications |url=https://blog.ansi.org/ansi/ansi-opei-z130-1-2020-golf-cars-safety/ |date=August 4, 2020 |first=Brad |last=Kelechava |website=[[American National Standards Institute]]}}</ref>
<ref name="anthony">{{cite book |last=Anthony |first=David W. |title=The Horse, the Wheel, and Language : How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World |year=2007 |publisher=Princeton University Press |ol=11182657M |isbn=9780691058870}}</ref>
<ref name="berkebile1978">{{Cite book |last=Berkebile |first=Donald H. |title=Carriage Terminology: An Historical Dictionary |year=1978 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press |isbn=9781935623434 |ol=33342342M}}</ref>
<ref name="collins-handcart">{{Cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/handcart |title=Definition of 'handcart' |website=Collins online dictionary}}</ref>
<ref name="collins-pushcart">{{Cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pushcart |title=Definition of 'pushcart' |website=Collins online dictionary}}</ref>
<ref name="hirst">{{Cite web |title=The Invention of the Wheel and Wheeled Vehicles : The Impact of Wheeled Vehicles on Human History |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/wheeled-vehicles-history-practical-human-use-171870 |website=ThoughtCo |first=K. Kris |last=Hirst |date=September 20, 2018 |orig-date=April 4, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="klein">{{Cite journal |title=Evolution of the Wheel |first=H. E. |last=Kleinschmidt |journal=The Scientific Monthly |date=October 1944 |volume=59 |issue=4 |pages=273-282 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/18250}}</ref>
<ref name="piggott">{{cite book |last=Piggott |first=Stuart |title=The Earliest Wheeled Transport |publisher=Thames and Hudson |year=1983 |isbn=9780801416040}}</ref>


<ref name="smith">{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Horse Drawn Vehicles |first=D.J.M. |last=Smith |year=1988 |publisher=J. A. Allen & Co. Ltd. |isbn=0851314686 |ol=11597864M}}</ref>
<ref name="smith">{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Horse Drawn Vehicles |first=D.J.M. |last=Smith |year=1988 |publisher=J. A. Allen & Co. Ltd. |isbn=0851314686 |ol=11597864M}}</ref>


}}
}}
==External links==
{{Sister project links}}


{{Horse-drawn carriages|state=collapsed}}
{{Horse-drawn carriages|state=collapsed}}

Latest revision as of 06:52, 20 November 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "about".

File:Horse & cart, Town, Beamish Museum, 21 November 2013 (cropped).jpg
Horse and cart (England, 2013)
File:Dockworkers in Cap-Haitien.jpg
Dockworkers and hand cart (Haiti, 2006)

A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand[1]) 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.

The word cart is often used interchangeably with trolley (especially in the UK) and wagon (especially in the US).Template:R Over time, the word "cart" has expanded to mean nearly any small conveyance without regard to number of wheels, load carried, or means of propulsion. The word car has often been modified to cart through colloquialization. For example, several small sport and hobby cars carry "cart" in their name such as pedal carts (manually pedaled), soap-box carts (gravity run), and go-carts (gas engine). Similarly, golf cars are more commonly known as golf carts.Template:R

History

File:Eastern Han Bronze Chariot (10336760463).jpg
Han dynasty bronze figures, 1st or 2nd century AD

The history of the cart is closely tied to the invention of the wheel. Pre-dating the wheel there were dragged devices like sledges and travois. The earliest known wheels date back to around 3400 to 3000 BC. The combination of the wheel and axle enabled the development of early wheeled vehicles which transformed human mobility and trade. The earliest wheeled vehicles had four-wheels (wagons), however two-wheeled vehicles (carts) required about 40% less pulling force than a four-wheeled vehicle of the same weight and were more maneuverable.Template:RTemplate:R

With the domestication of animals such as oxen and horses, carts became central to ancient economies. Animal‑drawn carts and wagons were widely used across civilizations for farming, trade, and migration. Their evolution—from solid wooden wheels to lighter spoked designs—marked a major technological advance, improving efficiency and enabling long‑distance transport.Template:R

Human-powered carts

Large carts

  • Rickshaw: Used to transport passengers
  • Pushcart: a street vendor's or costermonger's cart which carries goods for sale and is manually pushed into position near streets or marketplaces.Template:R
  • Food cart: a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell food to passers-by
  • Mormon handcarts: A large cart used in the mid-1800s by westward-emigrating Mormons to carry their belongings

Small carts

Small human pushed or pulled conveyances commonly called carts can have any number of wheels (not limited to two). The term handcart can mean any of numerous small conveyances.Template:R

  • Hand truck: A two-wheeled upright handcart for moving boxes, sacks, large appliances and other loads
  • Baggage cart: for travelers to carry luggage in places like airports and train stations
  • Shopping cart: a wheeled basket supplied by a store for use by customers inside the premises as they move around selecting items prior to paying for those goods
  • Serving cart: for transporting prepared food for serving to customers such as in a restaurant or airplanes; may be named for what it carries, such as tea cart for tea service, or pastry cart for offering desserts at a restaurant

Animal-powered carts

Larger carts may be drawn by animals, such as horses, mules, and oxen. They have been in continuous use since the invention of the wheel, in the 4th millennium BC. Carts may be named for the animal that pulls them, such as horsecart or oxcart. In modern times, horsecarts are used in draft horse showing competitions. A dogcart, however, is usually a cart designed to carry hunting dogs: an open cart with two cross-seats back to back; the dogs could be penned between the rear-facing seat and the back end.

The term "cart" (synonymous in this sense with chair) is also used for various kinds of lightweight, two-wheeled carriages, some of them sprung carts (or spring carts), especially those used as open pleasure or sporting vehicles. They could be drawn by a horse or pony—and if small enough, a dog. Examples include:

  • Cocking cart: short-bodied, high, two-wheeled, seat for a groom behind the box; for tandem drivingTemplate:R[2]
  • Dogcart: light, usually one horse, commonly two-wheeled and high, two transverse seats set back to backTemplate:R
  • Float: a dropped axle to give an especially low load bed, for carrying heavy or unstable items such as milk churns. The name survives today as a milkfloat.Template:R
  • Governess cart: light, two-wheeled, entered from the rear, body partly or wholly of wickerwork, seat for two persons along each side; also called governess car, tub-cartTemplate:R
  • Ralli car: a two-wheeled vehicle for two persons facing forward, or four back to back.Template:R
  • Stolkjaerre: two-wheeled, front seat for two, rear seat for the driver; used in NorwayTemplate:R
  • Whitechapel cart: spring cart, light, two-wheeled, especially for family or light delivery serviceTemplate:R[3][4]

The builder of a cart may be known as a cartwright. A person operating a horse and cart for haulage was called a carter,[5] and the surname "Carter" derives from the occupation.

Carts have many different shapes, but the basic idea of transporting material (or maintaining a collection of materials in a portable fashion) remains. Carts may have a pair of shafts, one along each side of the draught animal that supports the forward-balanced load in the cart. The shafts are supported by a saddle on the horse. Alternatively (and normally where the animals are oxen or buffalo), the cart may have a single pole between a pair of animals. The draught traces attach to the axle of the vehicle or to the shafts. The traces are attached to a collar (on horses), to a yoke (on other heavy draught animals) or to a harness on dogs or other light animals.

Traces are made from a range of materials depending on the load and frequency of use. Heavy draught traces are made from iron or steel chain. Lighter traces are often leather and sometimes hemp rope, but plaited horse-hair and other similar decorative materials can be used.

The dray is often associated with the transport of barrels.Template:R

See also

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Pulled carts
Horse-drawn
Miscellaneous
Images

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References

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Template:Horse-drawn carriages Template:Human-powered vehicles Template:Authority control

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