Date:	Wed, 16 Nov 1994 11:54:13 -1000
From:	Mell@buggy.demon.co.uk (Ian Meredith)
Message-Id: <785022853snz@buggy.demon.co.uk>
Organization: British Buggy Club
Subject: Disabled Buggying

The buggy boat needs to be steered by the feet and afaik there is not a device
for achieving what you require.

When you control a buggy there are a nuber of actions that you use. 
Control of the kite - usually by hands.
Steering the buggy - by feet.
Maintaining control - weight distribution.

Now, there is a large initial force to overcome the rolling resistence to get 
you going and your upper body spends most of the time controling the engine
or pull of the kite.  Your feet need to react to what your upper body is doing.

Your weight changes as you move, depending on amount of pull or change of
direction and also stopping, starting.

If you take away the feedback that you get by using some other device I think 
that it would be very difficult to control.

A device that used the upper body for steering could put the buggier in a 
difficult situation as the steering may conflict with the weight distribution
required to keep the buggy from tipping.

If you lean to the right to steer left then a gust will pull you to the right
and steer your buggy to the left, increasing pull and catapulting you out 
of the buggy.

If you lean right to steer right then a sudden gust would pull you to the right
and you would steer right but I doubt wether you could compensate once the 
buggy has flicked round.

I suggest that a tandem setup where the able bodie person sits in the front
and the disabled in the back share a stack of say flexi's using a pully on each
line and two sets of handles are attatched.  The left line of the kite is then
controlled by both buggiers left hands and the right line by both right hands.

This system works extremly well and share the load between the two buggiers, 
ans also virtually elimnates the awkward sideways spin out experienced by the
back buggier.  It also means that should and person need a rest (thos that are
mere mortals) then they can hold the handle s firmly in one postion and the
other buggier can do all the work...still with a reduce load.


MadJohn and I have used this syetm and it really does work!

NOTE.  This system trashes 10M Peels (the bridles stretch and the kite flutters
       and needs some heavy adjustments).
I strongly reccommend Flexi's.


Does this help?
-- 
Ian Meredith
                         !!! *British Buggy Club* !!!
                         !!! Fun On Three Wheels. !!!


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