Last Saturday we wandered down to metro Detroit's progressive little berg of Ferndale for the Green Cruise, an anti-Woodward Dream Cruise, billed as a gasoline-free alternative to the Big Event. We were hoping for electric cars and grease-burners, but it turned out to be mostly just a big bicycle parade — with one marked exception. Dubbed "The Dogsled" by the father-and-son duo who engineered and built it (each of whom refers to the other as "Dog"), the Dogsled is actually destined to roam the playa at Burning Man.
The entire thing is hand-built out of a combination of scavenged parts and steel. The 500-pound machine centers on four huge-diameter wheels built out of salvaged drainage pipe, modified golf cart wheels and chopped up old tires. The four peddlers generate power, which is combined to turn the right rear wheel — the left rear runs on a separate axle and does the stopping with a disc brake. Steering is done with a chain-driven drag link and pitman arm system.
It won't be winning any drag races, but the Dogsled will be cruising Woodward this year alongside its gasoline road mates, undoubtedly collecting a heck of a lot of stares and questions. If you're interested, you can check out the build blog for the beast at Dogsled homepage.