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Working model after Francesco di Giorgio, Ms. Ashburnham 361 (BMLF), fol. 46v
Francesco describes the chariots as vehicles to "pull without animals but with ingenuity".
His drawing shows a four-wheeled vehicle. One pair of wheels is the driving pair, while the other is the steering pair. The device has two gear couplings, both of which appear to be meshed. It requires at least three persons to operate: two to set it in motion, and one to maneuver the steering mechanism via a pinion meshed with a curved rack. The wheels are ringed with an iron belt carrying diamond-tipped studs to grip the soil in muddy terrain.
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Francesco di Giorgio
Carriage