Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Electra

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ἔχριμπτ᾽ ἀεὶ σύριγγα, brought the nave of his (left) wheel close to the post at each successive turning. “σῦριγξ” (‘pipe’) is strictly the opening in the nave (“ἡ ὀπὴ τοῦ τροχοῦ”, schol. on 716) which forms the socket of the axle; Suppl. 181 “σύριγγες οὐ σιγῶσιν ἀξονήλατοι” (the sockets of the whirling axles). Here it is a synonym for the “χνόη” (717) or nave itself. That part of the wheel is rightly named here, because it projects slightly. Thus in v. 745 it is the “χνόη” that strikes the post. For ἔχριμπτ̓ cp. Il. 23. 334“τῷ σὺ μάλ᾽ ἐγχρίμψας ἐλάαν σχεδὸν ἅρμα καὶ ἵππους”.

δεξιὸν δ᾽ ἀνεὶς κ.τ.λ. In a “τέθριππον” the four horses were harnessed abreast. The two in the middle were under the yoke (“ζύγιοι”), which was affixed to the pole (“ῥυμός”), and drew by the yoke-collars (“λέπαδνα”） only, not being in traces. They were called respectively “ὁ μέσος δεξιὸς” and “ὁ μέσος ἀριστερός” (schol. Nub. 122). The two outside horses drew by traces (“σειραί”) only, attached to their collars, and fastened to the “ἄντυξ” of the car at its lower edge: hence “σειραῖοι, σειραφόροι”. In turning from right to left, the righthand trace-horse had most work to do; hence “δεξιόσειρος”, fig., a strong helper at need ( Ant. 140 n.). The Homeric poems speak of one trace-horse besides the two yoke-horses (“παρήορος”, the traces being “παρηορίαι”): Il. 8. 87; 16. 152, Il. 471: Od. 4. 590.

Sophocles has in mind the words of Nestor to Antilochus, Il. 23. 336“τὸν δεξιὸν ἵππον” | “κένσαι ὁμοκλήσας, εἶξαί τέ οἱ ἡνία χερσίν:” | “ἐν νύσσῃ δέ τοι ἵππος ἀριστερὸς ἐγχριμφθήτω”, | “ὡς ἄν τοι πλήμνη γε δοάσσεται ἄκρον ἱκέσθαι” | “κύκλου ποιητοῖο” (‘so that just the nave of the well-wrought wheel may seem to graze it’).