Recreational & Family - Trailer wheel wobble

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sekaijin
05-05-07, 08:29 PM
I've towed my kids in a bike trailer quite a bit, and now the oldest is ready to ride a trailer wheel.

I just attached a trailer wheel for the first time, and took my son up and down the street to try it out.

I found the ride to be very wobbly and unstable-feeling at low speed, with the towed weight rocking noticeably from side to side.

Is this because this trailer wheel is a piece of junk, and a better model will ride better? (It's a shabby-looking thing I got for $10 at a garage sale.) Or is that just what they feel like, and could it be because my 5-year-old son (his first time riding on one) was tilting from side to side?

DieselDan
05-05-07, 08:47 PM
The wobble was probably one of two things:

First problem is a worn or loose hitch. If it is worn out, you can usually get a replacement hitch. Try tightening down all of the bolts before going for a replacement. If you're a bit more mechanically advanced, you can peen the correct points to tighten it up.

The other problem could be you. Sometimes a precieved mechanical problem is a rider's form problem. Riding slow usually causes a rider, particularly a causal rider, to move his or her arms back an forth to maintain balance. This motion gets amplified through the connecting hitch and can be smooth out with some practice.