Utility Cycling - My new flatbed trailer build

Actually finished this about a month ago, but just now got my camera working again.

The trailer is built out of red oak lumber, stained and top coated with three coats of clear polyurethane. Its a standard box frame design using 1 x 3's, but instead of using wood glue and screws for the frame, I used threaded brass inserts and machine screws. I admit I may have over engineered building it, but it turned out fairly nice, and pulls like a dream. Havent weighed it yet, but feels like maybe 35 lbs total. It rides on 20 in. BMX wheels, 36-spoke I bought new.

This trailer is a little unique in that the center of gravity is below axle center line. The axle brackets are steel electrical switch housing plates and is plenty strong. Because of the lower center of gravity I can dive into a turn at 20 mph and it wont flip, and thats with a case of beer in it. The trailer tongue is 3/4" EMT conduit bent around a tree and connecting to my seatpost. I decided on this type of connection because I did not want to mount it to the Columbus SL frame or dropout on my bike. The draw weight on the hitch tongue is about 2 lbs, so the trailer is balanced pretty good. Like I said, it pulls like a dream and tracks straight behind me, with no bad manners. I pull my 2 y/o grandson in all the time and he loves it. Special thanks should go to forum members "tightwad" and "cycleholic" who have blazed this trail before and gave me sound advice. Thanks Guys!!

Oh Yeah, forgot to add: the dimensions on this is 36" long x 28" wide.




http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2238/2058171205_49cde2f973_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2232/2058171337_5008e7ed9e_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2054/2058171431_dad59b18de_o.jpg




Couple more pics of the trailer hooked to my bike, and one of my grtandson in it. Future plans are to screw some kind of childs seat in it, with seatbelts and some chrome fenders.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2298/2058295425_d3e5e94479_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2274/2059079932_90624027ed_o.jpg

Very pretty.

Extraordinarily nice.
Tell us about your hitch, please. How did you fabricate it? And may I see a closer shot of it?

I love the look of the finished wood, very nice work..... and designed around proven engineering principles. Well done!
:beer:

P.S. Don't forget to add a pic or two to the "post your trailer" sticky thread.

Extraordinarily nice.
Tell us about your hitch, please. How did you fabricate it? And may I see a closer shot of it?



As you wish sir.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2374/2058411943_4419e47544.jpg


...stupidly cheap, stupidly simple, and stupidly effective.

Atually I was kinda proud of this because its my own design. The 'U' shaped bracket is an old off road driving light mount (steel) I pirated off my sons Dodge Powerwagon, drilled for a 5/16 hitch pin I made out of a 5/16 bolt. The driving light bracket is clamped to the seatpost with a hose clamp, with sections of pvc pipe acting as a spacer to protect the seatpost.

The hitchpin bolt has all the threads ground off and is inserted thru the eye bolt with a piece of rubber fuel line acting as a buffer or damper. The rubber fuel line eliminates any slack at the hitch pin and also allows for articulation when making turns. Its really amazing how good this system works. There is no bumping or pushing/pulling effects when pulling this trailer. At the top of the hitch pin bolt I drilled a small hole (3/32) and use a small trailer hitch like pin to keep the bolt from falling out.

Simple, easy, cheap!! :D

I love the look of the finished wood, very nice work..... and designed around proven engineering principles. Well done!
:beer:

P.S. Don't forget to add a pic or two to the "post your trailer" sticky thread.


......gotta hand it to ya Cyclaholic, your posts and advice were the guiding light for this build. I cannot believe the fun I'm having pulling this trailer around. It definitely opens a new door to my cycling fun, not to mention the looks I get hauling two cases of beer and pepsi in it and whatever groceries the wife sends me after. As long as I keep my speed down to say 12 mph, I can pull this trailer all day long. :D

Also very nice.
If I may, you could use some light chain (threaded through some automotive tubing to protect your frame's paint and to keep the chain quiet) and a carribeaner to act as an emergency catch. Attach the carribeaner to the tongue with another hose clamp. Clip the eye of the last link of one end of the chain into the carribeaner. Then loop the other end of the chain through your seat cluster/around the seat post and secure its last link again with the carribeaner.

As you wish sir......................... -
...........stupidly cheap, stupidly simple, and stupidly effective.
Simple, easy, cheap!! :D

Brilliant in its simplicity:) My hat is off

......gotta hand it to ya Cyclaholic, your posts and advice were the guiding light for this build. I cannot believe the fun I'm having pulling this trailer around. It definitely opens a new door to my cycling fun, not to mention the looks I get hauling two cases of beer and pepsi in it and whatever groceries the wife sends me after. As long as I keep my speed down to say 12 mph, I can pull this trailer all day long. :D

Thanks wino, I appreciate you saying that, but the hard work and the credit is all yours.

It's great fun, and the feeling of independence (self reliance?) hauling stuff is quite a buzz, as you've discovered. :D Just today I went for milk, then to the market garden for some fresh produce... all with my 5yo girl on the trail-a-bike, and the kiddy carrier trailer to carry the cargo (road train style :D ) at the supermarket people look at us like we landed from a nother planet.

Clip the eye of the last link of one end of the chain into the carribeaner. Then loop the other end of the chain through your seat cluster/around the seat post and secure its last link again with the carribeaner.[/QUOTE]



hhmmm........fuel for thought. :D

You mean like a light chain encased in plastic, like one of those cheap chain locks for kids bikes??

I guess I would need some kind of safety catch!..........not bad 'oldfool'.....


not bad atall :D

WELL DONE, MATE!! WELL DONE.

Point to note. GET A SEAT BELT IN THAT CART BEFORE YOU
GIVE THAT BOY ANOTHER RIDE. DO IT!!

I learn the hard way about kids in cycle trailers and seat belts.
I,too, used to give my youngest two boys rides in my wood
homebuilt trailer. Then one day my youngest stood up at the
same time I hit a bump pitching him out onto the road way
on his head!!!!!! Now that boy is a tough but I nearly died
when I went back to see if he was hurt. Nasty cut but
no concussion so when we got home from the hospital
I put a seat belt in that cart.

If your boy stand up or gets pitched out .......no, I don't
want to think about that. GET A SEAT BELT IN THAT CART!!!

[QUOTE=Tightwad;5684986]WELL DONE, MATE!! WELL DONE.

Point to note. GET A SEAT BELT IN THAT CART BEFORE YOU
GIVE THAT BOY ANOTHER RIDE. DO IT!!


Thanks for the kind words (and sound advice) tightwad. My little buddy (Runt) loves riding around in that trailer, but you're right, I'll have to rig up a childs seat and seatbelt before we go out again. I need to anyway because so far we've just been riding around the neighborhood, and I want to pull him all over town for ice cream runs and to the park. Actually, I really wont be satisfied until I also get some fenders mounted, so he wont stick his fingers in the spokes or touch the tires. He's been a pretty good trooper on what grandpa tells him though, but still, I'll need to eliminate any potential dangers for him.

I love pulling that trailer at 15-17 mph and hearing him cackling. That is priceless!!

You mean like a light chain encased in plastic, like one of those cheap chain locks for kids bikes??


Yeah, that would work well. What I had in mind using was the grade of chain one would use for a porch swing or similar and threading it through a piece of silicone or plastic tubing.

[QUOTE]


Thanks for the kind words (and sound advice) tightwad. My little buddy (Runt) loves riding around in that trailer, but you're right, I'll have to rig up a childs seat and seatbelt before we go out again. I need to anyway because so far we've just been riding around the neighborhood, and I want to pull him all over town for ice cream runs and to the park. Actually, I really wont be satisfied until I also get some fenders mounted, so he wont stick his fingers in the spokes or touch the tires. He's been a pretty good trooper on what grandpa tells him though, but still, I'll need to eliminate any potential dangers for him.

I love pulling that trailer at 15-17 mph and hearing him cackling. That is priceless!!

One more item to add that will go a loooooong way to safety is to add a "slow moving vehicle"
triangle that farmers use on their equipment. Drivers will go waaaaay out around you when you
have one on your trailer rear end. Don't know why exactly but it really does make a difference.
Reflectors don't seem to do the same job of warning drivers when you tow a trailer.

The 'U' shaped bracket is an old off road driving light mount (steel) I pirated off my sons Dodge Powerwagon...

That is a beautiful solution... the simple designs are almost always the most functional and dependable.

But it tickles me to imagine you out with a flashlight in the dead of night stealing parts off of your kid's car!! :p

[QUOTE=Hydrated;.
But it tickles me to imagine you out with a flashlight in the dead of night stealing parts off of your kid's car!! :p[/QUOTE]



LOL :D

In effect it was about like that, but I also used his big pipe bumper on his 'Power Wagon' to bend the conduit for the trailer. Still aint told him about that yet. :eek:

Nice work. Thanks for sharing this, especially the close-ups of that hitch setup.

Great Trailer.
My Grandson Loves to ride in my In Step Trailer.
Please make sure he cannot get his hands in the spokes.
Smile when you Ride, I Do.
Fred

Thanks for all the kind words. :D

I know I had a good time building it, eventhough it was'nt on the cheap. The red oak lumber is very expensive as compared to other woods, but I wanted something strong that would hold up to road vibration and carrying loads. The trailer is tough though, and it dont wander. It tracks straight behind me with no pushing or pulling on the hitch.