Best floor for converting kiddie trailers?

[tdister]

I went around tot he local Goodwill stores and came up with 2 trailers, an Instep and a Burley. Both are in excellent shape. Cost me $30 for both, tubes hold air and everything. just needed a knob for the Burley's hitch ($2 at Lowe's).

Main uses will be a 6 mile round trip grocery run and perhaps loading my 70 lb Labrador in her crate (just barely fits between wheels) for up to 10 miles. I was thinking plywood but what about some sort of straps/webbing (nylon, canvas etc.)? I think I could make it just as strong, if not stronger, and much lighter vs the wood. Sewing wouldn't be too much of an issue if needed...finding the material might be.

Any thoughts? We have lot of hills, any weight saving is a big plus... I don't have enough meat on my bones to be pulling unnecessary lbs around.


Edit....was just thinking how much more difficult it would be to secure to fabric...

[The Human Car]

My experience with straps and webbing in other human powered vehicles is that tension is hard to keep consistent so the load ends up resting on just a few points causing wear. Not that big of a deal if you don’t mind replacing the strap every so often (yearly??)

The other issue it is hard to keep the load square with strapping for a floor which may or may not be an issue.

I have used inner tubes, duct tape and nylon straps all with near the same quality of results. Rope seemed to worked out the best (but still could not provide enough support to keep fully away from the moving parts but it was better then the rest.)

-=Barry=-

[MichaelW]

I am a firm believer in corrugated plastic. It is pretty much free and can be cut, folded, bent glued, and rivetted.

[Nightshade]

Either perf board or drill holes in 1/4" plywood to lighten it.

[chevy42083]

I like the webbing idea.

I'd grab a pack of tie-downs from the auto-parts store, walmart, or home improvement store, and lace them up. Only issue I see is debri/water getting to it from the bottom.

Another option could be straps of aluminum... definatly more flat, and easier to secure... I'd still weave them like a basket. Also available at home improvement stores.

[tdister]

Where are the sources for free/cheap corrugated plastic?

I think 1/4" ply would be light enough, I just figured I would need closer to 1/2" to be strong enough over time. My dog crate will ride over the inboard aluminum rails, but my grocery tote will likely keep all the weight closer to the center and directly supported only by the wood.

I was looking at the mesh/grid plastic shopping carts at Lowes, it would def be strong enough, not sure about the weight or where to get a sheet.

[Nightshade]

1/4" ply can be VERY strong if braced right. The edges will be braced by the
frame with a "+" brace of a 1x2 cut to fit on edge to support the center.
However, for a trailer bottom 1/4" will do OK.

If that is unacceptable then use 3/8" plywood and forget the brace. For a sheet
no bigger than a trailer bottom 3/8" ply is PLENTY strong, but it will weight
more than 1/4".

[yes]

I used a piece of really thin plywood, and used a couple of pieces of angled aluminum to support it. My 60 lb dog has put hundreds of miles in there with no problems. Nice deal on the trailers, b/t/w.

[tdister]

yes...Do you have any pics of the aluminum bracing, I am having a hard time picturing the best way to use it.

Oh, and a big thank you to everyone.

[JunkyardWarrior]

what about an old oven rack or something like that.....would be more like the metal grocery carts

[walmart]

Maybe one of those bread trays that you see stacked behind the supermarket right next to the milk crates?

I made a plywood platform for my burley because I needed to carry something that was too long for the burley and so I put a larger platform on top of it and for that I needed a stiff material like wood. Otherwise I would've tried something like those bread trays, which are light, waterproof, easy to tie down to the burley. The only thing is I'm not sure how strudy they are because I've never inspected them closely (never had a use for them).

[bbwolfy]

I used a discarded oven rack for the main floor and placed plastic cardboard over top. It is both light and strong.

[StokerPoker]

a shopping cart FTW! :p I brought home a Christmas tree 4 miles in it last year
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc319/erythropoet/trailerSide.jpg
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc319/erythropoet/trailerF.jpg

[MichaelW]

Free corrugated plastic board
http://www.realsupport.com.au/OurServices/Images/sign.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/SI-CampaignSigns.JPG

[yes]

yes...Do you have any pics of the aluminum bracing, I am having a hard time picturing the best way to use it.

Oh, and a big thank you to everyone.

The plywood is 3/16 " thick (as measured).
There are two pieces of aluminum.
The plywood at the back of the trailer overhangs the aluminum frame of the trailer. So, no bracing was needed there. The plywood at the front could not overhang, b/c of the fabric, so I used a piece of L shaped aluminum (to provide rigidity). In the middle, there are some bolts that keep the fabric tight. I used those to bolt on a piece of aluminum strapping to support the plywood in the middle.

Front of trailer is down in this pic.
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/5926/img0064km8.jpg
You can see a rip in the fabric. This thing has been used and abused on single-track, and rolled on several occasions. The flooring has never failed, though.

Front of trailer is to the left in this pic.
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/3739/img0066ge1.jpg

The plywood is down. I tore out the seats, but left the seat belt, and use a carabiner to attach a doggy harness. Velcro will keep a cushion in place. The overall weight of the trailer was something like 20 - 25 lbs. The weight of the wood and aluminum was basically negligible (a pound or two), especially when the dog hops on.

There are two things that have caused this trailer to roll.
1. Hitting the brakes while off roading down a very steep incline. Well, you have to expect that
2. Letting the dog stand up (unclipped the roof) while taking a sharp corner at speed. When the dog stands, the center of gravity is much higher than intended. Cornering is sketchy. You can look back and see the trailer lift up and ride one wheel.

[Abneycat]

If you go into some military surplus stores around, you may be able to find the cargo straps and netting they use to hold down large packages inside their C-17s. It'd hold.

[Quam]

Letting the dog stand up (unclipped the roof) while taking a sharp corner at speed. When the dog stands, the center of gravity is much higher than intended. Cornering is sketchy. You can look back and see the trailer lift up and ride one wheel.

I was thinking about converting a burley for this same purpose (dog towing). How wide is the wheel stance on those trailers? My dog is 130lbs. (!) I was planning on fabricating a cart with a 24" width stance. If the burley trailer is similar, maybe I ought to rethink this...