Utility Cycling - bike trailer questions

I picked up a 2nd hand, kid-haulin' trailer yesterday: the Ross Kid Kab, if anyone's ever seen/heard of one. I wanted it for occasional grocery store trips and to take my dog(s) to the park (at 55 and 60 lbs, I'm thinking only one at a time). Never used a trailer before, so I didn't know if I should be concerned about a couple of things:

(I should have taken pictures, but now the whole thing is in pieces in my living room.)

The wheels were not straight. They lean out a bit so that they are closer together at the top than at the bottom. I don't know if this is standard or not. I towed it a few blocks with no load, and it seemed to handle fine. I've been crawling all over it trying to modify it for my purposes, and nothing looks bent, so I'm hoping that bowed out look is intentional and not the result of over-loading somewhere down the line.

I took out the seat. I'm not putting kids in it, the dogs aren't going to sit in the seat(s), and I think I can stack a little more in there with the seats gone, but I'm concerned that the seats also functioned as a way to keep weight off the floor of the trailer and on to the frame. The seat (or seats, I suppose, since you could put two kids in side-by-side) is basically a length of canvas that goes from a crossbar on the floor of the trailer, close to the front, to the upper, back portion of the trailer, making kind of a hammock seat. I took the seat out, and also the cross section on the floor, but now I'm wondering if the plastic floor can actually hold all the weight that would have usually been on the seat, and therefore supported more directly by the frame than the floor. But then I'm thinking the floor feels sturdier than the canvas seat was, and the floor has to be sturdy enough to take the weight of the kids when they're getting in and out of the trailer, so I should probably be okay, but I'm just wondering if anyone else has any experience with similar conversions of a kid trailer to a general utility trailer.

Might have to get some pictures up if my explanations aren't good enough, but right now the seat's been taken out (and it's not going back in. That was a pain.), and the wheels are off and disassembled for lubing and truing (as much as possible with old, steel rims), so it doesn't look like much at the moment.

I do not know this trailer, but to me it sounds like the angle of the wheels is mad like that to make the trailer more stabile in curves. Not at all unusual. I`we been looking alot at trailers like this becouse I`we been thinking of doing the same. They all have much the same construction innside, so maybe you can do what I planned to do. I am thinking of fitting a plywood floor in the trailer, connecting it to the frame to get the frame to carry the weight as you`we been thinking.

I do not know this trailer, but to me it sounds like the angle of the wheels is mad like that to make the trailer more stabile in curves. Not at all unusual.

Glad to hear it's normal construction. That's what I was hoping, but looking through the trailer thread, most everyone seemed to have pretty straight tires. But then both tires are at about the same angle, which also gave me hope that it was by design rather than because of damage.


I`we been looking alot at trailers like this becouse I`we been thinking of doing the same. They all have much the same construction innside, so maybe you can do what I planned to do. I am thinking of fitting a plywood floor in the trailer, connecting it to the frame to get the frame to carry the weight as you`we been thinking.

Yeah, I have considered ways to improve the support, but I don't have the tools/ability to do a whole lot of serious modding, like cutting out and fastening in a new floor, so I'm hoping it will work as is. But I have been trying to figure out if I can run some metal strips from one side of the frame to the other underneath the plastic floor using the existing bolt locations to give it a little more support. I just haven't figured out how I get metal pieces cut to length with holes in the right spots.

Could uou zip tie a plywood floor to the frame? Then you only need a drill (or a small caliber gun :D) to make the holes for the zipties. Also the nylonweb straps used to secure loads on cars can be used to make a "bed" for the plywood.

I`we been looking for the plastic (nylon) mesh found in gardensenters (often replaced the old fashioned chickenwire) to ziptie it to a biketrailer to make a strong but light floor. This type is also used as fences, both at roadwork sites and :D sports arrangements. Could be a bit risky on its own with the dogs, they could get stuck in it.

I do not know this trailer, but to me it sounds like the angle of the wheels is mad like that to make the trailer more stabile in curves. Not at all unusual.

Exactly right. It's called camber and with the tops inward, it is called negative camber. In a turn, negative camber puts the force on the tire more perpendicular to the road surface. It also causes a larger tire contact patch with the road on the outside tire, though it is still reduced on the inside tire. It's very common in automotive design and it seems to me all the sporty and racing wheelchairs are designed this way.

Eric

I DONT reccommend the single-wheel trailer from Nashbar. The center of gravity is too high, and it can't
carry very much.

Why not cruise the trailer stickies on on this board. Lot's of info there.

But I have been trying to figure out if I can run some metal strips from one side of the frame to the other underneath the plastic floor using the existing bolt locations to give it a little more support. I just haven't figured out how I get metal pieces cut to length with holes in the right spots.

I would be very concerned about the reduction in the structure's rigidity with the seat removed. At a minimum, you should do what you described here... The metal strips you are talking about are easily available at Home Depot. They have 1/16-in thick metal strips with holes already drilled in them about an inch apart. For a stronger support, I would get the strip that is "L" shaped in its cross section. They're easy to cut with a Dremel or hacksaw.

Rigidity is one of the reasons I would use a plywood. Also the weight of two dogs.

I ripped all the seats, cover, and floor stuff out of my used In-Step trailer and installed a floor made from the corrogated plastic material that cheap outdoor advertising signs are made of. Act now and maybe you can be only kid on your block to have a Huckabee trailer! It is cheap and seems pretty tough. And when it cracks, I can always replace it. I have mine secured with several sheet metal screws and big washers plus a big bungee slung under the middle to take up some of the weight of what I am carrying. So far, so good. And way, way lighter than wood.

jim

I am using 1/4" pegboard on mine. Lightweight and easy to mount to the frame with sheet metal screws. I have enough support under the board so that it won't flex.

I ripped all the seats, cover, and floor stuff out of my used In-Step trailer and installed a floor made from the corrogated plastic material that cheap outdoor advertising signs are made of. Act now and maybe you can be only kid on your block to have a Huckabee trailer! It is cheap and seems pretty tough. And when it cracks, I can always replace it. I have mine secured with several sheet metal screws and big washers plus a big bungee slung under the middle to take up some of the weight of what I am carrying. So far, so good. And way, way lighter than wood.

Good to know. I feel pretty good about the plastic floor that's currently in the trailer. It seems pretty sturdy, but I'll probably take sestiver's advice and add a support bar or two underneath. Of course now I'm falling into the trap of every "cheap" project I start: To fix up a $30 trailer I'll be needing to buy a hacksaw (and presumably something to support the metal while I saw it), and a cone wrench the right size to fit the tires. The dog will slide around on that plastic floor, so there's going to have to be some padding or a mat or a pillow and something to hold it in place (grommets and bungees? velcro?), or maybe just a "welcome" mat with a rubber bottom layer. and I've yet to figure out what keeps the dog from jumping out. Half of each of the seat belts remain after having removed the seats, but they are not complementary halves, so unless I cut their mates out of seat (and abandon the idea of ever putting the seats back in), I'll have to figure something else out. They're just standard, plastic clips. Can you buy those anywhere? If so, I could easily fashion something that works with his existing car seat belt. It remains to be seen what the true cost of this trailer will be.

Still a good deal though. Maybe I can get to Lowes Friday and find enough of what I need to give it a test run over the weekend.

Pegboard is not a bad idea either, and it'd give a lot of options as far as fixing other things in (like a mount for the dog tether), but first I think I'm going to see how the original floor holds up.