Colorado Kid

I passed some folks setting up a stand to sell Christmas Trees! This had me thinking, is it possible to haul home a full size Christmas Tree in a trailer? (Has anyone done it before?)

FBinNY 

I've never done it. But many years ago knew someone who used 2 wheels on an axle to tow lumber. I assume something similar could be improvised to pull a Christmas tree.

BTW- it's funny that you ask. I was thinking of starting a thread asking what's the largest, heaviest or most outrageous thing you ever carried on a bike.

sauerwald

I did it, not with a huge tree, but a decent sided one. My trailer is the Cycletote 'small cargo trailer'/ They now make a larger version, which I suspect could haul most anything.

AusTexMurf

Went with a buddy of mine to pick up a free oak tree from treefolks. At least 6 foot tall oak. Bungeed it to the rack, wrapped cheap battery xmas lights on it, and away we went. We were headed back to his house, but the tree looked so good and rode so well that we ended up adding about 6 miles to our ride for kicks.

Had right at 1400 total lbs on my pedicab a few years ago, hauling family members for our state track and field expo. Most weight I have ever carried. Although lots of crazy weight loads during our Republic of Texas Biker Rally.

steve0257

Don't forget to invite to invite those in the utility cycling group to participate.

peterw_diy

Colorado Kid, it would help to know more about your trailer. With a long Bikes At Work trailer, no problem. With a typical 30" long basic trailer, I think it could be pretty tricky. Your best bet might be laying it sideways if you have wheel guards and/or can somehow keep the tree off the wheels, and even then you'd be making yourself wider than an SUV (a Ford Expedition is just 6.5 feet wide). I suspect standing it upright in the trailer would be difficult, if only because the center of gravity would be so high. To steve0257's point -- yes, exactly. With a Yuba or Xtracycle it'd be a simple matter of standing the tree upright on the sideloader bars and strapping it against the side rack, no big deal. Even easier with a box bike, just toss it in and start riding. If you don't have a cargo bike or long trailer, strapping it atop a normal rear rack like AusTexMurf describes seems smarter to me than trying to use a smaller cargo trailer.

How do you know it was 1400#??? Have all you pedicab folks in downtown Austin snuck a weigh station somewhere on Congress Ave? Did you ask them their weight? Were they so impressed at the crazy loads you folks pedal in the Texas heat that they told you their total weight all on their own?

xtrajack

I would use my longloader, and lash the tree to my Xtracycle.

AusTexMurf

This was before city code limiting to three passengers max. I weigh 185. Trike, batteries, gear, water, about 210 lbs.

I had five large people, 3 in the seat and two on laps, at the time. These folks were the parents/family members of our high school and college level state wide track and field expo. Their family member participating in the event was a shot-put/discuss guy.
1000 lbs for the 5 of them would be a conservative estimate.
Trike and I moved them just fine. Low gears, good design.
I have also had 2 bikers and their girls on laps in my trike during the Republic of Texas Biker Rally. Each of the bikers had to be 300+ lbs, plus the weight of their girls.

So there you go…..


And, this sure would move a tree or two…..

AusTexMurf

[h=2]64A Bicycle Trailer[/h][h=3]$625.00 more info[/h]Medium length, standard width bicycle trailer. Carries up to 300 lb / 140 kg. Has space for 4-8 plastic storage containers. Useful for carrying large grocery loads, bicycles, tools, landscape supplies, and lumber up to 8' / 2.4 m long.

or,


or,

You are looking at our Ted trailer. It is 32” long and 24” wide. Ted is basically the same as our Bill trailer but shorter. It’s made of TIG-welded cro-moly steel for strength and long life. We’ve studied a lot of other trailers and thought about what we want out of a general purpose trailer. From it’s construction to all the details, we’re proud to offer you a trailer you can use for a long, long time to carry all kinds of stuff. When you don’t need it, it easily disconnects from your bike and when you’re ready to use it again it attaches just as quick and stays attached until you remove it.
We’ve added threaded mounting points for decking, corner stakes or for adding custom-built pieces. The wheels are strong, with stainless steel spokes and hardware, aluminum rims and durable, fast-rolling 16x1.95” tires.
Our hitch system is designed to be as universal as possible. This hitch will likely fit your bike. It works with full-suspension frames, disc brakes, rear racks and fenders. It adjusts to accommodate hub widths from 120 – 145mm and allows you to align the centerline of the trailer on the centerline of the bike. It will work with bikes that have wheels as small as 20" and as large as 29" while keeping the bed level with the ground. This is especially important when you are hauling long items that hang off the back of the trailer (lumber, tubing, ladders, etc.).