bbllaakke

Have any of you guys converted a child trailer to a cargo trailer? I just trash picked one and would like to get some ideas. Post pics!

Thanks

Sirrus Rider

I'm in the same boat as you. I just picked up an early Burley; however, I'm planning to keep the exterior as stock as possible. My main plan is to reinforce the floor and eliminate the "footwell"


My goal is the make the trailer into a "Q-ship" type trailer. I might haul my dog in it; however, I want motorists to have a "Oh Sheet" moment and think I'm hauling kids so they give me a wide berth.

eldenh

I put the top of a plastic cooler under the seat strap to reinforce the floor. Use it enclosed most of the time but found it could work wel with sides folded for large loads.

Cyclaholic

There's been a few very nice conversions posted hereabouts (look through the sticky threads).

I have a child trailer that I often use for shopping, with no modifications. Just have to be mindful of the rated capacity as I find it quite easy to load it up.

moore.sean

I don't have any pictures of mine (A safety 1st) but I basically just stripped everything off of the base, screwed a piece of plywood to it and then screwed a rubbermaid tub to that. I have to load it carefully, putting only very light things in the very front and keeping the real weight over the wheels. I may modify it further and extend the flatbed behind the wheels to distribute the load more. I also think that using coroplast to panel the footwell and leaving a trap door in the deck would make a nice little hidey-hole for bungees or whatever.

Of course, I haven't used it since I got my xtracycle so I may just give it to my neighbor. He's an old retired dude who utility bikes and I know he picks AL cans sometimes when he needs the money. Would probably work great for that just like it is.

edit: Oh yeah, there's a homeless guy who parks his rig in various places downtown that screwed a large dog kennel to his plywood deck and keeps his stuff in there with a padlock on the door. Some modicum of security, I suppose.

bbllaakke

Here's my conversion. It is based off of a Burley flatbed as I liked the design and it seemed like an easy transition from the original trailer which was a Burley D'Light.

I stripped off the fabric and the high side rails. For the platform I used steel framing studs and for the new side rails I used 1/2" conduit. Both of which are galvanized steel. Using steel did add a bit more weight. The original trailer weighed 15 pounds, and I estimate it weighs 35 pounds in its current state.

I just went for a test ride with about 120 pounds. The ride felt very rubber band like at slower speeds. Is this common?

I'll cross post this in the trailer thread.

moore.sean

With that much weight? Definitely. I assume you're talking about that strange surging feeling as you pedal. Careful with your speeds. My cheapie trailer tried to come around front when I tested a panic stop.

You might consider redoing the rails to be higher than the wheels, you could carry something wider than the trailer that way. I had one load that I wished I had that feature, I ended up using trash I found behind the store to prop the load up, not exactly stable.

Fast Cloud

Yeah, I didn't "convert" mine either really. I just cut the child seat out and through down a piece of stiff plastic in the floor. I've carried everything from kitty litter to propane tanks and bags upon bags of groceries in it. I left the top on it because it keeps the rain off of everything and cars think I've got kids in it so they bow that ass down...and I mean hard. A guy on a bike? Pfft...no big deal...A guy on a bike pulling toddlers? They're slammin' on the brakes and checking their mirrors and smiling ear to ear as they wave me through the stop signs.

hshearer

I've been thinking about taking the plunge and going from year-round commuter to hard-core utility cyclist But, investing time/effort/skill/money in a proper utility trailer is a bit intimidating. It's not like they're for sale at my LBS! I don't think I'll ever be 'car free' (my husband likes having a car, and sometimes, so do I), so my utility trailer would probably mostly only be used for light shopping, or maybe a picnic bike excursion. I've been thinking about getting the Bell child-trailer, and maybe doing a little customizing as needed... reasonable? How do utility trailers affect cornering?

I, too, like the idea of giving motorists a little food for thought as they barrel along. I'm a mid-thirties woman, just the sort who WOULD be towing kids, and I'm pretty comfortable taking the lane and riding in heavier traffic.... just the sort of thing not many people with kids in the trailer would ever do (and probably, rightfully so). However, I'd at least be memorable out there as the 'idiot', so hopefully motorists would realize there can be bicycles where you might not expect... and drive with a little more care. A girl can dream.

Cyclepup

I use a converted Bell child's trailer to haul my dog and occasional groceries. It does give the motorists pause at first and that's a good thing. The child seats were already removed when we got the trailer (former owner used it to haul his golden retriever). We added a plywood floor to sit on the frame of the trailer for added support. The bottom half of a plastic Vari-kennel acts as the interior container and then I use blankets (for Pepper) and add small containers for mail or food items (so Pepper can't snack on them enroute).

Here is a shot of Pepper on our first run to the Super Target in our neighboring town.

noglider 

Yeah, that's a small dog. I think might be too tall to stand under the tube that goes over the top of the trailer.

Plus I'd need to use something as a seatbelt to prevent them from jumping out.

Nightshade

The very same strength can be had with metal conduit or schedule 40 plastic pipe with much less or a weight penalty. The work done is well done but a lighter material would have been a better choice.

HandsomeRyan

This is a bad idea. It breaks down with exposure to light and it shatters when it fails. I would not suggest it for this type application.

Aluminum could be pop riveted to the steel frame.

BossCat

Someone mention bikes and plastic pipe!



Take a look at this guys stuff...

The PVC Bike Guy

https://push.pickensplan.com/photo/ph...e=7dulffolmhpk

Regards
Tom

noglider 

It seems to me that if all those struts were made of plastic, none of them would be bearing much weight. If one shattered, the other would continue to support the weight for the rest of the day, and it wouldn't be a catastrophe.

bbllaakke

Bah, the weight's not so bad that I would go an reconstruct the thing. Keep in mind the studs are just sheet metal folded into a U shape. I don't think metal conduit would weigh less- I would need more supports to cover the same area. Plus, I wouldn't trust pop rivets.