elcyc

Amazon has a couple of interesting choices for 2-wheel cargo carriers.
No personal experience with any cargo carrier.
I need one that is in the $125-$250 range. Just for smooth street/road and bike-trail grocery-getting trips. 50 lb most days. Maybe 15-miles every other day.
Burley seems to be a reputable manuf. and has been around since 1978.
There is also VEVOR and Aosom.
Other than durability and reliability, the hitch must not also damage or weaken the bicycle at connection.
The seatpost mount seems more gentle on the bike. Axle mount seems to be more common, but they might damage the bike/frame. Besides, I've got fenders, racks, and pannier on or near the axle mount. So I may not be able to easily attach -- especially in routine, up-and-running in seconds use.
Lemme know!

bboy314

I suggest looking for a used kid trailer, there are usually plenty around that have been outgrown. Burley is a great brand. I wouldn’t worry too much about using an axle mount, especially for 50lbs.

SoCaled 

After seeing your post with a couple of bikes loaded on the back of your Gary Fisher, I was going to suggest a trailer makes things a bit easier, (Nice packing job though). I would just look on Craigslist, OfferUp, Facebook, etc, they come up for sale cheap all the time. I recently bought a single wheel "Bob" trailer and a double wheel with suspension, both at a fraction of new price. They are easy to come by used in SoCal.

veganbikes

I wouldn't go with anything you haven't heard of in the real world. Burley makes excellent trailers . The Coho is a great cargo trailer from Burley but they also do the Flatbed as well. You could also probably find a used Burley or BOB trailer if you are looking to save little bits of money.

If you are just looking at pure initial cost than buy whatever and who cares but if you do actually value your time, money and usage get a known quantity and quality and spend the money needed to do so! If you get a new trailer you have the support and warranties from the manufacturer and the shop you bought it from and if you get used you don't but if you buy a quality trailer say from Burley or BOB you will have a good trailer.

elcyc

I've actually been looking at carries for 12+ years.
I'm also a railfan and am amazed at how much a locomotive can tow.
It's only in the last two weeks that I've experimented with the (2x) bike hauling documented in other posts. Proof of concept. I could've mini-vanned it, with the normal groceries. But I figured ... WTH, I have time. Panniers and racks (and other bikes!) add weight and are tough on bearings and frame welds.
A cargo trailer will allow one to use most bikes as utility vehicles; not just ones all decked out with racks and panniers and strong wheels and fatter tires.
Anyway ...
Looked on CL and found mostly child carriers. I need cargo only.
This one from Amazon seems like an okay first dip.
https://www.amazon.com/Aosom-Heavy-D...dp/B07JQD1MBT/
Yup, most Amazon reviews are not to be trusted. But the $ is fair ($125, delivered) .
I may be able to modify a bit further to add strength . I'm sure most of it will last quite while, especially with deliberately gentle and methodical use, and preventive maint. (That GF is 31 years old, a LOWER end model that was purch'd new, has over 20k miles on the frame/fork/handle bar/stem. And the wheels and all derailleurs are 20+ years old.
Not sure how common the Aosom's wheels/tires, as replacements are needed. And that knee-bend in the hitch bar seems like weak point, and may be more wobbly than straight axle mount.

badger1

Fascinating.

veganbikes

Like I said earlier get something of a known quantity and quality. Also a child trailer works fine for cargo. I did a tour with one once and it worked quite well though we way way way overpacked for the trip but it carried quite a lot with no issue on a probably similar bike to your Gary Fisher. You could easily take an old Burley trailer and take off parts and build something on top if you needed a different configuration. Wouldn't be hard and you would have a known platform with good longevity and support.

In terms of the rail fan thing that might explain other things going on. I have known quite a few people on the spectrum more towards the having it side and things match up there. Not an insult just an observation. I don't think any less of someone for that they don't get to control it and it can have a interesting impact on their lives but sometimes makes it hard to discuss. I think we all could be mindful of that for the future.

Back to bikes and trailers there are a lot of other cargo trailers like the Surly Bill and Ted trailers and my favorite the Carla Cargo trailer (which is real nice and plenty spacious) as well as some other brands that do more cargo specific stuff for heavier duty applications. I personally have used the Carla Cargo on a few occasions and would love to own one if I could but I have no real need for one at the moment.

Leisesturm

Some of the conclusions you come to are pretty wild assumptions. veganbikes put things about as well as they can be put. That Aosom is a pig. Literally. A Burley Flatbed weighs 15lb and has a load capacity of 100lb. The Aosom weighs 26.7lb and has a weight capacity of 88lb. Axle mounts are more common for a good reason. They tie the load very well to the pull center of the bike and if they were prone to hurting bikes in any way whatsoever, the tendency would have been designed out of them by now. That said, a seatpost hitch isn't the worst thing ever. For the weights involved, having a bend in the tow arm is not something I would worry about. Still, if I knew that my use would be mainly groceries @ ~50lb. I would consider a Burley Travoy. We bought a Bob Yak, new in 2005 for well over $300. They don't cost much more than that today. It still looks and performs like new, and is used every week to its weight limit, and beyond. It's been an amazing investment and value. You are overthinking things and you don't appear to have any background or experience in mechanical/technical things to come to reasonable extrapolations. TL;DR: Aosom = bad idea. FWIW.

Ironfish653

Axle mount is the better choice, most of the time; that’s why the majority of trailers use it.
There’s a small receiver bracket that mounts under the axle nut, and sits below/behind the axle, about the same position as the derailleur on the drive side. The drawbar typically plugs in and secures with a pin and a backup safety strap.
Frame damage should not be an issue unless you’re pulling loads that are so heavy, with enough force that you rip the wheels from the frame.

Same goes for the “knee bend” in the drawbar. It’s there to provide clearance for the rear wheel to swing in (right) turns.
If the tongue weight of your load is expected to be hundreds of pounds, sufficient to bend a 3/4-1” tube, then you would probably need to look into using a double-sided yoke like that BOB trailers.

If you’re concerned that the trailer load might break your rear axle, then for sure there’s no way that I’d put that much load on the seat post

elcyc

The seat post version at 134 bucks is what I ordered.
Your comments are good. But it helps to have counterpoint.
Regardless of how it compares, it helps to have a diversified dataset.

shelbyfv

So you didn't want opinions/advice from BF after all?

bboy314

When you’re a FreeThinker™️, sometimes it helps to check in on what the echo chamber is saying so you know what to oppose.

elcyc

The double axle mount, U-shaped hitch bar on the BOB looks like a robust connection. But that single wheel needs this.

Had a look at single bar axle mounts on two-wheel trailers. Noticed kinks and bends similar to seat post mounts.




BTW: The lightweightness of aluminum units —like Burley—aren’t important to me. The steel construction of cheap Chinese units might be stronger. As anyone who has welded aluminum and steel might be familiar with.

squirtdad

this is a fancy way of saying I am going to ask for input, and then ignore it all and then be surprised with the result is not optimum

a bit like flat earther doing an experiment to prove the earth is flat and then being surprised when the results show the earth is round

good luck with the purchase

shelbyfv

OP says he's been chewing on this purchase for 12+ years so at less than $1/mo it's been an inexpensive diversion. Plus it may actually be functional enough for OP. What's next?

bboy314

Definitely the OP’s MO at this point.

Leisesturm

If the bolded were true, the Aosom would have a better load rating than 88lb. The load rating of a Bob Yak is 'only' 70lb. Not because of the trailers construction. It is because the assumption is that it will be towed by a bike and rider weighing ~125 - ~200+. Single wheel trailers split the load weight equally between the bike and trailer, whether the cyclist likes that or not. Manufacturers rate the load capacity very conservatively so riders aren't pulled over by heavier loads than they can balance. Double wheel trailers carry the large majority of the load entirely themselves, putting as little as four or five pounds on the tongue, and it is very possible to have negative tongue weight (bad) if badly loaded. Since you don't plan to overload your trailer, the load capacity of the trailer isn't really the salient issue. The weight of the trailer itself is. At almost twice the weight of a Bob or Burley model, you WILL notice that you are working harder to get those groceries home. That would bug ME, but, you do you. I can tell that you enjoy a little challenge to your daily existence.

indyfabz

Racks and panniers add weight? The BOB I once bought the GF tipped the scales at 13 lbs., not including the dry bag. That’s far more than my racks and bags weigh.

The current wheel set on my touring bike will turn 6 this fall. Aside from a slight adjustment of the front shortly after build, it has never been worked on.

As for the frame, it’s 14 years old and has seen heavy touring and commuting action.

elcyc

My GF also weighs "a lot" .. with all those accessories, toolkit, two cable locks, 4 panniers, 2 racks, fenders, etc. As I noted earlier, now, I'm thinking locomotively, and not station wangonly.
About the load weight. A bouncing (unloaded) trailer may actually experience forces that are greater than one that is moderately loaded. I've got some old JANDD and Lone Peak pannier that I can attach to the inside of the Aosom.
Challenges make daily existence less boring.

veganbikes

Steel is not necessarily stronger because it is heavier. On something welded it is going to be the strength of the welds and the quality of material used. Cheap welds are more likely to fail, steel aluminum or titanium.

There are current modern Downhill bikes being built by Frank The Welder that are being raced on the professional level which are built to stand up to some real usage. I would 100% take that over some random steel downhill frame built by some random unknown in China or wherever for that matter.

You do you but I would have listened to the good advice being given or just not posted because in the end you did your own thing.

There is cheap and there is low real cost and cheap is expensive and low real cost is actually "cheap". I like to buy once and cry once it cost a touch more initially but if I get a better quality product that lasts longer, has better support and is well known for their quality I would much rather have that than a gamble. If I want to gamble I can take my ass down to the casino and play Baccarat and lose because I do not know how to play Baccarat (I could do a low stakes blackjack table decently)

Ironfish653

I think the OP is performing a thought exercise to justify why the cheapest trailer on @_mazon is the superior design, when everyone who’s ever used a trailer said “get something else”

Trakhak

Liked for adverbs locomotively and station wagonly. Looking forward to opportunities to insinuate them into conversations.

shelbyfv

wang only

elcyc

You might be on to something. Because if you look carefully at my GF pics posted recently, you will have noticed I'm still on my "something else" :
Splicing cables together?

Ironfish653

If you selected that particular model on the sole criteria that it was the absolute cheapest option, then it’s okay to say that; rather than spinning a yarn about steel construction or that a gangly seat post mount is “gentler” on the bike than axle mounts, or that you require locomotive levels of towing ability, rather than station wagon style carrying volume.