xcapekey

how bout a folding trailer

just got one and it works great...haven't loaded it really heavy yet, waiting for the weekly grocery run

https://actionbent.com/twtrailer.html

jmbranum

Does anybody have any ideas on how I could adapt this for use as a bike trailer...

https://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...001&lpage=none

or this one...

https://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...H-2&lpage=none

steveknight

both would be very heavy. I bet the first is around 100 pounds. the second close to it.

Zee

If I wanted to build something like the one below, couldn't I use the fork and front tire of a parts bike (with the same size tire) and just attach that to the back of the trailer? And maybe even use another fork for the part that would attach to my rear tire? Then I'd just need the cargo body of the trailer... ? And with a little extra work, I could build it so that it comes apart, and have two different-sized cargo areas to attach to the two forks... What do you guys think?

I found this great basket (see 3rd pic) the other day (someone had thrown it away ). It's 9" deep X 13 1/4" wide X 26 1/2" long, and it only weighs a couple of pounds. It's just like a wire bike basket. I think it would make a great grocery etc. trailer.

Anybody have any ideas about how I could attach a bicycle fork to each end, without welding, so that it can be taken apart again later? Maybe with a pipe or bike tube (ooh, or that white shelf tubing, pre-cut with holes drilled already) from one fork to the other, with a screw through both pieces, then attach the basket to the pipe/tube?

Zee

Okay, I did this very hastily (gee, you couldn't tell, you say? ), but this is what I mean. I could use a smaller tire, too (I have smaller ones, but not with fenders). Do you think it could work?

Marylandnewbie

Zee,
I just got one of the Action Bent folding trailers like you have pictured. I think your idea might work if you can overcome 2 problems. The first is figuring out a way for the trailer to pivot on the hitch without too much unwanted movement. The second is the weight limitations inherent in the design. You couldn't load the trailer very heavily with only a single pipe under the basket -- unless you went to some sort of more exotic alloy tubing and welding. I wonder if you could construct some sort of truss beam underneath your basket that would not only give you strength, but also give you a way to make a pivoting hitch. If I get a chance this weekend I'll try to do up a sketch and post it for your thoughts.

Zee

The front would not HAVE to be another fork, but I thought it was the best idea considering what I have to work with (and making it somewhat like the trailer pictured). It wouldn't be able to pivot, though, or it would tip over with just one wheel, wouldn't it?

I've been trying to think of something more to put underneath, to give the basket more support; I just basically have parts bikes and wood pieces to work with though Maybe I should use a piece of wood for that, instead of pipe? Or something shaped rectangular with a space to set the basket halfway in? For the most part the trailer will be used for newspaper delivery, but I will most likely use it for grocery runs as well. So as long as it can hold, say, 50 pounds, that should be enough.

Kabloink

You can try a Traileron hitch on the garden cart.

https://www.traileron.com/index.html

michaelnel

I guess that depends on the 'bent. I used my Nomad with my HP Velotechnik Street Machine several times, and it worked fine.

biodiesel

Skip the trailer.
If you're car free your going to want to buy groceries on the way home from work after stopping at the gym, give a freind a ride to coffee, carry longer stuff than fits inside... You'll be riding in town on city streets and in traffic, and a two wheel trailer makes things difficult.
Check out the xtracycle.
I've been using one for a couple of months and still loving it. Faster than the added drag of one or two extra wheels, carries 50 lbs with ease and i can still balance against a light post or trackstand in traffic. I can ride dirt roads and singletrack with a backpack a briefcase and some odds and ends, stop on a dime (with disk brakes is amazing...) and even on thick slicks and upright i cruise 15 mph or better. I can lane split in traffic, ride sidewalks and fit between lamp posts without getting hung up. I can ride passengers short distances and have loaded huge loads without running out of capacity. For car free life i can't beat it. On my city bike it's always there, only weighs about 10 lbs and rides like a fast cruiser. The wheelbase is only a little longer and shorter than a trailered rig. And i've read tour diaries of people going thousands of miles with lots of weight and few mechanical problems. And to be fair the load stress issue is there with trailers too, rare but still present.

If i were to get a commuter trailer the old and hard to find lockable plastic trunk models would be my choice. Some times you want to run in to get a latte and not carry everything.

Zee

I don't know about other people, but I don't go to the gym (and I get off work at 6am lol), I don't know anybody who'd hop on the back of my bike, and I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend. If I did I'd by the xtracycle, it looks like a really cool rig. Right now, I just need something to carry newspapers a couple of days a week when they're too big and heavy to fit into the regular baskets (which forces me to drive my routes at least one day a week), and get groceries, hit the flea market or go yard sale-ing once in awhile. Like I said it's a nice set-up but it's not right for everyone.

attercoppe

I have a question about trailer hitches...I'm building a trailer, and I think a good option for a homemade hitch is to have it connect to both sides of the rear axle (via dropouts in the trailer hitch arms) using a quick release. However, I don't currently have a quick release on the rear wheel. Can I replace just the axle/bearings, or do I need to replace the entire hub or even just get a whole new wheel?

chennai

Generally, just a new axle - and cheap, too. But a hitch that requires fiddling with the quick release seems like a pain. Burley has a nice hitch - it's possible to get a LBS to order one for about $25. To use it, you'd have to be sure it would fit.

I've seen other hitches that stick a tiny piece onto the axle and then the trailer gets "pinned" onto the little piece - not for me, but better than quick releasing to attach the trailer.