Lieren

After three years of near-daily use, my Chariot Cougar (double) is looking and riding pretty ragged. Has anyone had experience with the following issues?

- The trailer has developed a distinct side-to-side wiggle. We had the wheels trued and that seemed to fix the wiggle when both kids are in the trailer (combined weight 80 pounds) but when only one of the kids is in the trailer (40 pounds), if you pick up any speed at all the trailer feels like it is swinging back and forth (it's not actually moving all that much, but it takes a lot of bike handling on the part of the adult rider to control the way the trailer feels like it is alternately pushing your forward and pulling you back). Is there something that needs to be tightened in the trailer body? We've been using the trailer since the kids' combined weight was about 30 pounds, and this problem is new in the last month.

- We don't have a garage so the trailer has been outside for the past three years and is showing a lot of weather-related fatigue. In particular, large holes have developed where the kids' feet rest. Does anyone have any tips for repairing that fabric?

sk0tt

Lieren,
Did the trailer ever handle good with just one kid in it? Maybe its a problem with weight distribution, but it cant hurt to check if any bolts are loose, or if there is a crack in the frame.

If the fabric is weak from UV and weather exposure I don't think there is anything you can do, if it is just worn through you could try and sew or glue a patch over the damaged area.

GodsBassist

This used to happen to me too. I realized it was because my kid couldn't sit still and was bored. It doesn't take much movement if they can find the right rythm to really get it shaking back and forth.

I'll also say that after about 2 years of consistent use, one of the wheels simply fell off my Burley trailer. It was like Ron White, "It fell off, the wheel fell off, it fell the $%&* off." You might check the integrity of everything, but three years of daily use is a pretty solid amount of time for them to last.

Lieren

Well, that's a good perspective. I always laugh when I read about trailers having good resale value--we'll be lucky to give this away! We just need it to last until the 3.5 y.o. develops enough sense to ride a tagalong. Which right now feels like it will take years. Oh, and then to do grocery shopping after that. Hmm.

GodsBassist

Most people use them sporadically for recreational trips on weekends now and then. A lot of things have good resale value if you only use them 10 times and then outgrow them. =) For daily use, though, they can really take a beating. We moved to a trailabike at around 5 yo or so.

Lieren

Yes, for rides that only our 6 y.o. is going on we use a tagalong. And she can ride distances up to 1.5 miles very well on her own. We've just developed a very trailer-dependent lifestyle--no car, two kids that need to go to two different places in the morning, groceries that need to be bought. I sometimes feel that we, in our very urban neighborhood, live a far more "outdoors" lifestyle than the hiking/skiing/running parents to which the Chariot trailers are marketed.

chaadster

It is probably to do with the wheels. Pull them off and check for play and binding in the wheel bearings by spinning and pushing/pulling on the axles. Obviously, there should be no play, and the axles should turn smoothly with little resistance. If either condition exists, off to the LBS you go.

If those things check out OK-- and IIRC, that trailer has the hub button quick release, right?-- then give the tires a look-over for excessive wear, unevenness, or lumps. It may be that the tires are worn. Even if they look OK, try swapping them side-to-side and test ride; if the problem persists the same, we look elsewhere; if it goes away, either run it like that awhile, or better, replace the tires; if the wiggling takes a different feel, replace the tires.

There are other possibilities, such as a tweaked frame or worn mount tongue, but those I'd put in the second tier of likelihood. Other possibilities might involve the axle receiver on the frame; I don't know how those are mounted to the frame on your model, but just check to make sure those are snug and free of play.

Of course, if the kids fall through the floor of the trailer first, that moots all of the above.

Lieren

Well, they are strapped in.

Good ideas. I hadn't thought about the tires as the source of the problem. The overall mileage on the trailer is not that high (lots and lots of short trips), so I was thinking about the problem as one of weight and weather affecting the frame rather than other parts getting worn. I will play around with the wheels this weekend.

chaadster

You're right that the tires really should last forever, essentially, but while you're looking at the wheels, you should just check them and rule them out.

I'd expect the frame to be pretty durable and tough to damage, so alignment issues are therefore lower on my list of likely problems. That trailer is stroller convertible though, right, with a detachable tow arm? Check that and make sure it's attaching to the frame solidly. I can imagine any play at that mount point would let things wiggle around.