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So nice it had to be posted twice.
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https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0ea06a94a.jpeg
Picked up this Trek branded trailer for 20 bucks at a yard sale. I ripped off the canopy, added some scrap particle board, and then finished it off with some eye bolts for straps. At $23.86 all in, I’m happy. |
Child Trailer Conversion to Flatbed
I had an old Pacific Cycles Instep kiddie trailer that had been in the sun too much and all the nylon was rotten. I stripped off the topworks and used Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage 48 in. x 16 in. Wire Shelf material for a flatbed, secured by stainless steel hose clamps. For the dimensions of my trailer, I was 1" short of getting by with just one 48" shelf; had to buy two of them.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ebf8e60c04.jpg Conversion to flatbed trailer. I subsequently added reflectors and red rear LED light mountings. I've been using it for loads that I can't handle in my baskets for the past year and it has worked well. The multiple connection options afforded by the grating makes securing diverse loads simple. Some examples: https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...19bc3891f0.jpg Grocery run mode with laundry basket secured by bungee cords. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7330d8b8e6.jpg Loose cargo secured by bungee cords, partially removed. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...de13e9e88c.jpg Pet hauling mode. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8fa80730c5.jpg Dolly mode for long loads. P.S. After about 2 years of operation I found that the shelving material failed as follows: https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d8bc560ac7.jpg Fatigue failure on small diameter strand. In retrospect I should have strapped down the large diameter material, which is what I've done for the repair: https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2e5391043e.jpg Better to clamp to large diameter on shelving. A good feature of the hose clamps is that it can all be rebuilt if needed. Rebuild Note: After about 3 years of service, I could see that the aluminum frame was being damaged by a shelving member that I had not secured: https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fe5518950f.jpg Rubbing damage where the old shelving was not secured to the frame. In addition, the old shelving was pretty beat up due to times I'd loaded heavy objects without putting down some protection. I've now got a piece of 1/4" plywood cut to the size with some heavy twist ties that I use when I'm carrying heavy point loads. I decided to replace the shelving while I was fixing the rubbing damage. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...439ded448b.jpg Condition of old shelving material, due to moving point loads without using 1/4" plywood cover. I installed a protective bracket to prevent the rubbing damage: https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b0e5b8ca9d.jpg Joint protected by a bracket and now secured. The big lessons learned so far are a) make connections as much as possible to the large diameter members of the shelving and b) use something to spread point loads. |
Very nice workmanship!
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Can't see the photos
Originally Posted by roughrider504
(Post 4952732)
Post them if you got em'!
I'll start with mine. Based on http://www.bikesacrossborders.org/diy/trailer.html . Finally something to use those steel 27's on. The box is 132gal which is enough for whatever I would need to carry, yet I could mount another one up front if I needed to. http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...UNP0013-11.jpg |
Originally Posted by ocsawdust
(Post 20494406)
I pulled my girl around for years. She loved it as well. Go for a ride? I'd ask her and she lit up and smiled big time! Never had any issues but after she passed I was reading how someone was talking of a friend whose pup got so e crud in her eyes and it got nasty and VERY expensive. Crud can fly off that rear wheel.
Alright, I said it and that's all. take alot of pics so you can look back on them. They get so happy it's great. Having a trailer for my dog was one of the best things I ever did. Enjoy! of him when I tow it. |
Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94
(Post 20089477)
What's the strap around the top of the thermos for?
Full suspension mid-drive ebike and trailer evolution https://photos.app.goo.gl/wP8vs7T5hLpNjSBX8 |
A friend just picked it up for me from CL after I found it in his hometown. 25$ for a single wheel trailer. Will be using it for groceries and some lite touring.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9bfb394ff.jpeg |
Just built up a homemade utility trailer from a old "Burley Child Carrier Trailer", I found for cheap! Found a great TUB to put in it and got it all together and mounted up on Feb. 1. On the 2nd. we took it out for it's first Test Run and it pulls GREAT!! Sadly our almost 30 year old Ford Ranger we've had for the last 2 years is having transmission and other expensive problems so we will be "CAR FREE" again soon. We were CAR FREE for 10 years before 2019, when my lovely wife Jo had a heart attack in Jan. 2019, I made a deal with my brother for his old "junk hauler/yard" truck as due to having constant hospital and doctor/specialists visits in WINTER I need fast and convenient transportation!!!!! Now 2 years later Jo is doing very well and back to being strong enough to ride a bicycle easy! So the old beater truck was NEEDED but it's time and mission is about to end and I needed a trailer so we can get FOOD and larger items. Bit of a PIA to have to haul a trailer and bikes up stairs to our 2nd. floor apt. but it's doable. Since we are now have ONLY our meager Social Security Retirements for our sole income we can NOT even dream of affording another PU truck! As they say: what comes around goes around and for us that is true, The "RIG" as I call the bike and trailer combo will do the job now! :)
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c328f7d68b.jpg The "RIG" is alive!! ;) LOL! |
Just remodeled my salvaged Burley Nomad with a new bed and black Rubbermaid 35-Gallon ActionPacker.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4eeee4d9_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a45f3be1_c.jpg Currently on Blutus, my dual Bafang 500W hub drive LWB ecumbent, soon to be transferred to a new Stratus LE build with TSDZ2 mid drive as well as 20” Bafang front hub once that setup is complete. Just got the remaining parts so will post back upon completion with better pics! |
I'm looking at getting a Burley Flatbed and I'm considering getting a used one. I see there have been some changes over the years, especially where the trailer hitches to the bike. The early ones (circa 2005), seem to have a much larger plastic assembly that attaches to the rear triangle. The later ones seem to have a much smaller fitting that gets clamped in via the quick-release axle. I think there may be some other minor variations, but just trying to keep it simple for now.
Thoughts on the differences and which is "better"? |
Originally Posted by DPDISXR4Ti
(Post 22178979)
I'm looking at getting a Burley Flatbed and I'm considering getting a used one. I see there have been some changes over the years, especially where the trailer hitches to the bike. The early ones (circa 2005), seem to have a much larger plastic assembly that attaches to the rear triangle. The later ones seem to have a much smaller fitting that gets clamped in via the quick-release axle. I think there may be some other minor variations, but just trying to keep it simple for now.
Thoughts on the differences and which is "better"? |
Originally Posted by andychrist
(Post 22185667)
The “Classic” plastic assembly was just made for bikes without QR skewers.
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Glad your new Burley Bee worked out for you, Brad! That was the first trailer I ever had, given to me for free by a neighbor whose kid had out grown it ages before. Since then I’ve burned through two Nomads, the later of which I recently salvaged for my new dual drive ecumbent “Redundo”.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fafd228c_c.jpg |
Found one of those kiddie trailers in the trash. Took me a day to strip it down to the frame and build a little wooden bed out of scraps. It's very solid and I recently replaced the tires with new ones I found on a kid's mountain box I also found in the trash.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0bafaa2d52.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2fcce13942.jpg 19 gallons, 150+ pounds of water |
Originally Posted by DPDISXR4Ti
(Post 22178979)
I'm looking at getting a Burley Flatbed and I'm considering getting a used one. I see there have been some changes over the years, especially where the trailer hitches to the bike. The early ones (circa 2005), seem to have a much larger plastic assembly that attaches to the rear triangle. The later ones seem to have a much smaller fitting that gets clamped in via the quick-release axle. I think there may be some other minor variations, but just trying to keep it simple for now.
Thoughts on the differences and which is "better"? |
Originally Posted by homeless in ca.
(Post 22195419)
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2fcce13942.jpg
19 gallons, 150+ pounds of water I have one of the darker blue jugs I have been using for water on trips (vehicular travel, camping, etc) for years. They are nice to have. I am working on some trailer ideas for bike touring also and have been eyeballing that jug also. What I have done before is use 32oz nalgene bottles and the 1gal jugs from Dollar General (I like that style plastic bottle - the handle loop is sturdy and can be tied off and looped over gear on the rear rack). However, if I can get all my water confined to a larger jug that would be good - longer period between resupply. |
Originally Posted by KC8QVO
(Post 22199304)
Did you ride around with all that to see how it handled/if it would hold it on a ride? Or did you just load it up for a static test sitting still?
I have one of the darker blue jugs I have been using for water on trips (vehicular travel, camping, etc) for years. They are nice to have. I am working on some trailer ideas for bike touring also and have been eyeballing that jug also. What I have done before is use 32oz nalgene bottles and the 1gal jugs from Dollar General (I like that style plastic bottle - the handle loop is sturdy and can be tied off and looped over gear on the rear rack). However, if I can get all my water confined to a larger jug that would be good - longer period between resupply. The blue jugs work well for car camping. I use mine with a small submersible pump. Wastes less water and I don't have to take the jug out of my vehicle every time I need to wash my hands. |
Trailer on a World Tour
A striped down commercial Burley Kids trailer can haul a world of things...
on parade on Orcas Island behind a Quest Velomobile. The Quest has a stainless plate welded down low on the uni-frame arm that the traditional Burley hitch attaches to. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...146d9d8c06.jpg Then there is the basic home made electrical EMT and plywood trailer headed off to install a solar electric system on Crow Valley Road..... https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...76e22520be.jpg Specialized Expedition pulling a home made trailer Who needs a Van?.... renewable energy installation at its best https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...199153eef0.jpg Who needs the Van? https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...54672d9663.jpg |
Hi, I'm new here.
I have 2 homemade 'Burley Travoy style' trailers I like to share. Hope I can post pictures soon. |
This is my DIY "Burley Travoy style" trailer made from an external frame backpack. I added a H-shaped structure made of ϕ28mm aluminum tubes to the frame for wheel attachment.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c39d07fecc.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...76c2a86505.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...33faacc58b.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bbe5352661.jpg Its earliest status: https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c0196386ee.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...92363e52ff.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b7c49df681.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0620d2dccd.jpg |
An "amphibious trip" with the trailer in its earlier form.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f08b9d6772.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d34d30ea74.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7f5e44434c.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...606ee365fc.jpg |
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fb168e9bdf.jpg
This is my rig to get food and household supplies. The tub is held on by u-bolts and wing nuts to come off quickly. |
Spotted in Kyvi in the Ukraine a LvH Bullit cargo bike towing a Carla Cargo trailer loaded with a steel section for a road blockade to thwart advancing Russian troops.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8d7c1ec127.jpg |
Nothing fancy about my trailer - just an old Kool-Stop I bought on sale years before I had a child and continue to use now that the same kid is an adult.
it's been useful. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7c919a7141.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e08c91bae.jpg |
I threw together a trailer to carry my kids' bikes so we can occasionally ride our bikes to or home from day camp or after-school camp. The older one is ready for a 24" bike so I may have to modify the trailer a bit.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...eaa8e79902.jpg I took a generic toddler trailer, removed the canvas, flipped the frame supports front to back, and added a plywood floor, https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d44cabf82e.jpg 20" kids bikes. The fork rests on the crossbar. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c317581f4b.jpg I use wire twist straps to keep the bike against the trailer frame. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...96c185eaf5.jpg I bolted a crate to the floor to carry the helmets. |
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...80c9a45b81.jpg
Boom propped up and not attached to bike in this picture. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cad30e3632.jpg On a grocery run. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e657b059ea.jpg Low rider racks removed, bags kept dragging even low stuff on street. Added QR blocks. |
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e657b059ea.jpg Low rider racks removed, bags kept dragging even low stuff on street. Added QR blocks. |
Not yet. I don't anticipate doing more than two. For trailer stability (and I'm not a physics/mechanical genius, so could be dead wrong) one bike would have to be on the central point; two bikes on the outsides. I anticipate the bike(s) tracking like a second trailer, similar to a tractor trailer fifth wheel. This has been a new project for me and this feature is just waiting for an experiment phase to happen by: the need to work on two bikes at the co op; finding a discarded bike/someone gifting me another portable mess that I intend to cannabalize. I have a modest, and beloved, trio of bikes that I ride. If there is to be a catastrophic failure I don't want it to happen with them. So I'll check back in once I've tried the QR blocks. As a grocery getter it is proven. Last week I carried approximately 20 lbs of frozed green beans in a second cooler, packed with just four plastic bbq bottles of ice, and assorted other edibles. Green beans all stayed frozen for 10 miles/1+ hours.
Now to find an abandoned bicycle :) As an after thought: towing a second set of linked objects I consider suicide at moderate to high speeds (for a bike). My plan, in these situations, is to slow tail it to my destination. Having to brake at moderate to high speeds would just be inviting the load to jack knife. I'll err on the side of caution and safety (if possible). |
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