Trailer hitch ideas

Ok, this isn't really for a bicycle, but it does have a bicycle seat and this tends to be the most viewed forum. I got the fattie EV scooter from McDesigns on the forum here. I need to pull my pit cart through the pits so I want to have a hitch system to secure it better than just sitting on the trailer handle. :lol:
I've been searching some ideas, but I was wondering if any of you had some ideas that I might incorporate. I will have various stuff in the trailer, sort of heavy. 2 motorcycle rims, small honda generator, bike stands etc. So I want it fairly sturdy.

http://www.scootboot.com/

rope.

nuevomexicano said:

http://www.scootboot.com/

Click to expand...

I actually already have a cart, I'm just looking for a way to attach it to the scooter.

This is the back of the seat post area.


I don't know if rope would hold it as securely as I want it. Gonna be pulling the cart around the pits and lots of expensive bikes that I don't want it going out of control and crashing into.

I sometimes pull one of these kid trailers with up to 40kg of weight in.
With an electric hub motor on the bike they can't be attached to the axel (wrong size).
I used an old bicycle stem or gooseneck, drilled out the bolt then just clamped it onto the frame.
The trailer just bolts on through the hole, here's a pic :
Dunno if this helps in your situation, works well for me.

I like that...I may adapt that to another bike trailer hitch idea that's brewing to replace the one I no longer like for DayGlo Avenger, which already uses some handlebar stems linked together, and a front fork and a headtube on either end (ignore the red flashlight, that was only for when the trailer was not there, before I got my taillight):








I want to remake that whole hitch and post much lower, in-line with the wheel axles, more like a BOB but with all the pivots in one place.

Good ideas. I may try some of them when I get home. Right now I am on the road, so I don't have nay of my spare bike parts, and I don't have my welder. I'm kind of down to some basic tools, my sawzall/cordless drill etc. So I'm kind of trying to keep it a bolt on deal. I've got an idea of what I'm gonna try, but right now I'm really open to all the ideas. Maybe one will be better, or it will help me to make my idea better. I think I'm gonna start working on it tomorrow. I'm getting the motor on Wed, so I want to try to get this done by then, so I can try it out when I get the scooter running again.
The seat of the scooter is a bicycle seat, but it doesn't have the same framing going to the rear wheel. Here is a thread from the original builder. It has some good pics of the frame structure.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=29798

This is the trailer/cart that I have.

View attachment 1

This is a real quick photoshop of basically how they are going to be put together, just haven't totally figured out the hitch yet.

I'd try rope first because it'd be cheap and easy to test. I'm guessing if you're hauling heavy stuff then you're not gonna be going fast so a rope may be just fine.

For something more solid and permanent I think I'd cut the headtube off a beater (cut the forks off) and weld it to the rear of the scooter. Loosely attach the trailer to where the handlebars would normally go in the gooseneck and you'd be set. You could pull the gooseneck to detach the trailer.

A couple ideas, anyway.

Ok, this was the best bolt on hitch I could come up with while on the road. I bought some angle iron, Lowes had a 4 foot section on clearance for $1.50.
View attachment 4
I also got a male/female quick connect airhose coupling set so that I could make it quick release. The problem was that the threaded end of the couplers was fairly large, and the thread was different than their largest nut we could find. So I ended up using the actual female/female threaded coupler as the nuts. Was a bit pricey, and bulky, but it was a quick fit.
View attachment 3

I cut two pieces off the angle iron as my mounting plates. I figured it would be a little faster to use my angle grinder with a cut off wheel, rather than my sawzall. But I am staying in a hotel so I didn't have a place to grind, or power. So I found a vacant/abandoned car park lot nearby. Drove my transport van over there, pulled out my race generator and made an impromtu machine shop.
View attachment 2
I was a little worried about the dry grass when I was grinding. Didn't want to catch it on fire with the sparks. It was bad enough making a bunch of noise, but to burn down the neighborhood on top of that. :lol:

I used a u bolt to attach the female mount bracket to the seat post area.
View attachment 5
I figured that I would put the female coupler on the bottom, so that when I pulled back the sleeve it would stay in place. Nothing more frustrating to be trying to push the connection down, while also having to pull the sleeve up. Seems kind of counter productive.
View attachment 6
I then added the male connector to the other mount plate.
View attachment 7

They do connect together like I had planned.

But the height is slightly higher than I would like, but it is still a definately usable angle.
View attachment 1
Another problem that I see is that the plate connecting the handle where I attached the male connector mounting plate is part of the folding part when putting in storage. With the bolts through the handle plate, the cart will not fold down when I need to pack up. I will have to take out the bolts each time I need to put it away. Not a big deal, but I want to make that part better when I get home. I want to grind out the pivot posts and use those points to bolt down the male connector mounting plate. That way the handles can fold with the plate in place. But I don't want to accidently screw it up and not be able to use it as a cart for these next two race weekends. So I will leave it as it is now and just unbolt it the two times I need to pack it up. Then, when I get home and have more time on my hands then I will try to fix it as a permanent deal.

I still don't have the new motor, so I can't properly test it yet. I also need to get in with the grinder wheel and clean it up a bit more. But so far it is looking like a success.