Aosom bike trailer

I went looking for a bike trailer to use with my ebike so I could haul groceries, laundry, etc. - the usual set of chores. After looking at various options, I purchased the Aosom bicycle cargo trailer:


http://www.aosom.com/d-2404/Aosom-Bike-Bicycle-Cargo-Trailer-Yellow.html
which I purchased through Amazon for $90
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029KBA26/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

On the plus side: great price, welded & painted steel frame, light weight, easy to assemble-disassemble-store, very functional hitch to the bike, fast shipping, works as adverstized! I used this trailer for 5 months, no problem. Then, whoops, the black plastic axle sleeve cracks & breaks. Here's an image of the parts:

So steel axle fits through wheel with wheel bearings on each side, into black plastic sleeve, which fits into the welded steel pipe on the trailer, all held together with a U-bolt. Believe me, this is a great design. The quick release U-bolt means the tires come off in seconds, for storage when not in use.

Just one problem - the weak link for the whole assembly - that black plastic sleeve, with two holes drilled through for the U-bolt. Whoooops, that can break apart, and then, damn, nothing to hold the tires on, which if it happens on the road means the tire comes flying off to head down who knows where on the road and your cart is left dragging behind. Yea, exactly what happened to me. Luckily, the traffic stopped for me as the wheel was in the middle of the road. So I manage to get home with my load and contact the distributor - Aosom for a replacement:

Aosom Customer Support said:

Dear Richard,

I just got word back from my parts department. They said that the black sleeve only comes part of the new trailers and that they don't stock those pieces.

Sorry for the bad news.

Rudy - Customer Service
Aosom LLC | 877.644.9366
6710 McEwan Rd
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
--
Me: I can't accept that. Without the sleeve, the cart is useless. Can you please try harder to find a replacement part? There's something defective about using plastic for that piece, the one that takes the most stress in the moving. What is the warranty for the cart? I purchased it in December. I don't want a full replacement, just the black sleeve. Thanks.
---
I'm very sorry, as previously stated, we don't have stock of those pieces. We have a 90 day warranty on all of our products.

Thanks!
Jennee
> Customer Service
> AOSOM LLC | 1-877-644-9366
> 6710 McEwan Rd.
> Lake Oswego, OR 97035
---
Me: Would you please provide me the name & phone number of the manufacturer so that I can contact them for parts? Thanks.
----
I apologize, I don't know that information as all of our manufacturers are third party distributors out of China.

Thanks!
Jennee
> Customer Service
> AOSOM LLC | 1-877-644-9366
> 6710 McEwan Rd.
> Lake Oswego, OR 97035
>
---
Me: Ok, so I posted a warning for potential buyers at the world's largest bicycle related forum:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=49439
I'll bump it up to the top of the list everyday until either: you deliver the part to me, or you tell me where I can get it, or I replace it through self manufacture
----

Click to expand...

They have an "Ask a Question" tab and someone else had asked:

rm***:
I just recently purchased this trailer, received it this week - but while I was putting it together, I managed to break one of the "J" shaped bolts that hold the wheel axle inside the tubing underneath the trailer, so haven't been able to use my trailer yet ;( I was wondering how I could get another of these bolts. I have looked online and not found replacement parts for the Aosom trailers, other than the hitch. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
09/28/2012 15:40:35
Aosom helper:
Please contact our Customer Service department at your earliest convenience by calling 1-877-644-9366, they would be happy to assist you in finding any parts you may need. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Well, yea, duh, stuff breaks, so you want parts. But noooooooo, false statement, as replacement parts are really not available. Meaning, when shit happens, tough luck, gotta buy a whole new trailer. But what the frelling frack is that jack! Just a warning, as they say, buyer be-ware. I'll figure out how to manufacture the part in steel so it won't break again, but now add days of my time, so the cost gets jacked way up. Not what I expected.

You should consider contacting Amazon directly regarding the lack of support and misrepresentation from this suppliers. They can turn things around very quickly for you :wink:

What is the ID/OD of the sleeve (plus length).

I can't help about their style of customer support, but we may be able to find a fix if you give us the dimensions...

I agree with the previous poster that you should pester both the company and Amazon to actually support their product. If you bought with a credit card you could also see if it has an extended warranty or the CC company will do anything else. While these efforts may not succeed, at least the companies you contact will notice that consumers aren't willing to throw away things just because simple to replace things break.

Now, if none of above helps, you might be able to scavenge repair parts from another bike trailer. The yellow Bell kids trailer in the picture below has exactly the same quick release wheel mechanism. They were/are sold by Costco so are quite common in the used market. You might score a worn or broken one free/cheap with a want ad on freecycle/earthcycle/kijiji/craigslist. The blue Schwinn trailer has a different mechanism, but the axle tube may be same diametre so you could replace the whole quick release.

You could of course also find a perfectly usable trailer for cheap and pass the broken one on. there are lots of trailers that are constructed essentially the same. I suspect they are all made in one or two Chinese companies, then labeled Bell, Schwinn or whatnot. There is one version with aluminum frame. I prefer the aluminum frame over the steel as the steel is about 50% heavier.


http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14660

None of these wheel quick releases will ever be as dependable as the ones we are used to from bikes. So far I've been lucky with the Bell trailer (3 years daily use), but I've heard others that have had trouble with these and other brands.

The problem which faces us that actually use bike trailer and bikes for daily chores is that we are in minority. Most people buy bikes and a bike trailer for the wife and kids, stick them in the SUV and go to the park once or twice. Then bikes and trailer sits in the garage until the next garage sale. Hence companies can sell many bikes and trailers, but since they are mostly garage ornaments, they get few complaints even for weak or stupid construction details. For instance the kids trailers above have covers that the uninformed might think would keep the kids inside dry in case of rain. Actual testing reveals they do the opposite. The roof is unsupported and when it rains a puddle forms on top. There is a seam right on top of the kids, and the puddle drains through the seam. Hence the cover acts to concentrate the water on top of the kids rather than rain protection. Amazing design! How would a car manufacturer fare with a model which made the driver and passengers soaking wet every rain shower?

I have had good luck with the clear spray-on rubber coating. It is sometimes advertised as a sealant for leaky rain gutters.

http://www.amazon.com/Performix-075815112095-Clear-Plasti-Spray/dp/B000LNN11G

"...Product Features
Protects coated items against moisture, acids, abrasion, and corrosion
Remains flexible, stretchy, and will not crack or become brittle in extreme weather conditions
Easy to remove from most surfaces when ready to return to the original surface..."

spinningmagnets said:

What is the ID/OD of the sleeve (plus length).

I can't help about their style of customer support, but we may be able to find a fix if you give us the dimensions...

Click to expand...

That's a really awesome offer. So here are the specs:

That's what I like about the cargo trailer I got. The wheels just pop in and out of the frame, there is no big axle. It has a 70 Lb load limit and I can't remember the name of the manufacturer. I believe it was in the $90.00 range. I also purchased mine from amazon.com. The hitch bar is also adjustable to a standing level so you can use it like cart.

First thing I'd do, is look at PVC pipe. It looks very close to a proper fit using stock 1/2" pipe. If it fits on the inside, the outside can be shaved with a belt sander if needed. Might be possible to shave the inside with a drill as well.

The flange on the end can be created with a straight coupler, with most of it sawed off.

If it's that easy, just make your own, stronger part.

And also, look at whether you can simply glue the old part back together. If it's made from PVC, the pvc pipe glue will work fine.

Also rethinking the design, perhaps some other type of fastener could secure the plastic part? Look at the big spring clips that might grab the notch on the axle just as good as the j bolt design.

If the rest of the trailer is fairly robust enough for the loads you are applying to it, then these sleeves would be the only weak link. I would recommend upgrading them to aluminum.

5/8-inch OD is 0.625". Here is some 0.625-OD tube, $15 for one foot. The ID is either 0.495" or 0.435", they will cut to length for $1.50 per cut. You can bore out the IDs with a common 1/2-inch drill bit, or sand the part down that inserts to the 0.005-inch needed. I have used these guys before, highly recommended.

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=12802&step=4&showunits=inches&id=946&top_cat=0

Yeah, metal for the win. I just thought the diameters looked very similar to typical pvc sizes.

Many thanks for the friendly suggestions. I'll give it a go making a replacement. As for gluing it back together, I would if I could. I scoured the street several times looking for the pieces and could not find. I'm not sure what happened, but can guess. Tire on trailer must have caught in a pothole and the impact somehow cracked & shattered the plastic so the J-bolt was not able to hold it together. When the wheel came off, the pieces of the plastic sleeve went flying. Best!

Were you ever able to find a solution to your axle sleeve dilemma?
I have 2 of those sleeves, brand new, and will share a solution that worked for me on my new Aosom Trailer, very similar to yours, if you're interested.

KaptainK said:

Were you ever able to find a solution to your axle sleeve dilemma?

Click to expand...

Yes, thanks. I devised a replacement from copper tubing.

I was actually looking at that trailer yesterday. It is now $107. I am glad I stumbled onto this thread. I guess I will just build something. Sorry to hear about your ordeal but I am glad you were able to find a fix.

After 16 months of road abuse hauling stuff on my eBike, the wheels were ready to fall apart. While the trailer is made with steel pipe & plate, the 16 inch wheels were cheap, made with 20 spokes. All bent out of shape. So went to my local bike shop - BIcycle Alley - and got two new wheels, steel rims an 36 spokes in a one-cross, very rugged indeed. Problem was the axle for the two were different. Try to use the hub & axle on the existing or take the wheels as given and somehow afix it to the trailer? Took the latter course. After 5 tries and more hours than I would have imagined, I think I made it work. Now know a whole lot more about the forces a wheel will take. Iteratively, try after try, the road would rip the wheel off the trailer at its weakest point. Then I'd have to fix it in a way that it would stay. Hopefully.... still planning on putting some distance between me & home.

Yep, good well designed bicycle trailers are hard to find when it comes to hauling cargo.

The Carry Freedom is one of the best small/medium sized cargo trailers. The quick-release lollipop hitch is top notch. I have carried up to 80kg with no problems. If your new hitch gives you any problems replace it with one of these:

http://www.carryfreedom.com/downloads/Carry-Freedom-Lollypop-Hitch.pdf

I don't know what type of axles your trailer uses but you could replace the whole set up with quick release wheelchair axles.

Sounds like you got your $90 worth to me.
I looked at those but was sceptical of the build quality.
I bought a second hand kiddie trailer and modified it by fitting a box in place of the kid seat.
The remove able axles are similar to yours and I was worried about a failure too. The axles move slightly which you can feel while towing a load causing the tyres to scrub slightly wasting power and slowing you down.

I have been thinking about replacing the axle assemblies with a single straight through axle to eliminate any wheel alignment problems and improve safety. Thanks for posting it has got me motivated to do something with mine.

Sorry to dig up this old post, but I can't seem to find any other info.

As for Aosom, the company, they are probably a Chinese company, though their US website is based in Oregon. The Customer Service Agent I was conversing with thru e-mail was replying way past normal business hours. So I assume it's someone in Asia. They don't support any of their products other than replace the whole item, which I think is like Amazon or Overstock. They also sell other items other than Bicycle trailers, so it's not their actual product by a re-brand. I'd like to really know who manufactures their product in China. With a little digging, I can probably find them on Alibaba. Seven Years later from the date of the Original Post, they are still the same. No real support for products they sell.

A friend of mine gave me an Aosom Cargo Trailer, but it was missing the Axle pins. He says he used it before but the pins are attached the wheel hubs with a snap ring. Anyways, I'm trying to get dimensions on the axle pin or use some other substitute. I may try using a Burley Axle pin if I can get them to fit the bearings in the hub. Another thing I might try is using Expanding Anchor bolts, but that might be a last resort. If anyone has other suggestions, I'm open to comments.