bike trailers for a lawn care business

[auraslip]

Last year I was starting to make good money mowing college kids lawns. Then my car died.
This year I want to continue the tradition, but with a "green" style. Well that and I can't afford a car.

Wike sells this "pioneer" trailer.You can order a covered wagon style top, if you want to hark back to the org eon trail. It can fit a lawn mower, weed eater, and several long handle tools. Very nice. The price isn't $600


What I'm more interested in is their DIY trailer. It comes with the hitch, the wheels, the drop outs, and the corner pieces to mount 1 inch aluminum bars in. All for the low low price of $130.

Another benefit to trailers is that I could mount larger batteries in it. Flooded lead acid is pretty cheap I hear.
If I only knew how to weld, I could make a trailer out of lawn mower wheels and some scrap........

 

[REdiculous]

I built my trailer and didn't weld anything. The main frame member is a random 2"x4"...everything else was scrounged and bolted on. Mine's a single wheel but it's possible for a 2-wheel trailer too....maybe not as easy...

You might check craigslist or local thrift shops for used trailers if you don't want to build one from scratch.

have a good one!

 

[jag]

The $130 kit looks reasonable to me. Yes complete DIY might be cheaper, but may not be worth it. Add $50 of alu square tubing and a piece of plywood and you have a nice flatbed.

Alternative: pick up a used kids trailer. Remove top. Add plywood bed.

Alt 2: get running stroller wheels. Build frame and hitch yourself.

 

[auraslip]

I don't think I could fit a lawn mower in a trailer designed for kiddos

This gentleman did anice blog entry about his wike DIY build.

I really don't like how the axle is made out of plastic. Seriously how much more could it cost to make the corner pieces out of metal?


In any case It looks like it would be cheaper just to build one out of some alumium tubing.

Drop outs.

 

[Sheriff Jon]

Wike makes good stuff, I have been using their hitches for years now. IMO the Wike DIY trailer kit looks like the way to go for your needs. You can design it whatever width or length that you want and easily attach whatever floor and sides you want by just using 1" x 1" x 1/8" angle aluminum or even 2" x 2" lumber with no more than a saw, a drill and bolts....no welding necessary 8)

 

[dnmun]

i bot my pickup truck on CL for $200, but i had to give him an extra $80 to put the tires and mirrors back on. is your car still fixable?

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

How well will a 2 wheel trailer work when you are leaning into a corner?

Would a single wheel work better (some of these are for bikes)?:
http://www.singlewheel.com/Today/TodayFR.htm

 

[dogman dan]

Lugging a mower, he won't be going fast enough to lean. The wike kit does look cool, but add $100 to the price to finish it. I'd definitely look at goodwill or whatever for the kid trailer, if for no other reason than to touch one, and see if it could be made adaptable to your needs at all. Plug in a 5 amp charger every where you mow, to avoid carrying so much battery, but you may still need to add some, carried on the trailer.

 

[amberwolf]

You might also look into a trailer made similarly to my latest flatbed, over in my DayGlo Avenger MkII thread.
It isn't totally no-weld (but it could be if I had tried to).

Starts here:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=258262#p258262
for the trailer stuff. Also have some stuff over on FreakBikeNation about it:
http://www.forum.freakbikenation.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1972&start=0

 

[REdiculous]

How well will a 2 wheel trailer work when you are leaning into a corner?

I think it's practically unaffected by the trailer. The bike is free to lean or turn in any direction (within limits) because of how it's hitched. Now I don't like that style of hitch (personally I don't think it's good for over 100lbs) but it works ok for some people.


Are we talking about a push mower or riding mower? Other tools and batteries..weight? Electric assist? Terrain?

 

[auraslip]

haha yeah dnum. My 93 isuzu rodeo had 300,000 miles on it when the radiator slowly emptied on the high way. I didn't notice until the engine about seized ;(

Good advice dogman to go check out how kids trailers work. I think I'm going to go to that today.

Amberwolf every thing you build looks like something out of mad max, and I mean that as a compliment


I was thinking about this more as I went to bed. Those trailers have a 150lb weight limit. I have a larger push mower, a weedeater, two gas cans, a tool box for when the weedeater inevitably breaks, enough water and food to last a day out, and maybe a speaker system. That weight adds up!

Then add batteries! I could double my main pack for $180 and 40lbs extra, but that would only bring me up to 28 ah. I could add more lead but weight goes up! The 20 ah thunder sky batteries with balancers: $155 x 4 = ~$650

The big question is how many extra amps would it take to haul that trailer?

I'm sure some clients will let me charge at their house, but I won't count on that. I'm figuring I might need to plan on doing 40 miles before I charge.

My mother has already agreed to loan me the money to get started doing this. I just need a accurate business proposal.

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

Searching for DIY bike trailer on google gets quite a few hits:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=diy+bike+trailer

This might work for you:
http://carryfreedom.com/bamboo.html

The Bamboo trailer is a DIY bicycle trailer build from plans.
You can build using any material with no welding or bending.
Build to any weight size or strength.
£Donation

Bamboo bicycle trailer
Build a DIY bicycle trailer from these free plans.
There is no welding to be done, and no tube bending.
Make it any size, from any material, even bamboo.

The problem - A bicycle trailer is a great way to carry things by bicycle, but many people simply cannot afford to buy a bicycle trailer like my Y-Frame. It is often the people with the least money who would benefit the most from a bicycle trailer.

Commercial Y-Frame Site here

A Solution - I designed the Bamboo Trailer to be easy to make from cheap materials, without too much skill or too many tools. Its easy to adapt the basic trailer to fit a wide range of cargo and materials.

Why - By making a trailer yourself you are taking control, what it can be is only limited by your imagination and enthusiasm. The value is not in the trailer itself, but in the knowledge of how to make a trailer. In a sense you will always have a bicycle trailer in your head if you ever need one. This knowledge makes you a richer person, and the world a richer place.

How - The first time you make a trailer will take 2-3 days as you gather materials, make mistakes, and learn. The next time you make one it will take about a day, and it will work much better.

But - Bamboo Trailers are generally less reliable, heavier and less efficient than a shop bought trailer, and if you put a price on your time they often work out more expensive.

Or this:
http://drumbent.com/trailer.html

I got the design idea from a neat book called "The Cart Book, with Plans and Projects" by William L. Sullivan (which I believe is out of print, but I discovered it at the local library). The design calls for using electrical conduit (EMT) pipe for the frame, and electrical box covers (with slots cut into them) are used as axle plates (by bending them around the tube). EMT pipe is not expensive (five bucks for a ten foot length), but I wanted to recycle where possible, so I got mine for two bucks per from a local scrap metal place.

OK, so here's the more or less complete scoop on how to build one. You need two ten foot pieces of 3/4 inch conduit - one for the left or hitch side, the other for the right (see diagram below). They meet in the middle at the rear of trailer, and are joined by a regular EMT coupling. (I reinforced this joint by slipping in a foot long piece of dowel, that centers on the coupling and extends into each pipe.)…

 

[spinningmagnets]

Don't know if this would work, ...just an idea....

Home depot is selling these heavy-duty plastic hand carts with pneumatic tires for about $50. They are suprisingly light, and look to be very strong. They could be used to make the frame of an affordable starter trailer.

 

[amberwolf]

Just make sure you have those caster wheels lifted off the ground while it's a trailer. (see my trailer thread for why)

 

[auraslip]

amber wolf how much extra power does you dog trailer including dog take to haul?

Ignore this question if you don't have a CA.

 

[02jze]

repco trailer would fit a lawn mower..
I leave it as it is to have 2 kids in there or put a wooden floor down for the stereo gear,,.
I bought it for 50 from ebay.

[youtube]Q57_tEaTnWI[/youtube]

 

[amberwolf]

amber wolf how much extra power does you dog trailer including dog take to haul?

I don't yet know. I forgot to put the meter on it during the test on Saturday. I put it on Sunday, but when I stopped to fix the trailer caster problem, I somehow managed to reset it, so I don't have enough data to say anything for sure.

With my old trailer, the heavier Junkyard Chariot, I have some data here:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=241214#p241214

Empty trailer for 2.2ish mile trip to work was around 15Wh/mile, about 1.1Ah total.

Trailer with two 40pound bags of dogfood on it for 2.5ish mile trip home was around 16Wh/mile, 1.2Ah total.

Since the trailer tires were only about 30PSI (to keep it from bouncing all over while unloaded, and because I forgot the air pump today, so I could put them to 40-50PSI loaded), that's not too bad.

Also, that is without any bearings on the leftside wheel due to a wierd mistake on my part.

More data from another trip here:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=247774#p247774
WIth 120 pounds of dogfood, mild wind, little pedalling:

Took 2.2Ah for the 5.5 mile trip, about 71Wh, over 2/3 (maybe closer to 3/4) of that for the trip home loaded up.

Typically the bike takes around 9-10Wh/mile by itself
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=233218#p233218

 

[dnmun]

i had an engine overheat and blow the head gasket on me too. my neighbor had put a hole through my radiator with his hitch and i discovered it in traffic on the restricted access 8 lane Banfield freeway 2 miles to the next exit, so i pulled over and filled some jugs from someones faucet, carried it back out to the freeway, poured my water into the radiator, backed up the freeway to the ramp and went back up the ramp with the engine overheating and then more water for 2 miles back to my place.

but you need a truck to haul yard stuff, ebike is the wrong tool. you gotta haul up to 2 tons of grass and stuff sometimes and the ebike is the wrong tool.

 

[auraslip]

Yeah same thing with me. Bringing jugs of water to my dying car on the side of the highway.

I don't think any truck would have room for 2 tons of grass clippings, or are you talking about sod? All I'm really going to haul is a lawn mower and a weed eater. I don't have any plans to be a do it all lawn service. Quite the opposite actually. Most of the college kids in this town don't care a damn about their yard. They just need it cut cheaply. My girlfriend just payed some guy $40 to mow her lawn, and he didn't even weed eat it! What a rip off! I can get in on that business.

If I can't haul this trailer with an ebike, I'll probably use it as it's intended and pull it with pedal power.

 

[auraslip]

I spent two hours tonight researching the hybrid serial route, but gave up because

I couldn't find a small generator for less than $300
I feel building one is out side of my skill set. It would be a fun project, but not something I'd let myself rely on.

If I could find a generator that weighed 20lbs, and costs less than $300 I would be golden.

It wouldn't even need to have that much power output. Just enough to run my 2 amp sla charger.

 

[AussieJester]

If I only knew how to weld,

There are many online video tutorials if you want to learn to weld, it
really isn't that difficult to weld well enough to make your own gear at home.

KiM

 

[amberwolf]

Take a lawnmower engine, and couple it to a car alternator, and parallel-charge the SLAs from the alternator. It'd probably suck for efficiency, but it could be built for practically no cost. The only real issue with it is you might need to build a little regulator circuit for the alternator output, in case it is too high voltage or it varies too much. And that you'd need to setup the SLA to be disconnected from serial for operation, to parallel for charging.

You can also, of course, use a motor as a generator to create AC to run an inverter that your regular series charger can plug into.

 

[spinningmagnets]

For that small of a load, a car alternator is a good conversion to make a generator/welder. Start with something rated for 100 amps if you can (higher the better). They are induction generators, meaning that the spinningmagnets are electromagnets (coils of wire, not chunks of magnetic metal), and the the strength of the spinning field can be varied.

The fattest I recommend is the "Leece-Neville 110-555" from an 18-wheeler shop. They are cheaper to replace than rebuild, so you can get them cheap. They are crushed to get the copper out. New brushes/bearings are easy and cheap to get and install .

Car alternators are wound to provide 12V at low RPMs, and as the RPMs are raised, the field is weakened so that although the amps are rising, the voltage stays at 12V (actually around 14V). The spinning magnetic field "induces" electrical flow in the stationary windings. By bypassing the voltage regulator, you can easily make 120V of DC from a car alt. Its been done many times.

RVs sometimes have bypass circuits to provide 140Vdc to a 120VAC inverter, and off-road enthusiasts have been doing this for years and can WELD with a set of jumper cables coming off of an regulator-bypassed alternator.

3-5 year-old lawnmowers are often thrown away because the blade is dull, and a clogged air filter made it run rich and carboned up the spark plug, making it hard to start. Add a flywheel, install new oil/plug/air-filter and 90% of them work fine. Hard to beat free.

http://www.qsl.net/ns8o/Induction_Generator.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1829543/diy_homemade_lawnmower_alternator_welder.html

 

[dogman dan]

You can weld with a car alternator, in mexico they do it all the time. Takes some serious welding skill though, so maybe a cheap wire feed welder from china would be better for you to start, once you make a bunch of money mowing lawns.

You can definitely haul the mower and a weedeater with the ebike, just make sure to avoid too much full throttle riding at very low speed. If you can't make it to 10 mph, then back off the throttle and ride 5 mph to keep the motor cooler and not waste the battery on making motor heat. Pedal briskly in your lowest gear if that is what it takes.

Lotsa money to be made there, that kind of customer just needs the tall stuff knocked down to avoid a ticket, and $30-$40 per hour the mower runs is possible for sure. You won't be needing to haul off anything, just run the mower on mulch, or throw it all to the center to put it in thier trashcan. A flyer on the screendoor may drum up customers just as good as ringing the doorbell. Just leave the flyer whether or not you talk to the owner after ringing the bell.

 

[jag]

The width of a typical 2-kid trailer is about 26" between the wheels, or 23" inside if you keep the "cab" sides. Hence it would fit most lawn mowers. Personally I favour a lightweight mower such as the Toro alu/magnesium chassies or similar Snapper. They weigh a lot less than the typical department or bigbox store pressed steel deck ones.

I found most of my mowers for free or bought for a $ or so at auctions. Max I paid was $50 for a nicer Toro that someone had rebuilt. (he had a business where people brought him broken mowers, he'd fix and resell.)

Official weight limit on kid trailers is usually 100lbs, but they can likely take a bit more.
Main issue is you and the hub motor struggling on any uphill if you are loaded down heavily.

See how much gas you actually need for a work pass. I bet it is not so much.
A weight budget could be 30lbs mower, 30lbs gas, 15lbs weed eater, 10lbs misc = 85lbs

Personally I'd be hesitant to pull much more than half my own weigth both because it is heavy (uphill and starting in stop and go traffic), but also affects handling and stopping distance. I'm about 175lbs and towing with my 100lbs wife in the trailer is pretty hard work.