StudEbiker
100 kW
Has anyone built their own trailer or know of where some good simple (cheap) designs are??
DIY bike trailer designs??
- Thread starter StudEbiker
- Start date
AussieJester
1 TW
Bubba...aka. "DontSendBubbaMail" on this site has done some pretty flash push trailers might want
to search the forums for his thread, some pretty impressive work he has a home CNC the baaaaastard hehehe
KiM
to search the forums for his thread, some pretty impressive work he has a home CNC the baaaaastard hehehe
KiM
Rassy
1 MW
StudEbiker, are you looking for two wheel or one wheel trailers? What type of cargo do you want to haul? Do you want it motorized?
I have made some simple two wheel trailers with hub motors to push a bike and a trike. Also converted a couple of BOB trailers to pusher trailers.
If you just search on trailer you will get many returns.
This thread refers to several pusher trailers:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9855&sid=772f155659cb1428658dad609c645a1b
I have made some simple two wheel trailers with hub motors to push a bike and a trike. Also converted a couple of BOB trailers to pusher trailers.
If you just search on trailer you will get many returns.
This thread refers to several pusher trailers:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9855&sid=772f155659cb1428658dad609c645a1b
StudEbiker
100 kW
Rassy said:
Just looking for a simple two wheel trailer I can carry a little cargo in and possibly my dog.
Rassy
1 MW
The easiest way to get a good little utility trailer is to look for a used kid trailer. Someone posted a long time ago that he started just leaving the top up on his, since then no one could tell if there was a baby in it, and they gave more room when passing. 
I have built two working trailers, and started on parts piles for a few others that I hadn't ever quite found all the stuff for.
One is a two wheeler built out of two rear triangles from huffy 24" bikes, a bottom footbar off a lawn chair, and some computer desk parts. The headtube and part of the top&down were used to make a swivel/hitch to my upright bike's rear rack (later changed to a fork). I used the 24" wheels at first, but found the MTB knobbies dragged too much so used some 20" wheels from some junked BMX that had Kenda flames on them that rolled a lot better. It was the very first trailer I made, and the first functional thing I welded together after 20-something years since I had learned how in highschool. So it's not exactly pretty even by *my* standards.
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/youd-think-i-made-trailer-to-carry.html
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-dayglo-avenger-look.html
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/trailer-nearly-makes-full-trip-till.html
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/better-pics-of-cargo-trailer-smaller.html
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/bike-trailer-for-cargo.html
View attachment RoadBikeAndTrailerNight1.JPG
But it works, and it'll haul at least 240 pounds of dog food (6 40 pound bags) if they're stacked right and cardboard is used to ensure they don't rub on the wheels. If I could have balanced it right, I could've hauled twice that, but it kept tipping forward and back too much, and I couldn't safely ride the upright bike while hauling it. Maybe on my CrazyBike2 it'd've worked.
The second is much simpler and lighter, although it's only been tested to 200 pounds so far, and I haven't found a hitch design I like yet, though I have a ball hitch in the works that should do it. It's made from a simple aluminum "box", which used to be the front panel to some mainframe computer inter-communication system (it's the same panel you can see in the background in Engineering or the Torpedo room in one of the first two Star Trek movies; I just took off the bajillion toggle switches and knobs and stuff). It has wheelchair quick-release style wheels at the rear, with the caster wheels at the front corners. Those I'd like to replace with larger ones, though, as they are a bit problematic--they're only maybe 5 or 6" diameter, I think. Pretty sure I could put 8" wheels on the same hardware, if I could find some thin enough. Plus, it all disassembles quickly to stow in a closet, etc.
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2009/05/wheelchair-computerpanel-flatbed_22.html
One of the other trailer ideas is based on a couple of exercycle arms, but I haven't got the right sturdy wheel attachments yet; might use a pair of front forks welded on vertically (to attach fenders to, since it'd be a slightly narrow trailer).
View attachment 3
I also have a threewheel baby stroller designed around bike parts, but I need the two rear wheels from it for my trike's front wheels, so it won't become a trailer, though it'd make a useful one, possibly even a double-decker.
One is a two wheeler built out of two rear triangles from huffy 24" bikes, a bottom footbar off a lawn chair, and some computer desk parts. The headtube and part of the top&down were used to make a swivel/hitch to my upright bike's rear rack (later changed to a fork). I used the 24" wheels at first, but found the MTB knobbies dragged too much so used some 20" wheels from some junked BMX that had Kenda flames on them that rolled a lot better. It was the very first trailer I made, and the first functional thing I welded together after 20-something years since I had learned how in highschool.
So it's not exactly pretty even by *my* standards. http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/youd-think-i-made-trailer-to-carry.html
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-dayglo-avenger-look.html
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/trailer-nearly-makes-full-trip-till.html
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/better-pics-of-cargo-trailer-smaller.html
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2008/04/bike-trailer-for-cargo.html
View attachment RoadBikeAndTrailerNight1.JPG
But it works, and it'll haul at least 240 pounds of dog food (6 40 pound bags) if they're stacked right and cardboard is used to ensure they don't rub on the wheels.
If I could have balanced it right, I could've hauled twice that, but it kept tipping forward and back too much, and I couldn't safely ride the upright bike while hauling it. Maybe on my CrazyBike2 it'd've worked. The second is much simpler and lighter, although it's only been tested to 200 pounds so far, and I haven't found a hitch design I like yet, though I have a ball hitch in the works that should do it. It's made from a simple aluminum "box", which used to be the front panel to some mainframe computer inter-communication system (it's the same panel you can see in the background in Engineering or the Torpedo room in one of the first two Star Trek movies; I just took off the bajillion toggle switches and knobs and stuff). It has wheelchair quick-release style wheels at the rear, with the caster wheels at the front corners. Those I'd like to replace with larger ones, though, as they are a bit problematic--they're only maybe 5 or 6" diameter, I think. Pretty sure I could put 8" wheels on the same hardware, if I could find some thin enough. Plus, it all disassembles quickly to stow in a closet, etc.
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2009/05/wheelchair-computerpanel-flatbed_22.html
One of the other trailer ideas is based on a couple of exercycle arms, but I haven't got the right sturdy wheel attachments yet; might use a pair of front forks welded on vertically (to attach fenders to, since it'd be a slightly narrow trailer).
View attachment 3
I also have a threewheel baby stroller designed around bike parts, but I need the two rear wheels from it for my trike's front wheels, so it won't become a trailer, though it'd make a useful one, possibly even a double-decker.
There's some updates down the page here:overjoyed said:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15570&start=90
and a thread just for the updated version of that flatbed here:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18671
View attachment Image006.jpg
I made this trailer entirely from dumpster materials including the tires, tubes and wheels. May not look like much, but it works great. It carries heavy loads plus 70# of SLA batteries.
I made this trailer entirely from dumpster materials including the tires, tubes and wheels. May not look like much, but it works great. It carries heavy loads plus 70# of SLA batteries.
