Motors for Trailers

Tiberius

10 kW
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
871
Location
Rural England
or light vehicles?

I was intrigued by the postings recently on here about pusher trailers. I have an application and a trailer that would be just right for something like that.

What motors would people suggest for trailers? Are there suitable wheel motors available, or is it a case of inboard motors and a drive system?

Nick
 
Tiberius said:
or light vehicles?

I was intrigued by the postings recently on here about pusher trailers. I have an application and a trailer that would be just right for something like that.

What motors would people suggest for trailers? Are there suitable wheel motors available, or is it a case of inboard motors and a drive system?

Nick
Same power criteria as bike motors, but more mounting options since interference with bike & suspension is moot.

:mrgreen:
 
Hi TD,

The mounting will certainly be different to bikes, as it has to be from one side only - stub axles. Whether that makes for more or fewer options I'm not sure.

Is there a standard thing people use for light, 4 wheel vehicles?

Nick
 
Well, ok... if you use stub axles. You dont have to.

IIRC, quads use a through-axle & chain drive with pillow-block bearings.

You might want to check out "bob trailers" (one-wheelers).

Cheers,
 
I currently have two one-wheel trailers, one made from an old BOB trailer and the other from the swing arm of an electric scooter interfaced with a new BOB trailer hitch fork. I use them behind my LWB recumbent. Somewhere between 20 and 25 MPH they both have a tendancy to wag a bit, which can be a little spooky. For the most part I don't care to ride faster, so no real problem. When I used a two-wheel trailer behind a regular bike this wasn't a problem.
 
Thanks everyone,

But maybe I should have made it clear that this time I'm thinking not about bikes, but pusher trailers behind cars. What motors and drive systems are favoured for those? With a trailer, it seems to me that you get away from a lot of the problems of converting the car or installing a hybrid system.

Nick
 
Woof. Pushing an ICE car with an electric pusher?

I've seen the opposite: pushing an EV with an ICE trailer... that makes sense.

:?
 
There is this one electric i.c.e pusher, the guy took a differential from a small pickup, building a small frame around it for motor and batteries.

http://www.evalbum.com/1713
 
Oh wow. A real one. I asked this a while ago, never seen one up until now.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4646&p=68932

Here's my Honda 5hp ICE powered trailer I'm working on for my ebike below. With the onboard quad fuel drums I estimate a 5000+ mile range at 20mph. Perfect for the occasional transcontinental trip.
 

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You sure that's going to go 20? When I threw a 65 pound honda 900 watt generator in the basket of my trike I could only go about 15, as opposed to the usual 24. That was at only 36 volts though.
 
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