Push bike trailer - insipration needed

[Spot the welders dog]

Wanting to put together a trailer for the weekly shopping trips and have a few questions of the more seasoned bike aficionados out there...

I have some wheelchair wheels (20" x 1-1/8) with no tyres. Seen some Schwalbe Durano Wire Tyre and tubes (£37) - Will these work ok on wheelchair rims? - or if you know of a cheaper alternative that would be great to know.

Onto the hitch: I keep changing my mind here.
Was thinking of using the BOB trailer as 'inspiration', but cannot use the rear spindle as I have a hub motor installed and no thread left; A 45* elbow type may increase the width too far, nor do I want a seat post type as to keep the COG low, so am back considering a 'BOB' type but affixed to a vertical swing arm thingy hung from the frame - Is this a good idea, would it compromise the handling in any way?
A BOB trailer pic (with chunkolini) >



Would be nice to have some feedback of the pro's & con's of real world setups please before I get the hammer & nails out.

Regards to all...

 

[madkayaker]

would it not be cheeper to eBay one? search dog trailer and there about £50

 

[Spot the welders dog]

Total expenditure maybe around £37 for the tyres ( I could use the 24" wheels with tyres I have, but too big I feel), some pieces of scrap = £0. Also the ebay specials all seem to have the fixing point on the rear hub or on the seat post: Can't/ Don't want that for the reasons given above.

So no....

Thanks all the same

 

[chunkolini]

BOB trailers are brilliant pieces of kit. i have covered thousands of miles with mine.
It did handle like a pig carrying a cooker, but it got me there.
In normal use you dont ever feel it, no wobbles at speed, I have even jumped my bike with it fully loaded.
It would be an easy sructure to simplify, use a swing arm instead of the triangular one and the headtube off a pushbike for the upright on the trailer.
Whey didn't I make one? it was bought in prewelding days.
The ones that go onto the seat tube with two wheels dont feel so safe.
I also lugged my son about in a burley trailer for about four years, they have twin back wheels and secure to one of the chain stays. safe as houses and god helo anybody who cut me up while towing it.
The BoB mounts on an extended quick release thingy.
it would be easy to braze or weld a pair of lugs onto the rear dropouts, you could probably even bolt something onto the mudguard mounts.
Why bother? because we can.

 

[CRB]

I looked at this a while ago to help transporting produce from the allotment. I started with half of an aluminium extending ladder, three bread baskets and two 20" wheels. Since I was not welding back then I riveted or bolted everything. Unfortunately before I could use it in anger we had to give the allotment up, so along with many other things, it is in abeyance now, next to jeopardy but not as worrying.

These links may also help, the Eland one is very neat. Peter is the editor of VeloVision.

http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~armb/cycling/trailer.html

Edit - the Eland pages are a dead end, so here is his third trailer...

http://www.eland.org.uk/trailer3.html

 

[CompoSimmonite]

If anyone wants them I have a brand new pair of wheels & tyres for free - just pay postage. I'd have to check but think they are about 16" and "quick release". I bought them years ago when I planned on building a small trailer to carry additional batteries for an electric bike project.
If you want to collect I'm at Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent.

Paul h

 

[Spot the welders dog]

<.> I have even jumped my bike with it fully loaded

#1 nutter award goes to....

Not sure I can weld to the frame - ali: so a bolted clampy thing will have to be concocted.

CRB: thanks for the link - I've stalled on the hitch to bike thing so thought I'd get some insight whilst the rain stops any construction for now!


If I made a bracket from here, and looped a piece of bar between the two, would that break anything d'you think?


CompoSimmonite -PM coming your way..

E2a: CRB - just read through that Eland link, and ****** me his opinion is that it is a non-starter - loving his second incarnation -very flash

 

[mart]

I discussed the same thing on here 4 years ago.
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=7934
The link for cam carts no longer seems to work though.

 

[CRB]

A BOB trailer pic (with chunkolini) >

View attachment 31626

?Dearly Beloved asked whether that was roadkill on the front forks Chunkolini?

 

[madkayaker]

It's to stop the rabbits

 

[chunkolini]

That was lunch.

 

[Transit V6]

i planned to build a bike trailer to tow my daughter behind me (one with a seat in) but when i costed it - i couldnt have made one as good for the cash - i ended up getting a raleigh one brand new for £45 off ebay

she's since grown out of it and i made a towable bike which worked out cheeper than buying one - plus more fun http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=11793

i'm now thinking of making another towable bike but with a 24" wheel

 

[Spot the welders dog]

Had a few set-backs on the build > Ordered the wrong size tyres, Arrhhhh.
Although on reflection; if I'd cleaned the rims before hand I would have seen it stamped up as 22 x 1 3/8"

Mart: looked at the thread - What did you end up with, and was it any good?
T^v6: I remember looking at your build some time back, was indeed a nice project judging by the smiles......24" wheeler - how many Transit parts can you fit on this one d'ya think

Found a few possible bits to use on a recent scavenge hunt - a 5' chrome towel rail, a trolley that converts into a deck chair thing and a heavy duty ironing board base. Right off to find the right tyres..

 

[DrNik]

hey spot, im always down the local scrapyard (my favorite place) there is a local company that sells/services mobility aids, and are forever scrapping perfectly good wheel chairs, wheels and all, i'll get you a few if you wish

 

[Spot the welders dog]

Spooky....

Guess what I built my trailer with... Zimmer frame and Wheelchair front castor!
It's not quite 'finished', but I was near to give it a test run today, but I chickened out at the last minute.

CompoSimmonite was very kind to send some more wheels. I also have a pair in reserve. Yet more project fodder was found with another zimmer frame today, a 1m ali rsj thing, and some steel tube that looks suspiciously like a commode

Thanks for the offer - noted for future

Always worth remembering that "Disabled people are not just for Xmas; They're a great source of project material too"

 

[normspanners]

HI Chunkolini
Is that my ex wifes head on ya forks ?? it must be heavy coz it's startin to bend the forks, just under it----, mind you, it did take a BIG hole---------but we made one for my mates trailer and used a trackrod end for the link /pivot point cut off the end of the steering arm and welded it to a bracket to mount to the seat post, his trailer was for extra batteries too.

 

[Spot the welders dog]

Trailer Mach Uno test run completed - no casulties to report









Two plates from scrap 3mm, wheelchair tube section sliced down lenght and welded 'half & half' to create sandwich. Painted with some of Lidi's finest metal prep using an old toothbrush!
Zimmer frame handles work well as the wheels hubs (Thanks again CompoSimmonite). The wheelchair front castor is nicely weighted to hang low when not attached to the trailer.
The 'quick release' coupler, is as you see, with the inner valve removed to enable a free moving 'twist'.

Need to refine the way the tow-arm mounts to the trailer - 'Tis just a sleeved piece of frame attached with jubilee clips just now, although it does fold over to ease storage of the trailer - needs a bit more thought...

 

[Spot the welders dog]

Made a few amendments to 'Tracey the trailer tart' -

The first change was to use steel in place of ali for the tow arm and bracket. Didn't want to to give the old boys at the bus stop the opportunity to wave, jeer and make rude hand gestures toward me again after the first fail


Second change was to the wheel hubs. Using the zimmer frame handles worked - kinda - but introduced to much camber.
My solution was to slice some 25x25x3 box down its length, and re-weld: The same was done on the adjacent side which resulted in the perfect ID to locate the wheels, These hubs carriers were then mounted to the cross beam. I can now stand on the trailer without no hint of camber.



Considered attaching a 'fail safe' chain between the fixing and bike mount - Decided that this was a bad idea - I don't want a wayward trailer tryingg to pull me from the bike. Much better the trailer ******s off on its own course.
I would need some warning of this so I raped a rape alarm which sounds if the hitch detaches.




Installed some LEDs into the rear facing feet with a switch on my control panel



And a big bag finishes it off

 

[DrNik]

brilliant trailer heath robinson eat your heart out (not literally)

 

[Spot the welders dog]

I had to look him up first - but THANKS..Sounded a cool dude, much like myself!
And I see that you are his long lost son - that makes you my adopted Uncle: So in theory; there is a small chance I could be bequeathed a new workshop in the very distant future

I think I've caught Be-a-Chunkolini-ist:
Riding down the old canal path the way was blocked by a class of nursery aged children - tool to the grass verge and was met with cheers and shouts of "Cool", Wicked" - Whilst lapping up the praise I hadn't noticed that I'd veered toward the old canal basin.
In haste I hit the power button on the handlebars by mistake: The back wheel spun up and then propelled me towards a large mound - Hit the mound and "Got air". I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as I peddled away with jelly legs....