bicycle trailer.

this is the finished bicycle trailer. I built it principally because i had all the components lying around and needed a bicycle trailer. many substitutions for the different parts are available, so this is more of an overview and general conceptual how-to on building bicycle trailers.

Step 1: Plastic bin and crossbeam

I had this large plastic bin that comes with it's own top so the trailer could be enclosed and waterproof. The wooden beam accross the top was because the sides of the plastic weren't strong enough to really hold their shape. conveniently I was able to put rope cleats tapped through the side of the box into this wooden beam so I also end up with a convenient point for tying things on top of the lid of the trailer as well as securing the lid.

Comments

[JensonBut]

Great one!

[JamieV]

This is a great idea.  Seems like I find old bike trailers at yard sales pretty often, but the hitch is always missing.  This could come in handy

[Yard Sale Dale]

You can buy replacement hitches and brackets on Amazon, easily for about $10 to $20. If you get the trailer for free because of a lost/old hitch system, you basically get a working trailer for the price of the hitch.

[nickjohnson]

Where did you get these wheels? Are these just wheelbarrow wheels?

[proffesor cuddles]

they are just bike wheels

[Yerboogieman]

wheel chair wheels

[purplemutant]

I thought they were wheelchair wheels. They look like the wheels on a cheap wheelchair I have. I think I might have to use them for a bike trailer. :D

[XCracer]

why not just make an adapter for the wheelchair, would be quite fun..

[purplemutant]

Yea I was thinking of just turning the wheelchair into a bike trailer. Since the wheelchair folds, I could have a folding bike trailer.

[saul]

actually they are from the mcmaster carr catalog. i think they are for industrial trikes and big handcarts.

[bo88y]

Another source: http://www2.northerntool.com/tires-wheels/spoked-wheels.htm This is a nice design concept. Looking at it, I'm wondering if smaller wheels might be better (lower center of gravity). Also, if the tote were of heavier plastic, like a fish tote (http://www.memphisnet.net/product/2429/tote), you could poke a solid axle right through the box, just above the bottom, and attach the hitching hardware to the top edge, or near the top, and reduce the bends. Or a solid axle could be attached directly to the underside. Coastal people might find some fish totes abandoned by the roadside. I think electrical conduit would have made a better attachment. A 1/2-3/4" hand bender goew for about $30, a good investment for someone doing a lot of this kind of DIY work.

[proffesor cuddles]

oooooooooooooooo sorry

[CrazyHowiesBikes]

 This is a good idea!  Way to reuse items you already had lying around!  I know lots of people who just throw away old totes, but this is a great way to breathe new life into them.  Keep up the great work.

To *bicycletrailersonline*:  I agree that your manufactured ones would probably hold up better than *saul's*, but that kinda defeats the purpose of this site.  I would love to be able to afford a manufactured trailer with some type of warranty, but with things as they are these days, I also had to look around and use what I had.  If a person was to go out and purchase all the items *saul* used, it probably would be very close in cost to your cargo trailers (I like the Quik-Pak, myself).  But, as he mentioned, he had these parts lying around.  No disrespect meant!  Swear!  I just notice that your comment seemed to be more of an ad.

[Slippy_Bug]

they are made by a company called skyways, and they make the chassis for bikes, wheel chairs, and pretty much anything that need a hard wearing, plastic wheels. www.skywaywheels.com

[bicycletrailersonline]

These bicycle trailers are great but these days for just about the same price and not much labor you could get a manufactured one at a place like http://www.bicycletrailersonline.com.  The quality would probably hold up better, too.

[guitarwizard94]

Probably a lot easier thatn all the other ones....

[Yerboogieman]

I would HATE that seat.

[cheesemanlovesrobots]

nice and simple

[alanwest]

Conduit - aluminum or EMT is easily bent - up to about one inch diameter. Some electrical shops will sell you a piece of scrap and bend it for you. Don't think I would go larger than two inch. 1-1/4 inch would probably be about right.

[the commando bear 2]

this is the best disign for a bike traler that i have seen so far on the internet and im going to try and make it this weekend. p.s wheal char wheals are a lot better for this type of disign as they are made to be side mounted.

[Hycro]

I was thinking of making kind of like a 3-point hitch, pintel & eye, or even a ball hitch for mine, but don't have anything to make those sorts of things with.

[Capt. Fat]

Any way you'd be able to rig it to a baja min dirt bike (the chopper like one)

[dewexdewex]

Nice simple coupling.

[dewexdewex]

I had the same stiffness problem but cured it with a length of aluminium exrusion fitted to the sides with pop rivets. See my Brompton front bin instructable. Nice job, btw.

[z3ro_infinite]

first off how long did it take u to make this... second how much did u spend on materials i know the bin is probly like $10 new and the weels also probablu like 10 for both dependin on where i get them but yeah about how long cuz i saw an actual bike trailer for $100

[ewilhelm]

The picture shows a single speed, not a fixed gear. However, I can imagine getting some serious titanium abs riding a fully loaded trailer/fixed gear.

[StyleCore]

Is it really Your first comment?

[buildingteen]

hwo about some pvc and two 45 degree angles?

[Handsome-Ryan]

PVC is not strong enough to be weight bearing. also- It breaks down in sunlight so even if it holds for a while it would break eventually (at the least opportune time).

[The Lance Armstrong]

I would imagine it would be possible to drill holes on each end and lock the container shut?

What better place to store extra helpings of this instructable.

http://www.instructables.com/id/EAM8HHGF2NOBP8U/

Have you considered attaching a trailer break system?

All that extra weight could cause you to jacknife going down a steep grade.

That reminds me of the 06 tour. Yes it does.

Well done.
Lance

[fitzhugh]

I looked all over for plans that fit my needs: a trailer that can carry my giant Irish Wolfhound to the dog park... Had to be robust, easy and cheap to build, and, as said, not require welding. Finally found the following:

bamboo trailer - weld-freehttp://carryfreedom.com/bamboo.html

They make bike trailers for a living, but saw a need for a design that could be used by people in the 3rd world with requirements similar to mine and were nice enough to share it. The design is very elegant - simple yet clever as hell, and I've yet to find one that would be as easy or as appropriate to my needs. They thought it through well and there are some clever tricks used in the design, all made out of what you have around.

I had trouble finding bamboo (even contacted Am. Bamboo Soc.) but found some being tossed out from a theater, I pick up my wheels on Monday and will have it together on Tuesday. Out of courtesy I'm linking to their site rather than posting their plans, though they ask nothing and say share, I take it that means individually.

While you do need to email them for the plans you can see the basics from the site. The plans include lots of little details that are helpful.

I have not built this yet, as I said, but the design speaks for itself and what would be cooler than a giant dog on a bamboo trailer? I think it is cool they provide the plans for free. You might also get ideas from the models they sell - some would be moderately easy to reproduce if you are handy with tools and bending and/or welding.

[engrmurad]

mechanicalsee the picture of mechanical rickshaw
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00282/rickshaw2.jpg

[nadj]

Nice design: I am interested in creating a smaller version of a teardrop design trailer for my bicycle. Can anyone give me any suggestion of where to go to maybe get some design schematics, or even some design schematics of a larger teardrop trailer. I can always change the size and dimensions. I thank you in advance for any help in this department. Shawn

[engrmurad]

mechanicalthis should be more tight.....i mean the bodnding.........it should mechanical bonding

[engrmurad]

nice design,easily one can use it as a bycle & also when added rest part,it will be a trailer......however this is very old mechanical technique.....I have seen it in india at calcutta & also in bangladesh at dhaka......where it is locally called rickshaw......

[!Andrew_Modder!]

wow...... lol fill it up with icecream and be the ghetto icecream man :-D Or,stow your pc in it when you go to a friends house to have a !!!!LANPARTY!!!! :-)

[buildingteen]

does this sway back and forth all the times i tried to make one it sways back and forth like 10 feet.

[fietskar]

take a look at this bicycle trailer site

[spolding]

This design, with the wheels under the carriage would surely mean the trailer was prone to tipping over? I would have thought the 'kit' ones would be the same. Wouldn't the way Aaron's design is set up, with the wheels positioned higher than the bottom of the carriage ward off unexpected and annoying tips?

[Made0Meat]

Pure genius for the use of materials at hand. Adding a notched 8020 extr. strut parallell to the axle, at the front and rear corners of the box could help with load distortion to the box. Jus' da tang, when yo' Mama send you to make groc'ry. P'raux