Bike Trailer

Intro: Bike Trailer

this is a cargo bike trailer for towing whatever and can be made on budget for like 10-20 dollars

parts needed
-metal pipe
-small bolts and skrews
-tub or cooler of some sort
-golf bag caddy (get them at thrift stores)
-caribeaner
-strap/rope

tools needed
-drill (drill press best)
-wrenches
-screwdriver
-something to bend pipe(vice and two people work)

STEP 1: Frame (golf Bag Caddy)

using a golf bag caddy as the axle/frame take the pipe and drilla hole thru it and the bag caddy and bolt them together. now bend the pipe to go around the back bike tire and to the chainstay (bottom pipe on tire fork for rear of bike). make sure it has room for you to make right turns with out hitting the tire.

STEP 2: Hitch

drill a hole thru the pipe where it is going to attach to the bike.
if you are using a strap bolt it on by looping it,cutting hole, and leaving a little play in it for turning. if using rope just tie it thru the hole. then put the clip on and it can attack to your bike

- if it wont stay on you bike a pipeclamp and another clip work to give you an attachment point

STEP 3: Tub/cooler Attachment

basicaly use skrews/bolt and attack any thing from plywood to coolers or like me acheap rubbermaid tub and then you can tow stuff to parties/work/store or like me and my brother, to the pool

STEP 4: Towing

clip it to your bike and ride! dosent get the best points for style but as far as function and versatilty it takes gold.

Comments

[DFDuran]

Oh, this is great! I have been looking around for a cart and peaking in alleys and yards to see if someone had something I could get or buy off of them. Just down the street in a pile of junk is a golf caddie. I am sooo go get it.

[espdp2]

If you already own a bike trailer and you don't use it anymore, it makes a great cargo trailer too. I found mine for sale for $5 at a yard sale.

[mtbr4life]

 Does the trailer have a lot of play when you turn and stop? It seems like it wouldn't stay connected very well

[angusmacgyver]

i made one that is dif than yours. but it is hard to pull do you have any sugestions? (besides making it lighter)

[rocknrollskwurl]

- grease or loosen the wheels. they could be causing drag. -if turning is hard, then bend the tow bar to give you more room -bigger tires. small tires take rough terrain and bumps alot harder -try a more snug fitting hitch. if it bounces around it distributes the enrgy poorly.

[ThinkBeforeYouSpeak]

Does this bounce around at all or anything like that? Or is is Fairly smooth?

[rocknrollskwurl]

the tighter you tie the hitch (or smaller the clip) the less movement, but it tows smooth empty, but alot better full. but if you have a good spot to hook it it tows fairly well considering what its made of.

[dewexdewex]

Trailers work best if the force from the load in them acts directly down through the axle. Also, the coupling should be relatively stiff but should allow the bike to lean. A universal joint like on the Weber Kupplung is the best. Failing this, a length of stiff rubber radiatorhose from an automotive supplier of 1/2 to 1 inch should do the trick. The trouble with the Weber, howver, is that it's axle coupled. Even if this is better for towing, it's more awkward for bending down when attaching/detaching. Hope that helps.

[Joss2007]

hi, does the hitch bar not hit the back wheel when your taking a corner ?

[glassspider2142]

if it duz put more bend in it! or pay some one to work it out for you!

[rocknrollskwurl]

if you will notice, the hitch bends out at an angle and then back to the tire alowing you to turn, sharp turs arent possible but with this trailer i have about a 7 foot turn circle so it works good

[Handsome-Ryan]

I like that your design uses materials you could get for cheap or free.

[rocknrollskwurl]

i added a huge red duffel bag to the inside, it hold my stuff and the other day i carried pool stuff, wet clothes,tennis equipment, and water bottles for four people plus 20+ tennis balls! it can hold alot

[carlos66ba]

This is a very cool idea, very very useful.

[rocknrollskwurl]

it attaches to the bottom bar holding the tire on. it tends to slide a bit so i also hook it to the cargo rack on my bike, on my bros trailer we have a safety chain thing that keeps it from sliding

[Robyntheslug]

This is one of the most realistic, cheap and simple builds I've seen! But could you point out where exactly you are attaching it to your bike? Cool beans! -Robyn

[jolshefsky]

I see those old golf caddies in the trash now and then and always thought they had to be useful for something. Excellent idea!