Bike Trailer Project

[@RCHER]

With a lot of folks kicking in their physical training, I thought I'd share some pics of a home brew trailer project I finished a couple seasons ago. I'm working on some other new ideas, but nothing worth sharing yet. If you've thought about doing this, you can get into it with little to no cost.

This one I started by searching craigslist.org and found a little free kiddy trailer from a gal up the street. Come to find out, it ended up actually being an equinox trailer - one of best bike trailer makers out there. With a little disassembly, some new tires/tubes, paint, new tongue and hitch, paint and a little aluminum diamond plate, this thing is a load carrying beast.

The way hunts went in 2008, I still haven't hauled any big game out with it, but she’s got a lot of exercise miles and a few salmon gear trips on her.

Let's see some other ideas!

[agchawk]

Very nice! I use an old kid trailer myself....but no real modifications to it outside of taking the small seat out of it to make more room. It actually works quite well too. I use it on my N Idaho Whitetail hunts each year.

However, your trailer is pretty sweet. I may have to make myself a small summer project and see what I can come up with.

[@RCHER]

Cool, thanks AGC. Any pics? Yeah, the thing I really like about this one, it that it's tuff and all aluminum - so really light. It'll haul more weight than I can handle.

Also, I'd love to find a place flat enough to really use it more for hunting. 

[tmike]

I need something like that. How much $ do you have into it? With that and a pack on your back you could haul a lot of weight. Nice looking set up.

[agchawk]

I don't have any pics at the moment. It's at my house on the other side of the state (I work on Whidbey Island and live in Clarkston). I'll take some pics when I am back home next weekend.

Yea, I hear ya on the "flat land". That's why I have only used it on my Whitetail hunts. The area I hunt Mulies in is WAY TOO steep for my bike and trailer.

It's hard to tell in the pics...what kind of bike do ya use? I have a Specialized 29er Rockhopper myself.

[agchawk]

tmike, I don't know how much extra cash @rcher has pumped into his but I picked mine up at a yard sale for $20. I cleaned it up, replaced the wheels, took the small seat out, and repaired/patched the cover for next to nothing. I LOVE what @rcher has done with his though....something I am going to look into this summer.

You are right too, you can haul a lot of stuff on these little trailers...they work great IMO.

[CastleRocker]

I built mine, and packed out a decent bull with it two seasons ago, took two trips, but it was 9 miles one way, and it was a LOT easier than packing it out on your back!  One word of wisdom....PUT DISC BRAKES ON IT!!!  I had caliper brakes on mine and I had a real nasty crash on it.  Also, put a handle on back to someone can help push up the hills.  A buddy of mine that I work with built one as well, and packed out a 6x6 in Oregon in one trip.  His is almost the same as mine, but he too had a bad wreck about 40 yards from his truck when he couldn't stop and crashed into the gate where he was parked.  There are only two words I have to stress one more time...DISC BRAKES!!!  I've got some pics of mine, (before I put the disc brakes on it and painted it), I'll post for ya.  Next one will have one wheel, like the BOB Ibex, or BOB Yak type trailers.  Of course it will have to pack a lot more than the 70-90 lbs that the BOB trailers do.

[@RCHER]

Thanks, CR. Good points. I did talk to a guy about some composite wheels he had that were set up for discs. In fact, I've been thinking about how to built a remote (IR) master unit for a wireless disc setup. Would be great not to tether the bike to the trailer with cables.

AGC, if I remember right, I have a total of about $140 in mine. The trailer was free, it needed the new tongue/hitch assembly, tires, tubes, and the diamond plate was about $50. Most of the labor was in cutting the aluminum. Definitely a bit more swank than I set out to do. They don't need to be fancy. My biggest requirements were to find one that was aluminum and could handle over 100lbs.

[FrankDown]

I dont have access to a TIG welder any longer.  I have been thinking about the same thing with the single wheel.  It seems the track would be better for offroad too, and hang out in traffic less otherwise.

Id been looking at the brushless motors for the electric propulsion that goes onteh front wheel.  However the trails sometime says no motorized vehicles, and a mountain bike with an electric motor would be motorized.  With a trailer you could have a bigger battery, I dont know what the weight to power would end up being though.  Just one of those crazy thoughts.  Sometimes they pay off, and I still have all my fingers too.

[agchawk]

Great points @rcher/castlerocker. I have not had any issues as of yet as far as wrecks...but I have yet to bring it down a hill that is overly steep while fully loaded yet either. I think when I build my new one this summer I will certainly be putting disc brakes on it. My caliper brakes seem to work fine on the old logging roads that I've brought it out on however, I would rather be more safe than sorry. (Yea @rcher, your pics have convinced me to build a new one. I'll more than likely just modify the one I have...but it'll be fun)

I have 5 kids at home and we all mountain bike so I have plenty of spare parts, brake assemblys, etc. Hell, I think I have 6 older mountain bikes sitting in my garage right now. We just upgraded all our bikes last fall so that will give me all the "extras" I need.

@rcher, what's the most wieght you think you've carried in yours? Again, mine is not as nice as yours but I put a stronger axle on mine when I threw the bike tires on it, dropped a slab of plywood on the floorboard of it, and haven't had any issues with overloading. Of course, I think the most weight I've had in it is around 150-175 lbs....certainly not a whole bull elk.

[Ghost Hunter]

Sweet!  I like your style.

[WAPITIHUNTER]

Outstanding job on the cart. I definately need to get one of those for Elk hunting.

[tmike]

Here's one on Craigslist that has some possibilities. $60

This is a Master Cycle bike trailor that holds two childern wieghing up to 100 pounds or one child wieghing up to 50 pounds. This trailor works perfect and there are no problems with it. We are asking for CASH ONLY please and seriuos inqueries only.
   

[CastleRocker]

I'll try to get some pics up of mine. The next build(s) will definately be big single wheel.  My big cart doesn't do well on trails as it is too wide, and likes to flip over when the trail is cut into the hill and less than 18" wide.  And it's hard to judge where the tires are going to ride in relation to rocks along side of the bike.  My BOB Ibex does great, tracks right where the bike does, but the load capacity is limited due to the small wheel/tire on it.  I also like to use the same size wheel as the bike that's towing it, so you only have to bring that one size spare tubes, and they seem to ride and pack loads better.  Also, (in my opinion), you want them to hook to the axle on the bike, not the seat post.  My big trailer hooks to the seat post and it likes to pull the front tire off the ground when it's loaded.  (I've got pretty good at riding a wheelie though!)  I'll dig up some pics, and try to post them.  Long story short, two wheels on roads, but one wheel on trails.

[@RCHER]

Here's a design I saw at the Puyallup show three years ago. It's mostly steel, but I like some of the features.