homeade trailer thread!

[snowbeard]

SO I just bought a piece of aluminum I beam 90 some" long, and I hope to make a trailer that I can use both ways, coming and going,

no, I mean to pull behind the bike when I want to take things with me, but also to pull the bike on when I need to transport it!

so I need to identify a good axle for it, and wheels. I thought it would be nice to get some wheels from our bikes perhaps, mag or spoked but mine are mag.

How wide would you think I'd need the wheelbase to be? if I used it for transporting behind the car with a bike on it, it would have to be a decent width, but I don't want it too wide to pull safely on the bike either. maybe I should make two axles?

any thoughts are welcome, eventually this will become how do I make the hitch too, but that's for much much later!

[focus frenzy]

well you can have one or the other but I don't see how you can have both in one without problems.
trailers have to be pretty light and narrow to safely pull behind a bike.
to carry a bike on it it will need to be pretty long for the bike to fit on it and wide also to keep from tipping over.

it is possible but factoring all the interchagable parts you would need, you could build two trailers.

[snowbeard]

possibly.

this is a long piece, about 8 ft, so I think I could get away with putting the bike on it. maybe I could do it with angle iron for the center of the axle and some clamps that could be loosened and the angle iron slides like a slide rule to widen the base for car pulling...?

I would hope not to need the trailer for carrying the bike very often, but every once in a while I get hold of one that doesn't run and I have to go thru all the hassle of borrowing a friend's truck, someone else's trailer, etc... it wouldn't have to be up for a cross country haul quite.

[Roseknight]

some of your parts (like the trailer end of the hitch) just pick up at Northern tool or some such and weld it on.. they also sell axles and wheels
also as a matter of economy you probably dont want to try and do it with motorcycle wheels... trailer tires are much cheaper the motorcycle tires...

https://www.northerntool.com

course you could take your angle iron and just buy this trailer to mount it on probably add a sheet of plywood to give you a place to mount some eye bolts for tie downs..

https://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=7262&R=7262

doesnt address the haul behind the bike question.. (someone mentioned it needs to be less wide for behind the bike and I agree)
Mitch

hmm now that I'm thinking about it.. would probably be easier the then putting bikes in the back of my truck.. esp if it were more then one.. (have a small truck)

[snowbeard]

good call on the tires, I probably will go with that.

alot of this will be found items, or at least really cheap on ebay, etc...

and it is primarily for pulling behind the bike, only a vague secondary use for towing bikes itself... and that's only if it breaks down (heaven forbid) or my wife allows me to get yet another beater... :roll:

[lberkhei]

Did you search the forum? "srivett2" built a trailer to tow behind his bike a year or so ago; there was some good discussion on tires/wheels, and other parts, in that thread.

[snowbeard]

I have read that one, tho not recently.

out there steve?? and just what did you learn from this?!?

[Clone]

I don't know if you guys noticed, but Steve's trailer had really poor dimensions which make it unstable. If you are from canada, you can drop into Princess auto and get a utility trailer plan for free. In the states I am not sure. A trailer for behind your bike will not be long enough to trailer your bike behind a car or truck also the width of the trailer will be an issue, you can't have it too wide behind your bike, but then it will be too narrow to be stable behind your car. If you plan to make one trailer that you can change the dimensions on to pull with your bike then at different times trailer your bike, the extra metal for the tongue, axle tubes and lengthening frame will make it almost too heavy to pull behind your bike.

[snowbeard]

what a bunch of naysayers.!!! :P


naw, just kidding, I really want your input and the more problems I can learn about BEFORE going ahead with it the better!

so how heavy should the trailer theoretically be? I've heard one third the weight of the bike?

I don't want it too light or it'll be bouncing all over the dang place, but I still need to be able to drag it... somewhere in the middle, and if I can get a suspension system it would be even better?!


on a high note, I got the I-beam the other night, it's about a foot, maybe foot and half longer than the wheelbase of the bike, looks like enough room to use the beam as part of the tongue to the hitch.

blocked it up on a bit of 2x4 in the center and drove the bike up on it. of course then realized I needed something to support it, but couldn't let go of the brake or the bike as it was on a slope in the driveway... so I pulled off my glove and stuck it over the bar and brake handle, then pulled the funny old horseshoe off my saddlebags and used it to prop the sidestand just long enought to step over to the garage and get something better suited. once it was all up and balance on the 2x4 by itself, I got down and started assessing the beam's integrity. it didn't bow by more than 1/4 inch, if at all!! so it's plenty strong enough for the bike. now to decide on the rest!!

[earlfor]

Not to be a naysayer, but I think towing a motorcycle on a trailer behind a motorcycle is a terrible idea. The weight of the bike on the trailer will be greater than the weight of the towing cycle. There will be no brakes on the trailer. Hard braking by the towing bike will result in the trailer momentum trying to lift the rear end of the bike, further reducing braking ability and reducing control. I dont even want to think of the handling of this configuration on a wet road in an emergency stop. Keep in mind too that there will be no manuverability or avoidance capability and if you do drop the bike, the trailer is going ot run over you. I wouldnt consider a total trailer and load weight greater than about 1/2 the dry weight of the towing cycle..




Earl

[earlfor]

double post deleted

[snowbeard]

oh boy! maybe I wasn't too clear on my silly ideas

I won't try to tow a bike with a bike, I just want to be able to go kayaking or mtn biking after work without driving my cage. my outdoor play has taken a big hit because I hate the car, but if I could trailer my 30# toys, I could have cake and eat it too.

the motorcycle on the trailer part is only as a last ditch effort if something happened on the road, and then I would still pull it with a car or truck!

sorry to make you worry but I appreciate the thought!!

[earlfor]

PHEW!!! :-) A 30 lb kayak, a paddle and your lunch is a different matter. eh eh I think you will be ok with that. :-)

Earl

oh boy! maybe I wasn't too clear on my silly ideas

I won't try to tow a bike with a bike, I just want to be able to go kayaking or mtn biking after work without driving my cage. my outdoor play has taken a big hit because I hate the car, but if I could trailer my 30# toys, I could have cake and eat it too.

the motorcycle on the trailer part is only as a last ditch effort if something happened on the road, and then I would still pull it with a car or truck!

sorry to make you worry but I appreciate the thought!!

[Clone]

Not to be a nay sayer, but sometimes you have to be the voice of reality. The length of the tongue to carry a kayak is going to be longer than your bike, now you are running into instability issues in the wind and with aerodynamics. You know that swaying back and forth behind the tow vehicle issue.

[earlfor]

For something as light as a 30 lb kayak, a couple of foam block will be all that is needed under the hull. Leaf springs and a normal suspension will not be needed. The wheels can be located at the rear end of the Kayak with the hitch at the bow. You would fabricate a snap on cradle for the rear of the kay ak and a clamp on hitch' harness for the bow and not need to build a normal trailer. Increasing length between the hitch and axle will increase stability.
With the kayak on foam blocks, it probably will not be centered higher than 1 ft above the ground. Aerodynamics should be excellent as kayaks are covered and low drag. Windage should be minimal also. Also, the shape of a kayak will make it self stabalizing. Most trailers sway side to side because of insufficient weight on the hitch which usually means the longitudinal cente of gravity is behind or close to the axle. CG must be ahead of the axle and the farther ahead it is, the more stable the trailer.

For something as light as a Kayak and mounted low, 3' between tire tread ctr to ctr should be plenty wide enough. I have a two bike double axle trailer with a MUCH higher and heaver center of gravity when loaded and it has no stability problems with 48" wheel/axle width.


Earl.

Not to be a nay sayer, but sometimes you have to be the voice of reality. The length of the tongue to carry a kayak is going to be longer than your bike, now you are running into instability issues in the wind and with aerodynamics. You know that swaying back and forth behind the tow vehicle issue.