Brompton - trailer

[Amanda P]

I see that people are connecting to the rear hub rather than the seatpost. I imagine this is more stable.

How does it behave under braking?

If you're thinking of person-sized loads, see the last few sentences of Mickle's first paragraph here, and avoid seat-post hitches.

 

[david1701]

For heavy loads generally, consider the hitch carefully. Many hitch arrangements allow flexing, either in the hitch itself or in the arm between the hitch and the trailer. This makes the trailer waggle unless you pedal verysmoothly, and can also allow it to shunt back and forth when you brake or accelerate. With a big load on, this shunting can end up with your back wheel sliding a few inches with the brake locked as you come to a stop. If it's a straightforward shunt, you slide forward. If it's a combined shunt and waggle, the trailer can push the back wheel out from underneath you, which is distinctly discombobulating.

I have experienced this in a car, we have a rapier sankey trailer with hydrallic brakes that are powered by the hitch pushing against the car on slowing. On heavy (or even just final) braking the trailer tries to mount the discovery by slamming on then releasing and hitting the back of the hitch and slamming on again (it weighs 3/4 a ton empty)

 

[Amanda P]

Reason for edit: this is a family thread



David, you might want to check the damper in the overrun mechanism...

*Thinks of comments along lines of damping, mounting, dogs and buckets of water but can't think of anything snappy, and anyway Mickle's watching*

 

[david1701]

sorry :s used to TP censoring my thoughts

afaik it doesn't have one and the end of the hitch pushes into a hydraulic cylinder and it was a combination between very strong trailer brakes and it having a lot of momentum :s

 

[ianrauk]

well, thankyou one and all.

I do use the Brompton for carrying stuff - the rack is sufficiently strong to support the weight of a teenager given a backie, and I've put a draughting chair on it, and fifty cans of beer.

It occured to me that if I could get a flat trailer on the back I'd be able to use it for anything from the weekly shop to building supplies.

I see that people are connecting to the rear hub rather than the seatpost. I imagine this is more stable.

How does it behave under braking?

I can imagine the same as when I first took jnr out in his trailer...
A little disconcerting at first and took a little getting used to having to learn to brake earlier and smoother then one would normally sans trailer.

 

[mickle]

Reason for edit: this is a family thread



David, you might want to check the damper in the overrun mechanism...

*Thinks of comments along lines of damping, mounting, dogs and buckets of water but can't think of anything snappy, and anyway Mickle's watching*

:meh:

 

[mickle]

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35259&id=100000936421951&l=27a96e54fd

 

[dellzeqq]

If you're thinking of person-sized loads, see the last few sentences of Mickle's first paragraph here, and avoid seat-post hitches.

wonderful stuff - thankyou Uncle Phil and Mickle