building a trailer as cheap as possible

[Paul Walters]

This might sound ridiculous, but have you thought about using wheel-chair wheels ?

I actually found a wheelchair on the verge of the road near a countrypark a few years ago. The wheels are ideal as they only need a connection to the axle on one side, and you don't have to fanny around trying to make a frame. (And I did check the nearby ditch for any up-ended ex-users before I loaded it into the van !!)

I cut the bottom of the frame out of the chair to save the plate the wheels attach to. I then gave the whole thing to my brother in law, who drilled the plates for bolting to a plastic box, as in the pictures earlier in the thread. You can easily remove the hand-grab-rail on the outside of the wheels, and I know my local LBS carries innertubes to fit, as I've been in there when a guy wheeled himself in and asked for some help with a puncture !

Perhaps a local hospital is binning an old one, or a local charity shop might have one ? They do around by me !!

 

[numbnuts]

ok I'll try that.
had a look came across seam sealer will that do the trick.
thanks
jags.

it would work, but is the seams leaking a heavy black bin bag inside the main bag may be cheaper

 

[jags]

i taught of the bin liner but i would rather have a bag that works.
btw where can i buy the seam sealer is there a waterproof tape i can also buy thanks.

 

[Gareth]

Look at what Gareth does here.

Have a look through this thread

Couple of different hitches here, again Gareth and a tip from Wobbly John

Hitches

Finally Gareth posted this link to instructables

Trailers- Thread Re: instructables

There is a lot of relevent information here: http://www.bikeforum...nstruction-Tips especially on page 3 regarding making a hitch for a single wheel trailer.

 

[numbnuts]

i taught of the bin liner but i would rather have a bag that works.
btw where can i buy the seam sealer is there a waterproof tape i can also buy thanks.

Top of the page search -Accessories – seam sealing and waterproofing



http://www.profabrics.co.uk/

 

[jags]

thanks again i think i found a place here in Ireland .
it's amazing all these diy trailers some great some not so.
over here you don't see a lot of cyclists pulling trailers ,
i guess i will stick out like a sore thumb and get plenty of slagging but i can take it.
thanks all for all the help.

 

[Arch]

Did you come across the Carry Freedom bamboo trailer? Literally made out of sticks and string (plus wheels, of course)...

http://www.carryfreedom.com/bamboo.html

With regard to waterproofing, even if you seal the seams well, I'd advice packing stuff in plastic bags - carrier bag will do. I do this for packing luggage in panniers - it's double insurance, and also with clothes you can roll them up, squeeze the stuff tight and pack more in the space. Also, if you're clever and use different coloured bags for stuff (one for clothes, one for undies, one for camping ccokware etc) you can go for the thing you want, rather than rummage about. And your stuff is protected from spills INSIDE the bag - toiletries, stove fuel, foodstuffs, any booze you might buy for the evening....

 

[jags]

still waiting for delivery guess it will be sometime next week ah well.
arch i pack my gear in colored dry bags when i use my panniers (ortlieb)
not because i'm afraid of things getting wet ,but it does save as you say rummaging around
looking for stuff .that has to be one of my pet hates when camping.

 

[delport]

still waiting for delivery guess it will be sometime next week ah well.
arch i pack my gear in colored dry bags when i use my panniers (ortlieb)
not because i'm afraid of things getting wet ,but it does save as you say rummaging around
looking for stuff .that has to be one of my pet hates when camping.

You have gone the easy route of just buying one , did you see my thread on a trailer bed to sleep on?
I am building my own one, hittting snags along the way, but i'll get there in the end.

Trailers seem to be a very popular topic on this board, much more popular than i ever thought.

I am at 1000 views and it isn't even built.

Hopefully these threads will inspire others.

And black bin bag liners do work for waterproofing, they sell very thick ones in the poundshop, they will keep everything dry.

I did a post earlier about turning a rucksack into a very large pannier able to carry loads of stuff, if that is of interest to you.

 

[jags]

well it came this morning.i'm having night mares trying to put it together.
the quick release on the hitch is pure crap made i would say from mild steel .
when i attach the trailer to it the bracket that sits on the qr is hitting the top of rear mech .
as for the wheel, man it will not fit no matter how i try,
theres a bolt that runs through the hub it held tight with two nuts on each side.
if i try to fix the wheel in place it doesn't fit with the nuts on .think i'm going to have to get help on this one .
overall the trailer looks sturdy enough if i can get the wheel and hitch sorted i'm a happy camper.

 

[jags]

is it possible to buy a better wheel and quick release for the hitch .
the qr for the bike will not close tight.( useless.)
i have tried everywhere to buy new nuts for the rear hub as the one that came
with it the threads are rung unbelievable .
has anyone bought this trailer what is your experience with it thanks.

 

[jags]

folks still looking to but a quality quick release for the back wheel of the bike ,the one for the trailer to hook up too.

 

[mark barker]

Are you sure the hitch is designed to be used with a QR? I know that one of my old trailers specifically stated that it wasn't suitable for bikes with QR rear wheels.

 

[numbnuts]

Oh jags I feel for you but if you buy cheap you buy twice sorry. On my BoB Yak I have two hooks that fit over a special quick release pin and then they are locked in with another pin, as for the wheel I'm sure that a childs bike wheel would fit, but it won't be Q/R
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bob-yak-tandem-quick-release-skewer-suit-140-mm-145-mm-oln-prod1073/
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bob-yak-...rubber-lanyard-per-pair-prod9778/?src=froogle

 

[jags]

thanks lads my god the qr at sjs cost almost as much as the trailer.
as i said the trailer is fine but the parts are pure rubbish ,get what you pay for. never a truer word spoken.