Parcel trailer?

On Nov 13, 9:57*am, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
wrote:
On 11/13/2008 4:53 AM !Jones wrote:



On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:07:57 -0800, in rec.bicycles.tech Mike Rocket J
Squirrel wrote:

Every so often I have to haul a parcel to the post office. Smaller parcels
fit into my handlebar basket, but I have these larger ones that
occasionally need a lift. They are 24'' square and about 15'' tall. Weigh
about 80 lbs.

I'd like to find a little trailer for this. Used kiddie trailers are
frequently craigslisted around here, but I dunno how easily one could be
modified into a flat platform, whether they are hefty enough for a load
like this, or, with the tent top removed, are commodious enough for a 24''
square box within.

Has anyone here on this NG invented this wheel already, or has a bike shop
that sells Burly or similar that might be able to advise?

My favorite is BOB. *http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/

Seen those around, look highly functional. However, no gottum bucks for
new trailer. Must save pennies and purchase used. Kiddie trailers are
commonly available in these parts in used condition. So my question
relates to practicality of modifying a kiddie trailer to carry the load.
Sturdy enough to support 80 lbs? Enough room for 24'' square parcel
between the wheels?

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon


The cheapest route that can give you whatever size you need is to
build it yourself. I've built a few based on plans from an out-of-
print book titled "Build Your Own Carts and Trailers". Details on two
of them are at my website:

http://drumbent.com/trailer.html

and

http://drumbent.com/trailer_big.html

Cheers,
Mark

On 11/13/2008 9:52 AM Peter Cole wrote:


I use this trailer to pull a 10.5' rowboat, total payload over 150lb.
Made it in a couple of hours with drill/screwgun & hand/hacksaw.

http://tinyurl.com/69hule


An excellent example of home crafting.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

On 11/13/2008 11:07 AM Fritz wrote:

On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:57:15 -0800, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
wrote:

On 11/13/2008 4:53 AM !Jones wrote:

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:07:57 -0800, in rec.bicycles.tech Mike Rocket J
Squirrel wrote:

Every so often I have to haul a parcel to the post office. Smaller parcels
fit into my handlebar basket, but I have these larger ones that
occasionally need a lift. They are 24'' square and about 15'' tall. Weigh
about 80 lbs.

I'd like to find a little trailer for this. Used kiddie trailers are
frequently craigslisted around here, but I dunno how easily one could be
modified into a flat platform, whether they are hefty enough for a load
like this, or, with the tent top removed, are commodious enough for a 24''
square box within.

Has anyone here on this NG invented this wheel already, or has a bike shop
that sells Burly or similar that might be able to advise?
My favorite is BOB. http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/
Seen those around, look highly functional. However, no gottum bucks for
new trailer. Must save pennies and purchase used. Kiddie trailers are
commonly available in these parts in used condition. So my question
relates to practicality of modifying a kiddie trailer to carry the load.
Sturdy enough to support 80 lbs? Enough room for 24'' square parcel
between the wheels?


Here is pic of my dumspter trailer that I turned into a grocery
trailer:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=wv34b4&s=4

Here is picture of the hitch I married to the old trailer:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ah5iyh&s=4

This is where I was able to purchase the hitch:
http://www.biketrailershop.com/catalog/index.php

I found the kid trailer in a heap of trash and stripped it down so it
was just a square platform with wheels. This trailer did not have a
hitch when I found it so I took one of the canopy support arms and cut
it to size and attached to the left side of the trailers with bolts.
I then bought a very safe hitch system from a company on the internet
and attached it to the trailer and bike. The hitch is very important
safety item for any bike trailer. I also had to add a flex connector
to the hitch. The hitch and the flex connector are made for burly
trailers and cost around 35 dollars. Dont skimp on a decent hitch
and flex connector.

Then I bought the plastic tub and lid from Homedepot for about $12
bucks and some bunge cords to hold it on.

Works great and easily holds 80 to 100 pounds of stuff. I know that
I have filled it with groceries and a few times and pulled it with not
much problem.


Cool. What's the spacing between the wheels? IOW, could you drop a 24''
wide box between them tires w/o rubbing?


--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

On 11/14/2008 9:24 AM wrote:

On Nov 13, 9:57 am, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
wrote:
On 11/13/2008 4:53 AM !Jones wrote:



On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:07:57 -0800, in rec.bicycles.tech Mike Rocket J
Squirrel wrote:
Every so often I have to haul a parcel to the post office. Smaller parcels
fit into my handlebar basket, but I have these larger ones that
occasionally need a lift. They are 24'' square and about 15'' tall. Weigh
about 80 lbs.
I'd like to find a little trailer for this. Used kiddie trailers are
frequently craigslisted around here, but I dunno how easily one could be
modified into a flat platform, whether they are hefty enough for a load
like this, or, with the tent top removed, are commodious enough for a 24''
square box within.
Has anyone here on this NG invented this wheel already, or has a bike shop
that sells Burly or similar that might be able to advise?
My favorite is BOB. http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/
Seen those around, look highly functional. However, no gottum bucks for
new trailer. Must save pennies and purchase used. Kiddie trailers are
commonly available in these parts in used condition. So my question
relates to practicality of modifying a kiddie trailer to carry the load.
Sturdy enough to support 80 lbs? Enough room for 24'' square parcel
between the wheels?

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon


The cheapest route that can give you whatever size you need is to
build it yourself. I've built a few based on plans from an out-of-
print book titled "Build Your Own Carts and Trailers". Details on two
of them are at my website:

http://drumbent.com/trailer.html

and

http://drumbent.com/trailer_big.html


Hey Mark -- Google already took me to your site! Good stuff there.


--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

Instructables.com has several home made trailers in its library.
Phil Brown

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:20:55 -0800, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
wrote:

On 11/13/2008 11:07 AM Fritz wrote:

On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:57:15 -0800, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
wrote:

On 11/13/2008 4:53 AM !Jones wrote:

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:07:57 -0800, in rec.bicycles.tech Mike Rocket J
Squirrel wrote:

Every so often I have to haul a parcel to the post office. Smaller parcels
fit into my handlebar basket, but I have these larger ones that
occasionally need a lift. They are 24'' square and about 15'' tall. Weigh
about 80 lbs.

I'd like to find a little trailer for this. Used kiddie trailers are
frequently craigslisted around here, but I dunno how easily one could be
modified into a flat platform, whether they are hefty enough for a load
like this, or, with the tent top removed, are commodious enough for a 24''
square box within.

Has anyone here on this NG invented this wheel already, or has a bike shop
that sells Burly or similar that might be able to advise?
My favorite is BOB. http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/
Seen those around, look highly functional. However, no gottum bucks for
new trailer. Must save pennies and purchase used. Kiddie trailers are
commonly available in these parts in used condition. So my question
relates to practicality of modifying a kiddie trailer to carry the load.
Sturdy enough to support 80 lbs? Enough room for 24'' square parcel
between the wheels?


Here is pic of my dumspter trailer that I turned into a grocery
trailer:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=wv34b4&s=4

Here is picture of the hitch I married to the old trailer:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ah5iyh&s=4

This is where I was able to purchase the hitch:
http://www.biketrailershop.com/catalog/index.php

I found the kid trailer in a heap of trash and stripped it down so it
was just a square platform with wheels. This trailer did not have a
hitch when I found it so I took one of the canopy support arms and cut
it to size and attached to the left side of the trailers with bolts.
I then bought a very safe hitch system from a company on the internet
and attached it to the trailer and bike. The hitch is very important
safety item for any bike trailer. I also had to add a flex connector
to the hitch. The hitch and the flex connector are made for burly
trailers and cost around 35 dollars. Dont skimp on a decent hitch
and flex connector.

Then I bought the plastic tub and lid from Homedepot for about $12
bucks and some bunge cords to hold it on.

Works great and easily holds 80 to 100 pounds of stuff. I know that
I have filled it with groceries and a few times and pulled it with not
much problem.


Cool. What's the spacing between the wheels? IOW, could you drop a 24''
wide box between them tires w/o rubbing?

The Spacing on my Trailer is 27 inches from rubber sidewall to rubber
sidewall.

On 11/14/2008 12:52 PM Fritz wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:20:55 -0800, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
wrote:

On 11/13/2008 11:07 AM Fritz wrote:

On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:57:15 -0800, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
wrote:

On 11/13/2008 4:53 AM !Jones wrote:

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:07:57 -0800, in rec.bicycles.tech Mike Rocket J
Squirrel wrote:

Every so often I have to haul a parcel to the post office. Smaller parcels
fit into my handlebar basket, but I have these larger ones that
occasionally need a lift. They are 24'' square and about 15'' tall. Weigh
about 80 lbs.

I'd like to find a little trailer for this. Used kiddie trailers are
frequently craigslisted around here, but I dunno how easily one could be
modified into a flat platform, whether they are hefty enough for a load
like this, or, with the tent top removed, are commodious enough for a 24''
square box within.

Has anyone here on this NG invented this wheel already, or has a bike shop
that sells Burly or similar that might be able to advise?
My favorite is BOB. http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/
Seen those around, look highly functional. However, no gottum bucks for
new trailer. Must save pennies and purchase used. Kiddie trailers are
commonly available in these parts in used condition. So my question
relates to practicality of modifying a kiddie trailer to carry the load.
Sturdy enough to support 80 lbs? Enough room for 24'' square parcel
between the wheels?

Here is pic of my dumspter trailer that I turned into a grocery
trailer:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=wv34b4&s=4

Here is picture of the hitch I married to the old trailer:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ah5iyh&s=4

This is where I was able to purchase the hitch:
http://www.biketrailershop.com/catalog/index.php

I found the kid trailer in a heap of trash and stripped it down so it
was just a square platform with wheels. This trailer did not have a
hitch when I found it so I took one of the canopy support arms and cut
it to size and attached to the left side of the trailers with bolts.
I then bought a very safe hitch system from a company on the internet
and attached it to the trailer and bike. The hitch is very important
safety item for any bike trailer. I also had to add a flex connector
to the hitch. The hitch and the flex connector are made for burly
trailers and cost around 35 dollars. Dont skimp on a decent hitch
and flex connector.

Then I bought the plastic tub and lid from Homedepot for about $12
bucks and some bunge cords to hold it on.

Works great and easily holds 80 to 100 pounds of stuff. I know that
I have filled it with groceries and a few times and pulled it with not
much problem.

Cool. What's the spacing between the wheels? IOW, could you drop a 24''
wide box between them tires w/o rubbing?

The Spacing on my Trailer is 27 inches from rubber sidewall to rubber
sidewall.

Okay then -- you have the trailer I want. Just need to slip up behind you,
conk you on the head with a brickbat, and abscond with your trailer.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

Mike Rocket J Squirrel wrote:

wrote:

Chalo wrote:

gnu / linux wrote:

Mike Rocket J Squirrel

I'd like to find a little trailer for this. Used kiddie trailers are
frequently craigslisted around here, but I dunno how easily one could be
modified into a flat platform, whether they are hefty enough for a load
like this, or, with the tent top removed, are commodious enough for a 24''
square box within.

Bob caus... works 4 me

Hr u go:http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=18733

Chepr thn bob.

How does that attach to the bike?

I was expecting to see a BOB-style skewer, but the Nashbar pictures
look very, very weird.

Yeah. One closeup shows attachment to left side of rear axle, but others
show what appears to be a second arm reaching up to RD. Puzzling.

Both BOB and the Nashbar equivalent use a fork-like subframe with a
mini "head tube" located behind the bike's rear wheel serving as a Z-
axis pivot. Because they have just one wheel, they must have two
points of attachment to resist tipover. In both cases, these points
are the ends of the bike's rear axle. BOB uses a special QR with
necked-down sections that serve as bearings for the dropout-like ends
of the front subframe. It looks like the Nashbar trailer uses a
similarly funny QR with spherical bearings on it.

I once made a very heavy-duty trailer hitch using a fork as the
interface. I made the functional equivalent of BOB nuts for the host
bike's rear QR, and fabricated special clevis fork ends for it. The
fork kept its steer tube and head tube, though, and to the head tube
was brazed another steer tube engaging a head tube on the front end of
the trailer. So the axle end fittings moved for pitch, the fork's
steerer and head tube for roll, and the trailer's steerer and head
tube for yaw.

I think the owner (who built the trailer and its original left-
chainstay hitch) decided that the heavy trailer was too shimmy-prone
in the yaw axis after the conversion, and he switched back to some
kind of long-armed hitch. That would begin to explain why only one-
wheeled trailers use a forked front subframe like the BOB trailer
does, and why the BOB has a reputation for shimmy when it is heavily
loaded.

Chalo

Chalo wrote:
Mike Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
wrote:
Chalo wrote:

gnu / linux wrote:
Mike Rocket J Squirrel
I'd like to find a little trailer for this. Used kiddie trailers are
frequently craigslisted around here, but I dunno how easily one could be
modified into a flat platform, whether they are hefty enough for a load
like this, or, with the tent top removed, are commodious enough for a 24''
square box within.
Bob caus... works 4 me
Hr u go:http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=18733

Chepr thn bob.
How does that attach to the bike?

I was expecting to see a BOB-style skewer, but the Nashbar pictures
look very, very weird.
Yeah. One closeup shows attachment to left side of rear axle, but others
show what appears to be a second arm reaching up to RD. Puzzling.

Both BOB and the Nashbar equivalent use a fork-like subframe with a
mini "head tube" located behind the bike's rear wheel serving as a Z-
axis pivot. Because they have just one wheel, they must have two
points of attachment to resist tipover. In both cases, these points
are the ends of the bike's rear axle. BOB uses a special QR with
necked-down sections that serve as bearings for the dropout-like ends
of the front subframe. It looks like the Nashbar trailer uses a
similarly funny QR with spherical bearings on it.

I once made a very heavy-duty trailer hitch using a fork as the
interface. I made the functional equivalent of BOB nuts for the host
bike's rear QR, and fabricated special clevis fork ends for it. The
fork kept its steer tube and head tube, though, and to the head tube
was brazed another steer tube engaging a head tube on the front end of
the trailer. So the axle end fittings moved for pitch, the fork's
steerer and head tube for roll, and the trailer's steerer and head
tube for yaw.

I think the owner (who built the trailer and its original left-
chainstay hitch) decided that the heavy trailer was too shimmy-prone
in the yaw axis after the conversion, and he switched back to some
kind of long-armed hitch. That would begin to explain why only one-
wheeled trailers use a forked front subframe like the BOB trailer
does, and why the BOB has a reputation for shimmy when it is heavily
loaded.

Chalo

Yeah, it looks like the Nashbar hitch is BOB-ish. Having a BOB, I'd add
a couple of things, first, the QR/hitch actually has rotating bushings,
the dropouts on the trailer aren't clamped, but are drilled to receive
pins across the open (bottom) end. The pins are a PITA, easy to bend &
lose, fortunately you can bend up new ones from spoke pieces -- they're
still pretty fiddly. FWIW, you can buy the BOB QR's separately, REI used
to have them, even in tandem lengths.

I like the single-wheeled BOB for off-road, I've used it many times on
all-day single-track expeditions, usually lightly loaded (~25lb) just
carrying picnic supplies. I have also used it to carry max loads
(~50lb), I haven't noticed shimmy, although I don't think I've had it
over 20 mph, I never shimmied lightly loaded up to 30+ mph. Heavily
loaded, even with the weight carried low, its tendency to "flop" makes
starting & stopping somewhat difficult. My (140lb) wife finds it to be
very challenging to manage towing a 50lb marine battery. The only
problem I've had with the BOB off-road is its limited ground clearance.
My (BOB) frame is pretty severely bent from bottoming on rocks and has
tossed me over the bars a couple of times. I'm not a fan of small
wheeled trailers.

For my boat trailer I went with a tall tongue and a seatpost hitch. Even
with ~175lb of combined cargo & trailer I find it very stable. After
thinking up all sorts of complicated hitches, I just notched the tongue
end and bungee'd some plastic tube with tied innertubes. The tube gives
yaw, the compliance of the rubber pitch and roll. You need a lot of yaw,
very little comparatively pitch & roll (at least for the road). I like
the tall tongue for moving the loaded trailer around off the bike (like
a garden cart). I bolted a little crossbar to act as a handle and also
something to bungee the tube to. Hitching/unhitching is much faster &
hassle-free than the BOB, I just pull the bike's seatpost. I liked the
BOB originally because, unlike so many trailers, the hitch (QR) can
easily be moved bike-to-bike, a feature I have used often. Moving the
home-made trailer is even easier since all of the hitch mechanism stays
with the trailer.

My latest experiment with hitches is my "3-wheeled" tandem. I made this
from 2 bikes. The front bike is unmodified except for the replacement of
the rear hub's axle with a very long one. I spread the legs on the fork
of the rear bike enough to go outside of the front bike's rear dropouts.
Yaw is provided by the rear bike's headset, pitch by the rear bike's
fork on the front bike's axle. The bikes are coupled in roll.

I was interested in a 3-wheel tandem for a variety of reasons. First was
to be able to use standard components (cheap) and to accommodate very
different sized riders (6'10" & 5'7"). I also wanted to go primarily
off-road, so I thought an articulated frame (based on my long experience
pulling a trailer-bike in the woods) would be advantageous. It also
solved the car rack problem (getting to the woods), as a trailer-bike
does. The other problem in the woods is the typical tandem synchronous
pedaling, with asynchronous systems being rather rare and expensive.
Having 2 driven and 3 braking wheels also seemed a major benefit. No
exotic (tandem) suspension fork, either.

I worried a lot about handling, particularly from yaw/pitch coupling and
torsional stiffness. I finally decided I couldn't analyze it & just
built it. We have ridden it perhaps 100 miles this summer on a
half-dozen rides. It has worked pretty well. The first few rides were a
bit sketchy, probably more from our complete inexperience of riding any
sort of tandem (something which also gives me no basis for comparison).
We haven't ridden in the woods yet, but have done much of the riding on
narrow (some unpaved) bike paths with some urban streets (in traffic).
The handling is reasonable, I haven't detected any high speed quirks.
It's hard to hold a line (wobble) at low speeds, but I think that would
be true for any tandem, I haven't ever seen any "real" tandems in the
areas we rode. It handles more or less the way I hoped, kind of like an
over-sized trailer-bike.

The acid test is my wife. After a lot of initial skepticism (typical),
she now thinks it's a blast to ride. It's fun to get the WTF reaction,
too (much like trailering a skiff). On one ride we passed a squadron of
bents, judging from the geeky cries in our wake I think we rocked some
worlds.

On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:57:15 -0800, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
may have said:

Seen those around, look highly functional. However, no gottum bucks for
new trailer. Must save pennies and purchase used. Kiddie trailers are
commonly available in these parts in used condition. So my question
relates to practicality of modifying a kiddie trailer to carry the load.
Sturdy enough to support 80 lbs? Enough room for 24'' square parcel
between the wheels?

Usually "yes" to both. Varies by what's available. I'd avoid the
ones with all-plastic wheels, though.

--
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