On Saturday 5th October 2019, around 20 people gathered at the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church to construct 14 wooden-framed bike trailer for $50 each. Steven Muir supplied the aluminium towbars, quick release ball-joint hitch, wheel attachments, and a variety of 2nd hand wheels. A big thanks to Placemakers who supplied the 75x25mm wood, glue and screws, and Ground Effect who provided some funds to subsidise the cost of the aluminium.
The weather was cold & rainy so the new Church at Oxford Terrace was an excellent venue with generous space with an easy clean concrete floor. The church is endeavouring to encourage sustainable living where it can, so this was a great opportunity to assist. Everyone had an enjoyable time making their trailers, including a couple of longer ones for carrying kayaks. If you didn’t get the chance to come along, you can always order the wooden trailer kitset or aluminium frame trailers from steve@cycletrailers.co.nz and make one anytime, but the cost will be a little more.
Wow, I am impressed!
We still need the cycle lanes to adjust to this new width of users.
Oh yeah – its easy to forget how wide your bike gets. I clipped the tyre of a parked car once (Bealey ave, where there was no bike lane) and once I caught a bollard, leading to a rapid and immediate stop. Fortunately I was going super slow anyway.
I often put red lights on the rear during daytime usage too – drivers need all the help they can get.
I am interested in using your bike trailer frame, to make a pet taxi trailer. I plan on using a medium sized metal dog kennel, ziptied to the frame and wrapping up the top with either a small tarp, or some sort of rain proof material to shade, and rain proof them . If I can find some netting I will wrap the whole thing in it. I want this trailer to be able to be used multiple ways, as a cargo trailer, a pet taxi, a work trailer I can haul a push mower, weed eater and the like.
I honestly am sceptical about using a pallet wood , I’m afraid that the constant jarring from not having any sort of suspension, except for the air inside the tires. So I am thinking of using the tires from a 2 wheeled wheel barrow, the bigger sized wheels will be a heavier weight haul, and hopefully a smoother ride . Do you have any idea’s that can assist me and my build? The hitch is also giving me a headache, I had an idea to basically use a nut and bolt and a U bolt that reaches up over the rear tire and the arm doubles as a small rear rack that can carry a small toolbox, or other supplies. I first cut up some 14 ga 1 1/4 square tubing to be used as the frame, but never got it welded up. I just don’t want to buy one, the build and the care in making it homemade shows in the quality.
Pallet wood is great – as long as its not the glued-together cardboard rubbish. Tends to be robust, though a little heavy.
The wheels you suggest could have quite high rolling resistance, and would make the hauling harder. I’ve towed a mower well-enough in the past by trailer.
As for a hitch, buy one, and a couple of towballs from Steve at Cycletrailers. They’re a lot better than bodging your own.