Trailer...+

Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
102
Location
australia
I want to make a bike trailer for transporting donor bikes/junk/furniture/anything/a person. And then I thought it would be silly not to make it able to be a camper in the future too.

Well i found an old sun lounge with good dimensions and i like the idea of it being fold up... but it's just riveted together and I'm assuming that is not sturdy enough even though this is made to hold a person's weight.
Opinions?
If i have to strengthen and cut and modify the frame, I'm thinking maybe i just buy some square aluminum tube and build a nice strong and light ladder frame (bolted not welded). Do the trailer wheels take the weight of the frame well enough so that it doesn't need to be so light?


Well when i put the wheels next to, it looked like the ultimate comfort wheelchair. (Oh with a hole in the foot area for pedals you say?😲😂)And now I'm not sure if that's also kinda what I'm making 😅 - a bike trailer/ stand alone big wheelchair..🤔


I always do this, try to combine concepts and possibly make 4 poor things rather than 1 good.
Haven't figured out how exactly I intend to attach the wheels either. 😬
All coments invited
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
2,384
Location
Wakefield, UK
Having a folding design is going to make wheel positioning important for nose weight. If the position is right for a person will it be right when the chair is lowered for cargo? If it is then great. If any compromise is needed then make it right for people as they'll likely be heavier than any cargo and much more important. Also any seat will need to be fairly low to help prevent it going over in a corner. If the wheel poition can be made correct for people and cargo then an axle (probably a dropped one) joining the two wheels and a long single arm from one side around the chair to the towing vehicle ought to suffice as a chassis whilst allowing the chair to fold flat for cargo. The seat section of the chair will hopfully be over the axle and therefore easy to attach to it. It's a challenging and interesting design.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 11, 2021
Messages
26
The advise I got from a trailer builder was to put the axle slightly behind the center point of the trailer body, not including the tongue. Now this is on a non folding trailer body. The problem with it folding is your going to have to move the axle forward of the fold or hinge joint. This will put more weight and stress on the trailer/ bike connection. It would be ok as a camping setup because your weight won’t be on it until after you’ve lowered the rear. Then you will have already lowered your frame supports at each end. It could still be ok for hauling if your not putting to much weight on it. I would also strengthen the side hinge plates in the picture if you’re going to be hauling furniture. Good luck with your project.
 
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