britbike220 wrote:So how'd the test ride go?

Not done yet, I only went around the block empty when I had all the wiring done. Guess I'm too busy triying to reach my bicycling short term goal (6,000Km) in order to go for a record year. You will see for yourself, once you retire, there is no time to do anything.

Jean

Took a long time, but finaly I used my trailer to haul my café racer to its winter storage and retreive my old Commando. The ride went very well, everything stayed tight. I could see the bike and trailer bounce on the biggest imperfections in the road (there are many here) so I guess the low pressure (I used 10 PSI) tires did the job of absorbing the bumps. To be perfectly legal, I would need to add fenders (mudguards), but I have seen so many trailers made without any respect for the rules that I don't think I would be bothered if I don't put any on. Even with a bad back (lumbago attack yesterday morning) I was able to load and unload all by myself which is the reason I built it in the first place.



Jean

Sorry to add this in, but can you tell me more about your belt final drive and alternator.

Jean that trailer really did turn out nice. Glad it works as well as it looks.

Hi Nice but in the UK it would have two issues.
First our trailers must have suspention but we don't need damping. Secondly we must fit mudguards (fenders?).

I am building a dismantalable single bike trailer but I started with a 10g steel channel.
I am planning to have a folding tow hitch and two piece axle with folding triangulation braces and indispention units.
will post photo's when dry assembled.
We tour Europe in our Camper van and I need somthing I can take apart and stow inside along with the bike to keep the ferry fare down, once in France out with the bike, assemble the trailer and tow it away.

Rocker1, I kept my axle one piece and it fits in the back of the car wheels and mudguards still attached, as long as you only plan to use it for one bike you can go narrower than a normal trailer. Can post some pics if you like but its dirty as the chickens have been using it as a stand this winter during the snowy weather .

rocker1 wrote:Hi Nice but in the UK it would have two issues.
First our trailers must have suspention but we don't need damping. Secondly we must fit mudguards (fenders?).

I am building a dismantalable single bike trailer but I started with a 10g steel channel.
I am planning to have a folding tow hitch and two piece axle with folding triangulation braces and indispention units.
will post photo's when dry assembled.
We tour Europe in our Camper van and I need somthing I can take apart and stow inside along with the bike to keep the ferry fare down, once in France out with the bike, assemble the trailer and tow it away.

Post some pictures when you get going. I did mention a trailer here must have mudguards, but with policemen so few and far between, the chances of getting caught are as great as winning the lottery, and then I would have to fall on a cop who knows trailers MUST have them to be legal. I didn't see anything in our rules about having suspension so to follow the KISS principle, I didn't put any on.

The reason I put the aluminum channels on top of the steel frame is because I wanted to be able to put a platform with or without sides on the steel frame and use it as a utility trailer, just another way to make it more usefull.

Jean

Many years ago, a friend who got laid off from Boeing went to work for Coors as a plant machinery engineer. He was a dirt biker, I think with a Hodaka back then.

Since the "food" industry has to use stainless steel for everything, he was able to buy enough scrap bits from the company surplus to build a trailer for his dirt bike. It looked a lot like yours. It turned a few heads when he showed up with a stainless steel trailer!

This is the engineer in me...
I'm surprised that there is no bracing for the axle. The only thing that keeps it eprp to the axis of th etrailer is the little tiny joint where it connects to the trailer backbone.
That would scare me.

The outrigger tie-downs help stabilise it...

pbmw wrote:This is the engineer in me...
I'm surprised that there is no bracing for the axle. The only thing that keeps it eprp to the axis of th etrailer is the little tiny joint where it connects to the trailer backbone.
That would scare me.

If you look at the parts, I have a solid piece of steel connecting the two axle halves, then on the main beam there are two square tubes welded to them, one on the front and one in the back, on these square tubes I have an ½" pin going trough each half axle and another keeping each part of the main beam together. Each pin is secured with a spring pin. I don't have a CAD program, but I can draw it out and scan it for better understanding if you like.

Jean

Jeandr wrote:

pbmw wrote:This is the engineer in me...
I'm surprised that there is no bracing for the axle. The only thing that keeps it eprp to the axis of th etrailer is the little tiny joint where it connects to the trailer backbone.
That would scare me.

If you look at the parts, I have a solid piece of steel connecting the two axle halves, then on the main beam there are two square tubes welded to them, one on the front and one in the back, on these square tubes I have an ½" pin going trough each half axle and another keeping each part of the main beam together. Each pin is secured with a spring pin. I don't have a CAD program, but I can draw it out and scan it for better understanding if you like.

Jean

I think he's expecting some triangulation.

swooshdave wrote:I think he's expecting some triangulation.

Oh, there is none, and none is needed for nornal roads. I guess if I was on real bad roads and the trailer wheel caught on something, it would bend the axle or just rip it right off. I have seen other commercial trailers done the same way, so if that is not a problem with them, it isn't for me either. The kind of forces we are talking about would probably destroy the hitch on the car too.

Jean

Many small boat trailers sold in this country (UK) are made in this way without bracing and the cross beam is usually held on the spine with 2 or 4 U bolts to allow adjustment.
We are not talking about 16 tons of number 9 coal here just one bike 500lbs tops?

swooshdave wrote:I think he's expecting some triangulation.

Just so...

I'd never seen one done like that.
I don't have a lot of experience with light trailers. Mine are usually in the 10k lbs range.
If it works and doesn't start shedding parts...it's all good.
I would have thought it would have put one hell of a stress on the joint where it's connected with U bolts.