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Date: 31 May 2007 17:05:00
From: still me
Subject: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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I am planning on building a light use trailer for towing behind my
car. It's a small convertible and racks don't work.
Anyone have any pointers to plans, samples, ideas, or have any
comments? I'm a firm believer in modeling others and since I have to
pay to get this welded up, I don't want to do a lot of prototyping.
My initial thought is that I want to build a flexible purpose trailer
that will allow me to mount varying platforms - flat bed, canoe
hopper, and, of course bike trailer. I'd be interested in designs or
commercial products to satisfy the trailer or add-on needs.
Thanks,
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Date: 04 Jun 2007 01:33:50
From:
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On May 31, 10:05 am, still me <wheeled...@yahoo.com > wrote:
> I am planning on building a light use trailer for towing behind my
> car. It's a small convertible and racks don't work.
>
> Anyone have any pointers to plans, samples, ideas, or have any
> comments? I'm a firm believer in modeling others and since I have to
> pay to get this welded up, I don't want to do a lot of prototyping.
>
> My initial thought is that I want to build a flexible purpose trailer
> that will allow me to mount varying platforms - flat bed, canoe
> hopper, and, of course bike trailer. I'd be interested in designs or
> commercial products to satisfy the trailer or add-on needs.
>
> Thanks,
Hi
This is my first reply to anyone...Hmm...but your thoughts are what
has been on my mind. I've ridden bikes for ages, and for a time back
in the 60's I had a small (tiny) one wheel trailer that attached to
the car's bumper via two hinges located at the outside of the bumper.
The single wheel could pivot 360 devrees. It was perfect for carrying
bikes and was super cuz it was not at all like a trailer....it turned
with the car, was a breeze to park, etc. This kind of trailer seems to
be gonzo today (there are antiques hanging around the country), and
I've been thnking of fabbing one myself. If anyone out there has
similar thoughts I'd appreciate communication. I do think it would
easily allow towing 4 or more bikes.
Cheers
Jackbird
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Date: 01 Jun 2007 01:40:21
From: lightninglad
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On Jun 1, 9:54 am, still me <wheeled...@yahoo.com > wrote:
> On Thu, 31 May 2007 13:25:44 -0500, DougC <dcim...@norcom2000.com>
....snip.....
> Follow up questions: Thoughts on how I could mount a bike (assuming I
> can build any flat surface I want) ? Upright, wheels on would be my
> preference but I'm open to suggestions.
Take a look at the Thule 'Ride On' hitch rack. The bikes sit on their
wheels, held only by an upright padded post. I made a rack like this
for my RV. It's just channel and a post.
The less touching a bike the better and having had a bike damaged by a
home made trailer, I think the use of fork clamps is the best way to
hold bikes. If you want to get clever with the (removed) wheels, get
some old forks mounted upside down in a row at the front of the
trailer and QR the wheels in them.
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Date: 31 May 2007 21:07:19
From: Camilo
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On May 31, 7:00 pm, still me <wheeled...@yahoo.com > wrote:
> On Thu, 31 May 2007 19:22:31 -0700, Camilo <campasc...@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >Do a yahoo search for "universal fork mount" and you'll find sources
> >for them. About $10 each. There are also wheel mounts that could be
> >screwed into the same piece of wood you fasten the fork mounts too.
> >This stuff is made for top racks and pickup bed carriers, but can
> >easily be adapted to any thing you can put screws into.
>
> What happens to the rear wheel? Is it lock down in any way or is the
> bike held in place only by the front wheel? Seems somewhat high
> risk :-)
>
> Also, what do you do with the front wheel? Figure out some way to
> strap it beside the bike?
>
> Thanks,
Just as an example,
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_id=4413
Not endorsing this particular source, but I've used these products and
am happy with them.
You can see the universal fork mount and the wheel carrier. I have
used them screwed to a 2X8 in the back of my suburban. I've also used
the same items mounted on the pickup rack. (actually, I use the same
items and just move them between the pickup rack and the 2X8 in the
suburban). You might think of some other way to deal with the loose
front wheels as well.
Neither of these applications has any rear wheel attachment and I've
not had a problem. The fork mount skewer holds the front fork pretty
tight and I have never noticed the rear wheel bouncing around. It
might be different on a trailer since they tend to bounce more? But,
in my suburban and pickup, the bikes are very secure.
You can even get locking skewers.
If you're afraid of the rear wheel bouncing and moving sideways, you
could screw in 2X4's on either side of the rear wheel to confine it,
or maybe just screw a velcro strap, "hook" portion on one side of the
tire, "loop" portion on the other and connect it over the rim to strap
it down. But like I said, I haven't had any problem with the rear
wheel moving.
Maybe someone else will have better ideas, but this sort of set up has
worked for me and I think it would probably work on a trailer.
Good luck. I think the trailer idea is a good one. When my kids and
wife and I used to go on family bike rides, it was a royal pain in
the ..... to transport 4 bikes. I have a "4 bike" hitch mounted
carrier, but putting 4 sloped tube mtn bikes on there was darn near
impossible, and has resulted in many scratches. I often thought a
trailer would be a better idea, but now the kids are grown and we
hardly ever need to transport more than 2-3 bikes.
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Date: 31 May 2007 19:22:31
From: Camilo
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On May 31, 3:54 pm, still me <wheeled...@yahoo.com > wrote:
> On Thu, 31 May 2007 13:25:44 -0500, DougC <dcim...@norcom2000.com>
> wrote:
>
> >....If I had to make one, I'd just find a used small boat trailer and
> >bolt whatever I needed onto that.
>
> I'm thinking that's the way to go. I was down at the local steel
> crafter's today and the "regular" trailers are designed for pickup
> truck and large loads. They had one light boat trailer, much like the
> sportsrig setup, and it was more to scale for what I need. I want to
> be able to pick this thing up and haul it as needed.
>
> Follow up questions: Thoughts on how I could mount a bike (assuming I
> can build any flat surface I want) ? Upright, wheels on would be my
> preference but I'm open to suggestions.
Do a yahoo search for "universal fork mount" and you'll find sources
for them. About $10 each. There are also wheel mounts that could be
screwed into the same piece of wood you fasten the fork mounts too.
This stuff is made for top racks and pickup bed carriers, but can
easily be adapted to any thing you can put screws into.
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Date: 01 Jun 2007 03:00:23
From: still me
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On Thu, 31 May 2007 19:22:31 -0700, Camilo <campascual@yahoo.com >
wrote:
>
>Do a yahoo search for "universal fork mount" and you'll find sources
>for them. About $10 each. There are also wheel mounts that could be
>screwed into the same piece of wood you fasten the fork mounts too.
>This stuff is made for top racks and pickup bed carriers, but can
>easily be adapted to any thing you can put screws into.
What happens to the rear wheel? Is it lock down in any way or is the
bike held in place only by the front wheel? Seems somewhat high
risk :-)
Also, what do you do with the front wheel? Figure out some way to
strap it beside the bike?
Thanks,
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Date: 31 May 2007 21:51:16
From: (PeteCresswell)
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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Per still me:
> I'd be interested in designs or
>commercial products to satisfy the trailer or add-on needs.
http://www.rackandroll.com/
--
PeteCresswell
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Date: 01 Jun 2007 03:01:01
From: still me
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On Thu, 31 May 2007 21:51:16 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid >
wrote:
>Per still me:
>> I'd be interested in designs or
>>commercial products to satisfy the trailer or add-on needs.
>
>http://www.rackandroll.com/
Nice. I'll check tomorrow to verify that I can't possibly afford
it :-)
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Date: 01 Jun 2007 08:40:27
From: (PeteCresswell)
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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Per still me:
>>http://www.rackandroll.com/
>
>
>Nice. I'll check tomorrow to verify that I can't possibly afford
>it :-)
When the web site doesn't say anything about price, I tend to
dismiss the product from my own considerations.... But it sure
does look elegant.
--
PeteCresswell
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Date: 01 Jun 2007 09:21:51
From: dvt
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Per still me:
>>> http://www.rackandroll.com/
>>
>> Nice. I'll check tomorrow to verify that I can't possibly afford
>> it :-)
>
> When the web site doesn't say anything about price, I tend to
> dismiss the product from my own considerations.... But it sure
> does look elegant.
I found a price on the web site...
RACKandROLL KD Trailer........$1,999.00 (MSRP)
http://www.rackandroll.com/kd_trailer.php
I'm not a big fan of the web site and its layout... I hope the link works.
--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu
Everyone confesses that exertion which brings out all the powers of body
and mind is the best thing for us; but most people do all they can to
get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than
circumstances drive them to do. -Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and
novelist (1811-1896)
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Date: 01 Jun 2007 12:24:34
From: (PeteCresswell)
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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Per dvt:
>I'm not a big fan of the web site and its layout... I hope the link works.
That makes two of us.
When I was going through it, I had a negative feeling - but it
*looked* to pretty that I didn't bother trying to justify that
feeling.
--
PeteCresswell
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Date: 01 Jun 2007 18:58:24
From: still me
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:24:34 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid >
wrote:
>That makes two of us.
>
>When I was going through it, I had a negative feeling - but it
>*looked* to pretty that I didn't bother trying to justify that
>feeling.
Me either. Yet another poorly designed site... yet another web design
who forgot that the purpose of a web site is to provide the
information you customers want in an easily accessible format.
Thanks for the price pointer. Nice machine, but a bit above what I am
willing to pay for a trailer.
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Date: 02 Jun 2007 09:52:41
From: DougC
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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still me wrote:
> On Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:24:34 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> That makes two of us.
>>
>> When I was going through it, I had a negative feeling - but it
>> *looked* to pretty that I didn't bother trying to justify that
>> feeling.
>
>
> Me either. Yet another poorly designed site... yet another web design
> who forgot that the purpose of a web site is to provide the
> information you customers want in an easily accessible format.
>
> Thanks for the price pointer. Nice machine, but a bit above what I am
> willing to pay for a trailer.
The RackandRoll and the Sportsrig seem to be identical--except that the
Sportsrig sells three different "models", starting at $1300 for the
basic and $2000 for the deluxe..... where the RackandRoll only has one
model at $2000.
I never seen either, and I don't know what they include.
~
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Date: 01 Jun 2007 01:42:45
From: landotter
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On May 31, 6:54 pm, still me <wheeled...@yahoo.com > wrote:
> On Thu, 31 May 2007 13:25:44 -0500, DougC <dcim...@norcom2000.com>
> wrote:
>
> >....If I had to make one, I'd just find a used small boat trailer and
> >bolt whatever I needed onto that.
>
> I'm thinking that's the way to go. I was down at the local steel
> crafter's today and the "regular" trailers are designed for pickup
> truck and large loads. They had one light boat trailer, much like the
> sportsrig setup, and it was more to scale for what I need. I want to
> be able to pick this thing up and haul it as needed.
>
> Follow up questions: Thoughts on how I could mount a bike (assuming I
> can build any flat surface I want) ? Upright, wheels on would be my
> preference but I'm open to suggestions.
http://tinyurl.com/3argqg
popping off the front wheels shouldn't be any hardship and it makes
securing the bike a breeze.
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Date: 31 May 2007 13:25:44
From: DougC
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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still me wrote:
> I am planning on building a light use trailer for towing behind my
> car. It's a small convertible and racks don't work.
>
> Anyone have any pointers to plans, samples, ideas, or have any
> comments? I'm a firm believer in modeling others and since I have to
> pay to get this welded up, I don't want to do a lot of prototyping.
>
....If I had to make one, I'd just find a used small boat trailer and
bolt whatever I needed onto that.
In the US, you're a lot better off building onto a commercially-built
trailer, because trailers have roadworthiness standards and the local
dept. of motor vehicles is much more likely to approve something that
was built by professionals.
-----
If you can spare the coin, I understand that the Sportsrig Microtrailer
works very well--the suspension is set up properly for carrying
comparable loads, and it's a lot easier on the cargo.
http://www.sportsrig.com/
~
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Date: 31 May 2007 23:54:05
From: still me
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On Thu, 31 May 2007 13:25:44 -0500, DougC <dcimper@norcom2000.com >
wrote:
>....If I had to make one, I'd just find a used small boat trailer and
>bolt whatever I needed onto that.
I'm thinking that's the way to go. I was down at the local steel
crafter's today and the "regular" trailers are designed for pickup
truck and large loads. They had one light boat trailer, much like the
sportsrig setup, and it was more to scale for what I need. I want to
be able to pick this thing up and haul it as needed.
Follow up questions: Thoughts on how I could mount a bike (assuming I
can build any flat surface I want) ? Upright, wheels on would be my
preference but I'm open to suggestions.
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Date: 31 May 2007 10:33:11
From: landotter
Subject: Re: Car-Bike Trailer (to tow bikes behind cars?)
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On May 31, 12:05 pm, still me <wheeled...@yahoo.com > wrote:
> I am planning on building a light use trailer for towing behind my
> car. It's a small convertible and racks don't work.
>
> Anyone have any pointers to plans, samples, ideas, or have any
> comments? I'm a firm believer in modeling others and since I have to
> pay to get this welded up, I don't want to do a lot of prototyping.
>
> My initial thought is that I want to build a flexible purpose trailer
> that will allow me to mount varying platforms - flat bed, canoe
> hopper, and, of course bike trailer. I'd be interested in designs or
> commercial products to satisfy the trailer or add-on needs.
>
I'd probably buy a basic flat bed utility trailer from one of the big
home centers if I was in your situation, then mod it up. To carry
bikes, all you'd need are some quick release fork mounts screwed into
the deck.
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