Home-brew trailer - warning, seven (low res) pics

[Walküre]

Well, the trailer is done! I'm waiting on the state to send me VIN numbers, then I'll be able to register and license it.

The frame is made out of one of those exercise gyms that was found alongside someone's trash can - man, those things are hard to keep dusted!  

Independent Torsion half-axles, 12" tires, and an X-Cargo car-top carrier. All bought at greatly reduced prices, either ebay or CraigsList, except the tires and rims, and fenders. Not bad, for a scrap bin trailer.

When I was done, as the last two or three pics show, I had some more scrap, that fit in the 2" tube at the rear. I tried to see the balance, stood on the end, and it balanced on the 2"X2" piece! So I made a stand, that leans a little, and I can store it in a MUCH smaller footprint, and take it out when I tow it.















I'm really looking forward to 3 weeks of traveling next summer...

R

[John Schmidt]

Nice job, very nice. Is the wiring protected at all underneath? That's the only thing that would concern me, can't tell from the pix. A very neat set up, and I like the idea of standing on end to save space.

[JimL]

Very creative and it looks to be very well done!  Have you tested it....how does it track behind the bike?

[Black Dog]

Wow...  Very nice job    You have proven, once again, that the Valk community is made up of folks that have the 'can do' attitude, and the determination to put their visions in to reality 

Black Dog

[Chrisj CMA]

Very nice work.  One note though, I hope those bungie cords are not the final plan for securing the car topper.  The bottom of the car topper can be permenantly mounted and then you dont have to strap it at all.  I wouldnt trust them bungies on the highway

[Oldswimr]

   very nicely done!

[fudgie]

Very nice!  Love the big tool chests along the wall!

[Walküre]

Thanks, all! I'll try to answer, in reverse order...

Very nice!  Love the big tool chests along the wall!

I can't help myself - I like big chests! I really like tools - all 3 boxes are overflowing, and I STILL have tools without places to put them. I also have another double box in the wife's garage, that's hers, and full, also. That way she leaves MINE alone! "Hey, honey - stay the hell out of my shop - why do you think I bought you a house and garage?!?".
If I ever get the '51 Ford truck I'm restoring, on wheels, so I can take it out of the shop, I wouldn't mind having the world's largest Valkyrie Wrench Party. About the only tool I DON'T have, is a vertical mill...and I'm always looking for one...

Very creative and it looks to be very well done!  Have you tested it....how does it track behind the bike?

No, I haven't taken it more than a block or so. Waiting to get it licensed - I'm like that, I adhere to the law. It's built extremely accurate, plus it has a 95" length, so I know it will track just fine - it's all physics. I like the extra-long tongue, as that greatly reduces any sway, which is one of the major problems with short-coupling trailer and bike. The other is low tongue height, which is alleviated with the 12" wheels. I pulled several trailers behind my Wings, and combined all the things I liked, in this one - torsion suspension instead of leaf springs, 12" instead of 8" wheels, and longer tongue.

Very nice work.  One note though, I hope those bungie cords are not the final plan for securing the car topper.  The bottom of the car topper can be permenantly mounted and then you dont have to strap it at all.  I wouldn't trust them bungies on the highway

The cross-bars on the frame are distanced to bolt the carrier down, with 12 bolts, front and rear. Even backed up with huge fender washers, the carrier, being fairly thin, and plastic, has some "give", and I'm concerned that it will crack from vibration, over time, at the edges of the washers. The bungie's were temporary, to see if it would reduce the vibration, which it does tremendously. They've been since replaced with cam-lock straps, which I like a lot better. Not as "hillbilly" as the bungies.

Nice job, very nice. Is the wiring protected at all underneath? That's the only thing that would concern me, can't tell from the pix. A very neat set up, and I like the idea of standing on end to save space.

No, I thought about routing the wiring inside the tube frame, but with all the grommets needed, and hassle, decided to just mount it outside. Every trailer I have ever owned has had exposed wiring, and never had any problem, except when those little spring steel clips, rusted and allowed the wiring to drag. Usually after a lot of years. My wiring is supported every 10 inches or so, and looped back on itself at every corner and turn, so it can't drag at all. Since it's tight up against the frame, it would take something banging the frame hard, to hurt the wiring, and if that happens, I figure I have worse things to worry about, than the wiring.

The stand-up idea, I stole from someone else - they welded some nuts on the rear of the trailer, then they put some of those screw in desk levelers (don't know what else to call them!) screwed into the nuts when they wanted to store it. I like mine, and I'm trying to figure out a way to put small wheels on it, that will flip down, after it's standing, so I can move it stood up. That will give me even more options, how to store it. Perhaps those ball-bearing multi-directional casters...

All in all, I'm very happy with it, and I'm going to play with that Fusion paint, that's supposed to stick to plastic, and see about painting the carrier.

Thanks again, all,

R

[fudgie]

Looks good.  I have the same top, different color. It can withstand alot so I wouldn't be to concerned. I use mine at rallies and it gets beat on and still looks good. Still have a big crack in it from Smokin joes house before I bought it.

A wrench party would be good. We are starting to get some active Ind members as of late. Maybe we can get a Ind message board?

[SlowRoad]

Very nice. And I am all about some repurposed materials and saving some money.  I have been thinking about building a trailer and this gives me some inspiration to start collecting materials.

 

[Westernbiker]

Looks good. I am a fabricator myself and I can see many places to shave off some weight which is critical with a bike pulling. How much does that trailer weigh? I also would have run wiring in the tubes but that's just me.

[Walküre]

Looks good. I am a fabricator myself and I can see many places to shave off some weight which is critical with a bike pulling. How much does that trailer weigh?

Not sure - the biggest weight is the plate that the torsion suspension is mounted on, but my plasma cutter wasn't working (NEVER lend a plasma cutter to a "friend", especially if they have no money!!), but I've since fixed it, and I could poke some holes in it to lighten it. Not sure if that's the place I'd want to save a pound or two. I'd be interested in hearing your take on it, but it's actually build pretty light, already. I can lift it up to stand it up, with one hand. And I had done all the moving of it, lifting up on sawhorses for painting, etc, all by myself.

Very nice. And I am all about some repurposed materials and saving some money.  I have been thinking about building a trailer and this gives me some inspiration to start collecting materials.

 

Our town has a town cleanup twice a year, and there's ALWAYS some of the weight lifting/exercise equipment, alongside the road. I had two of them - the most convenient part of it, was that they had plastic caps, on the 2" tubing, which I used on the ends of the outside rails on the frame. I'm not concerned about totally waterproof frame - it would take 20 years for it to rust through, and at 57, I'm not that concerned about rusting out from under me - I would be more worried that we'll be paying $200 a gallon for gas, so I wouldn't dream of driving 500 miles on vacation...

Although there will be others that will disagree, and argue to the death, I strongly feel and urge, that if you are going through all the work to build one (I could have bought the Harbor Freight trailer, that LOOKS the same, with major differences, for $320), that you spend the $$$'s for torsion suspension, and go with 12" wheels. Again, I've pulled both, and thought the leaf springs were just fine, until I pulled torsion. No comparison at all - especially minimally loaded. And the 12" just makes sense - if your tongue goes UP to the bike, if you get bumped from behind, your rear wheel leaves the ground - I can think of NOthing worse that that scenario. And if it goes DOWN to the bike, any pressure from behind merely increases the contact with the ground.

That being said, I didn't make my own, to save money - I did it because I wanted to have it to MY specs, and just happened to save a few $$'s in the process. The Harbor Freight is just fine, but I knew I would modify it - longer tongue, probably bigger wheels, and would still have leaf springs. Of the three, the leaf springs are the easiest to live with - longer tongue and bigger wheels are #1 & #2 priorities. And they are fairly easily remedied - might have to move the fenders, for bigger wheels, and find a welder to extend the tongue. Here's a pic, and link to the Harbor Freight I'm talking about - check all your magazines, almost ALL of them, anymore, have an ad for Harbor Freight, for 20% off any one item, which takes the trailer to about $320, which is a great deal. Especially for something that a LOT of us will only use a few times a year, at most...

NOTE: the Harbor Freight site is down right now, but I'll try to post the links later.

A lot of people also buy the Harbor Freight flat trailer, and put their own box on it - the trailer costs $180, and with the 20% off, is about $145. The car-top carriers can be found on CraigsList for about $50, all day long. Again, it has the 8" wheels, and leafs. But, it's an inexpensive alternative. I would find a buddy to weld it up, if you don't have a welder, or use it as an excuse to buy a small mig welder - that what I did! I also used the same type of excuse for the plasma cutter, stick welder, lathe, press, horizontal bandsaw, etc, etc...YOU get the drift!!   

One of my NEXT projects, will be to try to build a mono-wheel trailer - I have a picture of a frame that will work, and it would look something like this:



It's always SOMEthing!!   

[fudgie]

Nothing better then the satisfaction of doing it yourself! 

[Walküre]

Nothing better then the satisfaction of doing it yourself! 

[¿spoom]

Very nice! You mention the fender washers for where you have the XCargo bolted to the frame. I have quite a few 4-1/4" holesaw cutouts of fiberglass from doing speaker holes in fairings. They all have a 1/4" pilot hole in the center. If you'd like a few for making bigger fender washers, just let me know. 

[Walküre]

Woody - thanks for the offer! The only problem is that the bottom is "ribbed", which only gives me about 1.75 inches for a washer, just about the fender washers I have. I've thought about using some 16 guage, and forming it all the way across, but it's really not so much holding it down - that's easy. It's the curve of the front, and vibrations, that would stress the plastic at the edge of the washer, no matter HOW big it is. Just the weak point. And I think even with a piece all the way across, still have the same problem

I really don't mind the straps at all. I could make them shorter, and just reach to the lip of the top, and no one would see them. I just don't mind them, is all.

again, thanks for the offer!

Roger