Help me design a trailer

[sinned]

I have been considering building a transporter for road bikes. In March 07 I posted a request for information on who could build a suitable trailer:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=45911 . I contacted a few manufacturers and found few are interested and that I need to start with a detailed specification or I would not get a suitable design. Trademe listings also confirmed my need to start with a design spec.

There is plenty of choice of trailers to transport off road bikes. I am wanting a trailer to carry one or two road bikes (including big ones). My original requirement was for a single bike trailer but I have changed that to two bikes as the difference in trailer width and cost to carry two bikes is minimal.

I am seeking advice that will help me design the ultimate open trailer to carry one or two road bikes. Please critique my design requirements and add yours. Can anyone provide a design?

My basic requirements area:

One or two bikes - if one bike will load in the centre
Not to large - how wide?
Must look cool - not a dressed up general purpose trailer
Simple to load and unload - a low deck height?
Ramps - separate or integrated?
Tie downs - where, how many?
Front wheel clamp - what type, are they necessary?

[Conquiztador]

I have been considering building a transporter for road bikes. In March 07 I posted a request for information on who could build a suitable trailer:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=45911 . I contacted a few manufacturers and found few are interested and that I need to start with a detailed specification or I would not get a suitable design. Trademe listings also confirmed my need to start with a design spec.

There is plenty of choice of trailers to transport off road bikes. I am wanting a trailer to carry one or two road bikes (including big ones). My original requirement was for a single bike trailer but I have changed that to two bikes as the difference in trailer width and cost to carry two bikes is minimal.

I am seeking advice that will help me design the ultimate open trailer to carry one or two road bikes. Please critique my design requirements and add yours. Can anyone provide a design?

My basic requirements area:

One or two bikes - if one bike will load in the centre
Not to large - how wide?
Must look cool - not a dressed up general purpose trailer
Simple to load and unload - a low deck height?
Ramps - separate or integrated?
Tie downs - where, how many?
Front wheel clamp - what type, are they necessary?


Go to a race meet. Dirt bike, Road Racing or even speedway (even if many there are for cars, but check out the side-car ones) and you will get heaps of ideas.

[AllanB]

Include an adjustable front wheel chock on in each bike mount. For single central carrying the chock(s) (supply 2) could unbolt and be moved in or out to suit.

I see three rails - as you said central for single bike, or two outside ones.

Also consider some form of lockable carry box at the front - helmets, tools, gear, porn etc can be stored here.

[arj127]

Hi, my work/trade can handle building a trailer for you (i have built my own 10 years ago). pm me if you would like a contact number. We build all sorts of event trailers, motorhomes etc.

[mowgli]

My basic requirements area:

One or two bikes - if one bike will load in the centre
Not to large - how wide?


If you're going to have three rails then you should consider what the penalty would be (cost, width, strength) to carry a third bike backwards between the other two. We used to do this all the time with our dirt bikes on a flat-bed general purpose trailer.

[AllanB]

do a search for bikelug - an interesting portable single carrier.

[nallac]

Its not that hard to design/build a bike trailor,i have made two of em.
Both were 3 bay,
had my brother in law whos a sheetmetal worker bend up the channels.
I designed and welded them up.
You need to measure up whats the widest tyre you are going to have in them and make it fractionly wider.
I took measurements off the old mans trailer and went from there.
The first one was to heavy,used 70x50mm box tube from memory
the next one was 50x25mm and had a drop axel,a lot lighter and lower.
was about 1300mm wide +mudguards.
Its easiest to make a 3 bike trailor with one forward of the others if you mostly only going to have one bike on there. And want it centered.
I have put a pic in my gallery of the first one i built.can't find any pics of the second one.

[Ocean1]

If you use trailing arm torsion bar suspension you can organise it to be adjustable for ride height. Sounds over-the-top I know, but you can then lower the back of the trailer deck clean down to the ground.

Cool trick, hook up trailer, drop the trailer deck, ride bike on, jack trailer back up. No ramps, just a gentle slope to deal with.

[sinned]

Cool trick, hook up trailer, drop the trailer deck, ride bike on, jack trailer back up. No ramps, just a gentle slope to deal with.

I have thought about that having seen a few advertised in the States. The design work would be tricky and may be costly. Unless I could find an engineer with the expertise to get it right it is too risky. Here are a couple of links:
Drop deck trailer (http://www.baxleycompanies.com/)
Lots of links to bike trailer stuff (http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-trailer/)

[Mental Trousers]

Best idea I've seen yet is to take a couple of display stands (the ones that you push the bike into and it supports the bike) and put them at the front so you can just push the bike up onto the trailer and then let it go so you can tie it down.

Another is having a smesh covered tail gate that folds in half. Folded down and out it is your loading ramp but folded up it doesn't offer too much air resistance.

Lastly is tieing the bike down by the wheels rather than up to the handle bars or tripple clamps. From the front the tie down goes over the wheel between the forks and down the back. This stops the fork fluid from aerating too much.

[smoky]

If you're still looking for someone to build it for you - I came accross a guy who's a shit hot engineer up the 309 road on the Coro, who builds trailors to your spec - galved and everything, about half the cost of anyone else, will build to your requirements.

[Ocean1]

I have thought about that having seen a few advertised in the States. The design work would be tricky and may be costly. Unless I could find an engineer with the expertise to get it right it is too risky. Here are a couple of links:
Drop deck trailer (http://www.baxleycompanies.com/)
Lots of links to bike trailer stuff (http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-trailer/)


The ones you linked tip at the axle, easy enough, just requires a slightly more sophistocated drawbar, a lot of boat trailers do the same thing. I had in mind one which literally "picked up" it's wheels until the deck was grounded at the back. That does mean a slightly more sophistocated design for the suspension, but hardly challenging. Either way makes for much easier loading, and obviates the need for ramps.

The custom build thing is not so much tricky as expensive. And that not because the design's difficult or risky, it's just that most trailers are cobbled together fron off-the-shelf components. Most of them badly. The economies of mass-produced CKD trailers out of asia mean you can buy a general purpose one much cheeper than you can make a custom one, no matter how reasonable the engineering charges are.

I'm away off shore for a couple of weeks, but if you want to sit down over a beer and talk about the costs and benefits of various designs PM me then and I'm more than happy to do so.

[scracha]

The economies of mass-produced CKD trailers out of asia mean you can buy a general purpose one much cheeper than you can make a custom one, no matter how reasonable the engineering charges are.


You're spot on...got mine new including wof, Gst and the road tax thingie for a smidgeon over a grand.

[steveb64]

I have been considering building a transporter for road bikes. In March 07 I posted a request for information on who could build a suitable trailer:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=45911 . I contacted a few manufacturers and found few are interested and that I need to start with a detailed specification or I would not get a suitable design. Trademe listings also confirmed my need to start with a design spec.

There is plenty of choice of trailers to transport off road bikes. I am wanting a trailer to carry one or two road bikes (including big ones). My original requirement was for a single bike trailer but I have changed that to two bikes as the difference in trailer width and cost to carry two bikes is minimal.

I am seeking advice that will help me design the ultimate open trailer to carry one or two road bikes. Please critique my design requirements and add yours. Can anyone provide a design?

My basic requirements area:

One or two bikes - if one bike will load in the centre
Not to large - how wide?
Must look cool - not a dressed up general purpose trailer
Simple to load and unload - a low deck height?
Ramps - separate or integrated?
Tie downs - where, how many?
Front wheel clamp - what type, are they necessary?


I just use a 'regular' trailer - except it's a contractor size one, with a 7'x5' deck, rated to 900kgs, and fitted with 225/50x12.5" heavy duty wheels/tyres. It's all galvanised steel, the tailgate is OK for loading dirt bikes, but is a bit flimsy for road bikes though, so I chuck in a 12x2 x2m ramp for loading/unloading road bikes. The good thing is that the tailgate can be done up with the bikes (road or dirt) not hanging over the back, and the deck can still be loaded up with gear.

Just use regular tie downs on the front, and pull suspension down tight, and no channels/clamps required (see photo). Tie downs to hold the rear wheel in place are optional - mostly needed if two road bikes on board to stop rear of bikes bumping into each other - which doesn't often happen, as the lighter dirt bikes are the ones to move around - and who cares about them?

The trailer was manufactured by Compass engineering in Dargaville, and cost about $1400 - about 6 -7 years ago - at the same time other manufacturers (i.e. Kea, etc.)were quoting me around $1500 - $1600 for a regular (6'x4') car trailer...

About the only design changes that I would make would be a heavier (braced) tailgate to use as a road bike ramp, and a few more tie down hooks around the outside - and a drawbar that was 300 mm or so longer, as the thing is a bit of a jack-knife when backing - not helped by a low trailer, behind a tall 4x4...

Having used a number of purpose built bike trailers over the years, this beats them hands down, as it's REALLY useful to be able to load stuff onto the trailer without having to worry about bits falling down between the channels - and you can chuck your rubbish on and head to the tip, or load up and head off on holiday....

[steveb64]

Don't know what happened to the photo for above - but this is what I was trying to post...


http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=75267&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1194139293