Can a pull a trailer made for automobiles with a bicycle?
 

Can a bicycle pull a, let's 5' x 8' utility trailer?

no, not by itself..you have to get on the bicycle and put out the effort to get it started, then figure out how you are going to stop it..


probably really a lot of work, more than you are willing to put out if you have to go up an even modest incline.

but you can be a poseur.. http://image.rvmagonline.com/f/featu...cle_towing.jpg

Probably gonna be too heavy to actually make much progress. You'd need to come up with some kinda hitch solution first. I doubt anyone makes anything.

It’s the down hill speed and pusher weight of the trailer that would get tricky.

I would expect a trailer made for automotive use to be a lot heavier than one made for bicycle use, seeing as how it has to be adequate for higher speeds and all.

Or get a bike trailer made to haul car-loads of stuff: https://surlybikes.com/bikes/bill_trailer

Attachment 606542

Two issues.

Hitch. I put a straight pull-behind hitch on my cargo bike, but still not using an automobile hitch. Most bike trailers attach near the axle which is a good place, but if hooking on one side, needs a bent tongue to allow turning of the rear wheel.

Weight. The Harbor Freight trailer is pretty light. I'm not seeing it on the website anymore, and saw an issue with a DOT review on HF tires a while ago.. perhaps related. I have an older "Haulin" brand 4x8 trailer. Much more substantial than the Harbor Freight trailers, but still light by car standards. Maybe a couple of hundred pounds... that will be a substantial amount of your bike cargo capacity.

When I was a teenager I towed a heavy moped trailer made of steel and wood behind my bike to haul a lawnmower to my parents off site property. The bike was a 3 speed with coaster brake. No stopping it going downhill. lol... No I would not recommend a trailer for cars which would be even heavier.
A used kiddy trailer with the seats ripped out is light and cheap. For heavy loads the trailer needs to have brakes and maybe even electrical drive.
These look cool:
https://www.carlacargo.de/en/
International Cargo Bike Festival: Low Impact City Logistics; Introducing the 'Net-Neutral' e-Trailer

Or the "18 Wheeler" like recumbent:

at my LBS they replaced a trailer's wheels for those with drum brakes.. the job was for a Hunter to haul an Elk Carcass out.

Hmm, big enough to fit a mattress. Are you pulling your own shaggin' wagon?

I've posted my cargo trailer setup a couple of times.

https://www.bikeforums.net/attachmen...hmentid=596403

https://www.bikeforums.net/attachmen...hmentid=520440

It never really got 100% finished. The original design was to do a double layer deck that would be strong enough to load stuff above the wheels/fenders. But, I had a tough time with welding. I think I know what I was missing now, but need to practice a bit more.

I had also intended to connect the old coaster brakes to mechanical surge brakes controlled on the tongue, but really haven't found them to be that necessary as the heavier I get, the slower I go.

On occasion, I've simply put boxes or boards on the deck to get above the wheel height.

Anyway, if you are planning to occasionally carry something like a 4x8 piece of plywood flat, I'd build the trailer about 3 feet wide, and 5 or 6 feet long (which can get through most bollards), but add provisions to carry stuff overhanging a little bit with the load above the tires.

I did a straight pull-behind tongue specific to my cargo bike. I like the simplicity of that design, but might consider a regular side pull hitch. Still, I like the cargo bike for towing.

One of my next builds will be a heavy cargo trike, capable of very low gearing (and possibly pedal assist). Probably mainly for towing. 5th wheel?

Have milling machine...will travel. :lol:

-Matt

Yes, for as far as you're willing to pull it on level ground or uphill, and all the way to the crash site going downhill.

You can also move a mountain using a Volkswagen, if you're willing to make enough trips.

However, if you have other options, neither is a good choice.

Having been a VERY early adopter of bike trailers (I had one of the very first Cannondale trailers, so early in production that I had to wait for the kiddie tub to arrive), I will tell you that you will feel every pound you're pulling -- every ounce you can take off the trailer will make a noticeable difference, even more than weight off the bike itself -- and car trailers are HEAVY.

Maybe with and e-bike.