..... or at least a lighter hitch
The very strong, and very heavy rack I build for the back of my Mixer 8 to tow my trailer has worked well, really, it has been a good performer, but, man it makes the bike heavy
I could live with that, but I'm finding that having the hitching point over the center of the back wheel is not so good.
If I turn and the trailer is loaded, it kind of makes the bike want to stand up, instead of lean into a corner, if I hit the brakes in a corner, it is even worse. Before with the Cannondale I had the hitch point much closer to the seat post, and I did not feel this "Push" like I do now.
I'll ditch the rear rack and shave off a bunch of weight.
My plan is to make a hitch that clamps onto the seatpost and the seat tube.
Here you can see the two clamps that I made, they fit rather well, the clamps sill need a bit of cleaning up, but there is welding etc to do yet, so I'll not bother until later.
That is the basic mock-up I have rattling around inside my brain right now
I'll gusset the joints so that they are stronger and make very sure that the pieces fit together well before I weld them, I want to make sure that this is light, but strong.
So, what do you guys think?
The top piece, the horizontal one will be made from 21mm square tubing the piece that goes from the lower clamp will be made from 16mm square tubing.
The inside of the clamps have been sanded smooth, so they fit very well, I don't plan on putting anything between the clamps and the seat tube or seat post, except a thin coat of paint to stop rust.
The way I see it,force is applied to the hitch and through it the bicycle in three directions;
1) front to back
2) up and down
3) side to side
I think with the two clamps spaced as they are the up and down and the back to back forces should not be a worry, the only thing I see that could be a potential problem is the side to side, specifically a push to the side. Pulling should not present much side to side stress, as it should straighten out as it pulls, but stopping might present some side to side moment. I think the clamps on the tubes should resist that side to side moment, but I guess I'll find out
Maybe I could put spacer on the side of the lower tube of the hitch where it passes through the seat stays, so it could not twist the hitch...?
I always get great feedback and ideas here I really do want your thoughts and suggestions.
Cheers!