Hey utility cyclists,
I seek your input. I need a heavy-duty bike cargo trailer, but am on a budget. There exist a few commercially available/ready-made models (from Bikes at Work, Tony's Trailers, Haulin' Colin, Surly, etc.) that meet all or most of my needs, but sadly, are out of my price range -- and being in Canada, the exchange rate and cost of shipping makes it even harder. (Tony's Trailers is out in BC, but I can't afford their stuff.)
I'm after a trailer that:
- Is 5-6+ feet long
- Is 2-3 feet wide
- Can haul at least 300 lbs. -- though more is better.
- Has an axle- or seatpost-mounted hitch
- Has quick-release wheels
- Has or can accommodate removable plywood sidewalls
- Can accommodate bungee cords/tie-downs
- Can be built for about or less than $500 Canadian (plus my time)
My building skills (and tools) are limited to drilling holes, driving screws, putting in bolts, and doing basic cuts in wood and some metal. I wish I could weld, but can't.
I was excited to see that Wike (in Ontario, where I live) offers a DIY cargo trailer kit. It seems it can be built to almost any size (within reason) but its load capacity is only 150 lbs. One idea I had was to get the DIY kit and beef it up... though that's where the advice of someone more experienced would come in. I wouldn't know where to add what, or if simply using steel instead of aluminum square tubing would suffice.
I think someone suggested in another thread here that a trailer frame built with the Wike DIY kit should be able to accommodate more that 150 lbs. -- that the only part that might suffer under a heavier weight is the hitch itself -- and that the Bikes at Work hitch should easily be able to handle a heavier load.
That said, the Wike kit uses ABS corner connectors. I know ABS is tough plastic, but how heavy a load can it manage?
Beyond building a frame with the Wike kit and using steel tubing, and possibly pairing it with the stronger Bikes at Work axle-mounted hitch (if it fits), I wouldn't know how to proceed. I'd happily put in the time making something from scratch, if parts and materials are easily accessible, and my limited construction and design skills would be sufficient.
Anyway -- that's a long enough first post. Any suggestions, links, instructions and anecdotes are very much appreciated. Thanks tons!