gerv 

I bought a used $50 Instep kiddy trailer a while back.

It was fun getting it up and running and I've got good use out of it for the last 2 years.

However, rounding a corner last week, I bumped one of the wheels, which proceeded to let go. The trailer was full of groceries, so I had to struggle to get everything back together. But I did and kept going.

My question is, how long should I expect to get out of this rig? I'm concerned because I don't have a car and right now it is very convenient to use the trailer to get food to the house. I think it's much better than panniers.

Should I be thinking of something more durable? If so, what?

katcorot

Is it possible for you to post any photo's of your trailer currently. Would help us with making suggestions.

hopperja

+1 on the pics.

I've had a Bell child trailer for about 6 or 7 years. I've put thousands of miles on it, hauled kids, Goodwill loads, and even 200 pounds of sand in that thing. It has been an excellent trailer. I recently removed all the fabric and put a corrugated plastic deck on it. This past summer I got a Bikes at Work 64a and have even attached the Bell to the back of the BAW trailer.

The BAW is a more versatile and heavy duty hauler. However, the Bell worked for many years. I only upgraded because I wanted more weight carrying capacity (though the extra volume capability is nice too).

Standalone 

I have an ancient instep from goodwill. Had it about 6 years, and it was probably that old when I got it. Still going strong. The wheels are kind of quick release, so it's understandable that they might give way if overloaded and in a hard turn.

gerv 

Is this photo detailed enough?

katcorot

I'm just trying to confirm here. When you bumped the trailer wheel and it "let go". Did it break the wheel/axle or just flip the trailer?

gerv 

Nope. I guess the locking pivot just let go and the wheel started to come off.

I got it all back on and it locked ok.

bicyclridr4life

I had one like that but with the stroller kit. I used it every day, put well over 9,000 miles on it over 5 years, and it was still going strong. Still is, as far as I know, some low life stole it in 2007.

Nightshade

WOOF! IMO I'd start looking for a trailer that is metal framed & wheeled. All that plastic won't last..........

katcorot

come winter he could just remove the wheels and pull it as a sled. who knows it might even float over deep puddles.

gerv 

Yeah.. you are probably right. I was lucky at the time to find a used trailer. It's even worse currently... and a quality trailer is as rare as hen's teeth.

hopperja

Perhaps Nightshade is more familiar with that trailer than I am. I don't know it specifically, but it looks to be an aluminum frame with composite/plastic wheels. If Nightshade is talking in generalities and doesn't know that trailer specifically, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

My Bikes at Work 64a is a heavy duty trailer with an aluminum frame and composite/plastic wheels. Whether your trailer will last or not depends on the quality of the material much, much more than the type of material.

salek

We bought our first Winchester (semi) trailer in 1991 when Child1 was born. We ran it until she outgrew it and graduated to the semi-bike (trailabike). At that point it was given to friends who had just had their Child1. The reason that I stated "first" was that there is a period of time before the child is large enough to safely ride in the trailer's seat. Thus, we hung a cheapo car seat in the middle of the trailer on springs. With this arrangement, one Winchester carries one child. So, we bought a second one. We attended a few bike events as twin tractors towing matching (semi) trailers.
20 years later, the kids have long outgrown them and became tractors.
After years of babies, boys, girls, groceries, they were parked for a while until the price of petrol brought them back from storage. Each trailer, in each family is used today for groceries, camping, etc. At $300 each (1991 ,1995 dollars) , we are still getting our moneys worth.

badmother

Maybe you over loaded it or rode to fast around a corner? If nothing broke try to find out why it happend and if something can be done to prevent it happening again.

If the wheel axels came loose from the frame a close up picture of that exact area would be of help.

It is produced to haul children at a low speed so if you "forgot about this" you may try to slow down or get a trailer that is made for rough riding and heavy loads.

nubcake

How do the wheels attach on your instep? are they they kind where you push a button in the middle of the axle and it releases two detent balls to let the axle come out? If so you might be able to drill and tap into the tube the axle goes into and put a set screw in there to keep the wheel from sliding out again.

badmother

Or just adjust the nut in the end to get the effective lenght of the axel back to its original lenght- if it is no longer properly adjusted.

nubcake

Even Better I have not had to work on that trailer before so I was unsure of how things went together on it.