All,
I happened to acquire a 2nd, 3ord, 4th.... hand kid trailer last winter from a guy I worked with. It actually had never really been used - still has the mold nubs and seams on the tires.
I haven't been riding this season much. I did cycle commute earlier this year, but with the heat this summer I've only done a hand full of day trips. With that having been said - I have been experimenting with the trailer.
One major issue I found with this one is the pressure rating on the tires (16") is only 35psi. That is way too soft - I can feel the resistance of the trailer back there more than I'd like, even with what I would consider as a "light" load, compared to what I toured with last fall.
Another issue, that I am not sure is much of an issue in the bigger picture of "touring", is the width of the trailer. My riding partner doesn't like the trailer because when trying to ride next to each other down the trail the trailer gets too close to them. I have tried to be conscious about it and keep to the far side of a trail, but it is hard to do. Riding solo this wouldn't be an issue - but it gets back to my earlier concern about the overall width of the rig going down the trail when they get congested.
Another interesting aspect of this trailer is the "hitch" is a coupler on a spring. I am not sure if it is the trailer itself, and the weight/loading from it, or if it is the spring - but I can feel the surging of the trailer over bumps and rough terrain. It reminds me of pulling a 2 car gooseneck trailer with a 1 ton pickup years ago. The loaded trailer would make the truck surge forwards and backwards over bumpy roads.
Can anyone comment on the surging? Those of you that have rigid hitches - do you still notice said "surging"? Is hitch position - either side of the rear axle or seat post - a factor in "surging"? I am assuming having the hitch on the seat post would be more of an issue - there is more distance between both the hitch and trailer and hitch height above ground for the surging to have leverage against the bike's balance. Does that theory hold true in practice? Or is that over-thinking it?
The side-mount wheels (as opposed to being cradled/supported on both sides like on a traditional bike - with an outer rail on the trailer) don't sit well with me. They fit the simple design of this trailer, but from a serviceability and loading perspective - the side-mount wheels can become problematic with heavy loads and long miles.
Overall, the kid trailer isn't what I want but it is a good start. It gives me a lot more to experience so I can tweak with my own ideas.
I am thinking about some ideas for this one. One is to replace the fabric with a 550 cord "net" - just a weave pattern cord net. Another is to add vertical supports and an upper platform that I can mount a solar panel to.
As far as the wheels go - I may get some better tires that I can air up to 50psi or so to drop the rolling resistance. However, I don't like the wheels. The hubs are very loose. There is no way to set tension as the axles are fixed (not threaded) = no way to adjust cone/race tension. That loose'ness will only get worse over any heavy miles - worse until failure. I can easily make an outer rail then swap the wheels with some better ones, but the further I modify this trailer the more I enter in to the idea of just making my own and doing it all right the way I want it from the start. I'm trying to get by with this one without doing a whole lot of work to it
At least work that I can't recover moving an idea over to another trailer later.