Citycyclegal

I am thinking of buying my first folding bike to use when I am camping. I have a 22 lb. cocker spaniel that is used to riding in a pet trailer on my regular sized bikes.
I am not quite ready to invest in a Brompton, and am thinking of a Dahon Mariner. Has anyone used a pet trailer with a Mariner? and if so, what brand. I realize a Montague is similar to a full size bike, but am looking to find something smaller which will not take up much room. Thanks for any suggestions! or information.

unionmanbirch

As long as it attaches by the axle I think you should be fine. I wouldn't trust it if it attaches to the seat post. Not a Mariner, but the Origami Crane is similar and I pulled the suitcase travel kit behind me with maybe 30 pounds of gear for a couple hundred miles.

Jipe

I do not use a pet trailer but a Radical Design Cyclone IV Chubby 2 wheels trailer that carry up to 40kg. It works fine with my Brompton and Birdy folding bikes.

Pinigis 

Most pet trailers can be attached to most folding bikes. Anything with a through-axle may be impossible to connect, but they are very rare anyway. I have a few different trailers (child carriers and utility trailers) and have no problem pulling them.

Jipe

Indeed, almost no folding bikes with through axles but it become very common on non folding bikes.

Some trailers are compatible with through axles, its the case of the Radical Design trailers that has a lot of different sizes of through axles for their trailers but they do not make pet trailers (nor child trailers).

CliffordK

Bike Friday has a unique hitch. They add the male end of an air hose coupler to most of their bike frames, and the female end to the trailers. Quick and easy to attach and detach.

They used to do a cargo trailer which was converted to the cat trailer.

Like mentioned above, there are several trailers that hitch to the rear wheel bolt/quick release. And, that would likely be my choice of a trailer.

Jipe

Radical Design has also a cargo type and which a pet cage can be placed (it can even be placed on top of the folded bag of the standard trailer) the cargo Cyclone IV weight slightly less (5.25kg) than the normal one (5.54kg). Naked without platform, the weight is only 4.1kg a big pet cage would fit on it.

The hook of Radical Design fits on M10x1 standard bicycle axle, on 5mm QR axle and there are adapters for several through axle sizes/length. There are also special hooks for Brompton and Birdy (but the standard hook works also on Brompton and Birdy).

Citycyclegal

This is great information. I have used a Dutch Doggy Ride trailer on my hybrid and road bikes. I know what that attachment is.

I was wondering if a similar trailer could be used with a folding bike. I’m interested in having a folding bike for many reasons. I live in a brownstone, narrow stairway, 3rd floor. I like to camp and often go to dog friendly B&B’s. I have my regular bikes at a family cottage. As a senior+ lol, I thought it would add to these experiences when I’m in the city..and my dog could enjoy some of the times away with me. No very long rides, just checking out the area whatever.

KC8QVO

I'm late to the party in the thread here but here is some additional info.

I have a Dahon Mariner D8. It is a great bike and I tour on it also. Last season I commuted on it for a good while also. If you are a capable bike mechanic then you'll get the most out of it - otherwise having it properly set up from a competent mechanic (shop or a friend you know is good) is best. They are not "take out of the box and they're ready to go" bikes.

Things that you need to dial in on these bikes:
- Hub tension (have to reset cones to proper tension)
- Shifter function, spring tension, cable routing, etc
- Brake pad alignment
- Of course, a good quality greasing of bearings is on order off the bat also.

I learned the above in getting my bike out of the box. However, I did not set the hub tension and subsequently ground the hub hearings excessively in short order (less than 200 miles). Once I found the issue the damage had been done. I have not built new wheels, but I did replace the cones and balls. I will limp on this set up for a while and see how they hold up. Worst case the hubs will fail eventually. In which case I would have to build new wheels. Best case is they hold up and I can keep going for a couple years.

Here is a thread I had a while back of one of my day trips on the Dahon Mariner - loaded pretty good:
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-b...out-today.html

See the first picture in the thread below on my bike trailer project (on-going). We did a few bike ride/picnics with this set up early on with a big cooler in tote. It works fine.
https://www.bikeforums.net/utility-c...gth-frame.html

For what it is worth, the wheel set on that trailer has held over 200lbs of trailer weight. I don't expect the wheel set to hold up over the long haul with that load, nor do I routinely carry that much, but it is a proof-of-concept. The kid trailer frame, on the other hand, is definitely not up to par. For a light load (your pet) - it should be more than adequate.

Good luck with it!

Citycyclegal143

Thanks everyone for all your help! Haven’t purchased a trailer yet, but will try one soon. If it doesn’t work with folder, I can use it with my standard bikes.