Monster bike trailer!

[amicableskeptic]

Ever since I read http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/20/mmm-challenge-try-getting-your-groceries-with-a-bike-trailer/ I've been excited about using a bike trailer to transport stuff around.  In April I found a sweet used InStep Tandom for $30 on Craigslist and have been using it for my grocery trips.  I had a couple issues with it though.  First, the only real strong place to put heavy groceries was on the children's seat.  I'd put the heavy stuff there, buckle it in like a kid and then put the rest on the weaker fabric floor and hope it didn't rip through (maybe a new trailer would have a stronger floor, but on my old used model the fabric was all old and weak).  Second, if I wanted to go and buy something really big (like say lumber) it wouldn't fit.  Finally, while the fabric cover did a decent job of keeping the rain out, a significant of water would get through it, another problem probably compounded by it's age, so I couldn't transport stuff that really needed to stay dry without putting it in it's own water proof bag.

So, what was I to do?  I looked around the net and saw some interesting mods and the simplest things I saw involved just getting a rubbermaid container and attaching it to the trailer.  Even those mods involved some serious modifications to the trailer though (cutting it's frame and re-attaching it to get the size right).  Here's what I did instead.

Step 1. Remove fabric and side bars from trailer.
Step 2.  Buy a rubbermaid container big enough to sit on top of existing trailer frame (54 gallons, about $20 at Lowe's)
Step 3.  Screw some wood planks to the bottom of the trailer to provide added strength to the middle (just used some wood planks that were laying around in my basement so those were free.  Spent probably $2 on screws and washers).
Step 4.  Get some heavy duty velcro tape and apply it to trailer frame and wood planks (8 bucks, but I bought wayyyy more than I needed)
Step 5.  Get some duct strapping (the kind you use to hang dryer vents) and put it around existing bolts to give bin some extra support).

All together it weighs around 30 lbs and could probably hold 80 lbs of stuff.  The velcro holds amazingly well so far.  We'll see if it holds up to the test of time (and speed and turning fast).  I'm thinking of putting in some sort of system to keep loads which dont totally fill the but from shifting around.  Suggestions and comments appreciated.

[Bakari]

hee hee - when you said "monster" bike trailer, I was expecting that you just bought or made a version of the super trailer :




The local bike coalition has one of these, which I use when I work for them to transport 16 bike racks, fold up awnings, tables, several rubber maid bins of supplies, and sometimes a bicycle to special events.  That thing is a monster.

The super trailer doesn't turn over at speed, even with it top heavy from the racks being on rails about 3.5ft high, so you don't really need to worry about that.

Probably overkill for home use though.

I just got a regular child carrier that had its seats gutted, and I used it to get groceries for the first time today (and just in time too!  When I got home the air raid sirens went off and the city was told to stay indoors until further notice!!)
I didn't have too much weight, but I can see how the cloth bottom could eventually be a problem.
I'm making a mental note of your solution for future reference.  It looks good.

You might want to find a way to attach a couple of red blinkies to the plastic bin.  If you ever fill the bin completely, or have something too long to fit inside, you could put the lid on and use a bungee cargo net to hold stuff down to it.

[amicableskeptic]

Yeah I guess mine is just monster compared to the smaller utility trailers that you see on amazon (like http://www.amazon.com/Croozer-Designs-Cargo-Bicycle-Trailer/dp/B000P7NJZQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1) which cost more and haul less.  But I should have been cognizant that there's always something bigger out there.

I don't plan on taking my trailer out at night yet, but if I do I'll definitely consider putting some lights on it.  The bungee cargo net (or something similar) is definitely in my future plans though.  I want to set it up so it can handle oversized items like you're talking about, but also be used to keep smaller items from sliding around in the bin.  Still thinking about the best/cheapest way to do that though.

[velocistar237]

there's always something bigger out there.