I am currently in the process making a bike trailer for my neighborhood car wash business. I bought a cheap old little kid bike trailer (the ones where the parents can have the kid in the trailer and pull them) and stripped it down to the chassis. I am in the process of adding all the wood. It's gonna be really cool and efficient. Awesome idea BTW
Nice and simple without using a cnc or other crap that normal people would never have just to show off. RU-vid needs more videos like this. Thanks for sharing. I'd add removable/flip up pivoting casters w/brake to the back and another place near the front for a second axel so you can move the wheels forward. That would make it easiest to walk when you need to and would stabilize the trailer when loading. I would also add something to widen the tray frame for those times you load is bigger than your trailer frame. Maybe swopping for a slightly larger piece of plywood and packing the outside of the frame or something similar would do the trick. Could still fit your 3 green bin. Could also add a couple legs that drop or flip down so you can move the wheels with the trailer loaded. I doubt any of it would add much weight.
Yes, that was the intention :) While it is interesting to watch, I doubt 99,999% will ever own a CNC or even a welder for that matter. Your improvements sound like a good idea 👍
When the fabric on our old child trailer started to disintegrate, I took off the fabric and the roll bars completely and installed a wood floor right on top of the old base. That made a really good extension to our cargo bike when we gutted and refitted our bathrooms.
Nice project. I would love to build one myself to get groceries from the store etc. But I just don't feel comfortable cycling through my city. I hope cycling becomes more attractive around here in the future
Gas prices increasing will make people bike thankfully. Just make it extremely inconvenient to drive everywhere financially. Businesses who depend will be fine
I got a large sized Trixie dog trailer from Amazon over a year ago for €131 at the time and it has been fabulous for all kinds of cargo and shopping. It's fully enclosed and secure like the boot of a car and nothing will fall out. I've had over 70Kg and it's working out fabulously. This would not be suitable for trips to the supermarket or shops because it's to big and not enclosed unless you use additional crates or boxes.
This is the perfect trailer I want for carrying around a lawnmower and other things too big or long for my current large sized dog trailer. Hinterher's profit margins must be absolutely huge. Well done. You have my genuine admiration.
I am looking into a bike trailer for the exact same reason, have you built one if so how and what parts did you use? And what is the dimensions of your trailer?
Unfortunately for us you are wrong: Our profit margins are not absolutely huge. Sad but true. They are large enough for us to sustain our company in a healthy way so that people can buy spare parts. But believe me, building high-quality bike trailers in small numbers is not your easiest get-rich-quick-sheme. It is always difficult to compare a diy built with our model. Parts may look roughly the same when in fact there`s much more that differentiates them if you dig a little deeper. Our chassis is vastly more sophisticated to manufacturer and thus much more expensive, yet stiffer, stronger and lighter. You wouldn`t compare a high-end bike frame with a simple one just because they look the same? We also use a custom-made stainless steel axle with threaded ends and an custom-made inserted stainless-steel sleeves to hold the wheels. The list goes on and adds up. We do not want to diminish this great diy-project, but we always feel a bit disappointed when people assume we rip-off customers with our small scale workshop production of custom-made trailer components here in Germany. It`s not like we were Chris King, charging 400 bucks for a front hub...
@@hinterher_bike_trailers Hello and thanks for your unexpected and very detailed response. Yes, I can understand as a small business, employing staff and paying them a fair wage building a high quality product which has a very limited market that it can be very difficult. And I appreciate your frustration reading my casual comment without giving you and others like you the appreciation you deserve for the high quality products you make. But which also need to be sold for higher prices to compensate for the quality materials and workmanship involved in making them and to provide a reasonable profit in an expensive developed country. I live in Ireland myself. I left my comment in relation to the video I had just watched and from the point of view of a customer who would always try to get the most return for the least cost. Of course, when I am doing that, like almost everyone else, I give little or no consideration to the story and lives of the people and businesses that may make different products of different qualities and prices. As it happens, I bought a Duramaxx branded cheap trailer from a German website in 2022 which I know is made in China. I am well aware it's quality and durability is not in any way comparable to the quality of your products but for €105 which was a bargain price on the day, it should give me several years of use along with my two other German branded but also Chinese made trailers. There's a great expression I like to use regularly which applies to me a lot. "Never mind the quality, feel the width!" I have three different bike trailers for less than €400 altogether and I use them regularly, at least once a week, turning my ordinary cheap hybrid bike into a full cargo bike to carry almost anything for a fraction of the cost of an actual real cargo bike. I'm not wealthy, so in order to enjoy as many benefits as I can in life relative to my income, I regularly buy "good enough" instead of the "the best" when it will still achieve my needs. I have and had no doubts even before I left my comment that Hinterher makes quality that can be depended upon for a lifetime and I would never hesitate to buy one of your trailers for heavier use because you have a brand, workmanship and reputation I know I could rely on. I wish you all the best for the future.
I have been thinking of such a trailer myself. Excellent timing that I happened upon your excellent build. Great job and the idea of a support to level the unattached trailer is an excellent idea. I have several wheels from an old golf club cart that will suffice and I can weld up angle to make the wagon part. Thanks for the idea.
Brilliant idea. I've just recently managed to salvage some angle profiles from a garbage container (yes, some companies are really throwing away stuff like that!) and was looking for us for them. I think I'll copy your design, maybe just go a little smaller.
Amazing, thank you. I was thinking of building something similar when I found this video and I got some good ideas from it. One thing I will do slightly differently: Instead of the hooks I use angle profiles with horizontal 25 or 30 mm wide slits as borders. My ratchet straps fit perfectly through these slits, so I can attach them pretty much anywhere on the trailer. Since the angle profiles are made of aluminum and slightly smaller than yours, I will ad 4-8 additional steel angles with the same kind of slit and more holes to bolt them to the playwood so that they can handle ratched straps with a lot of weight. And I might add removable railings/walls later and was thinking of getting a lockable aluminum box. I am still trying to figure out a way to make it removable but firmly attached and lockable to the trailer. I hope my wheels and axle last for a while as they are not in the best condition. But I couldn't find any better used trailer at a reasonable price. At least it came with three couplers (one on a kickstand) that I don't need and will resell. Sadly the lockable drawbar came without keys. So I might have to tinker with another drawbar that I still have on my old (dying...) trailer to get this working. Should the wheels and axle wear down soon, I might actually buy new good ones from Hinterher and attach them to the trailer. That way it would be really sturdy and durable.
fein. aber ich würde empfehlen, die Metalkanten noch zu beschichten wäre zu schade wenn alle Schnittkanten und gebohrten Löcher rosten. Noch eine Idee: die Mitteldeichsel hinten befestigen. So kann man den beladenen Hänger gut ans Rad rangieren und hat später eine Halterung für ein Fähnchen oder extra Beleuchtung, oder sogar noch einen zusätzlichen Anhänger.... (oder ein Stützrad?)
In germany ebay has a marketplace for local offerings "Kleinanzeigen". That works very well. I probably helped a dozen owners to repair their children trailer :)
I'm getting ready to build one and paint match to the color of my bike. I'm kinda feeling a little shy and weird to pull a bike trailer but I think I'll get used to it. I'm sure people will envy my ability to manual grocery store cargo when gasoline becomes unaffordable
Nice! Haven't really thought about a paint job yet, but it's a good idea. I receive suprisingly low amounts strange looks from people. I guess the whole cargo-bike-thing is getting normal.
I just bought a second identical trailer to my Schwinn. I noticed that mine had upgrades so I just transferred the canvas and now I have a trailer frame. I want to be able to haul 2x 5-gallon water bottles by building a trailer with light and budget friendly materials. Plus, my 30lb pet will have to come too. This video is a good starting point. So pointer: you should add brakes if you haven't. Also, how about a closed in trailer to keep secure when you leave unattended.
❤amazing but I 😂 cause watching the empty trailer bounce I would make sure to have look back to make sure especially rougher roads empty can be more dangerous but then a load one on the road can be messy be safe trailering ❤🎉❤
What I think is that you did a very good job with this video how you explained it and everything I live in Maine and that’s in the United States but we don’t really have a lot of things going on like this that are productive. Unfortunately, you don’t see very many people doing this type of stuff on a regular basis or even at all for that matter. Parts of the world are so much more sophisticated with their Bicycle knowledge and practical use of bicycles. Then America is at least here in the north east part of the United States in Maine.
greetings from a fellow builder from across the pond as the Brits say I would use My German but as I learned it as a young boy some 5 decades ago and froew keller only had time to teach me to speak not write or read. I to used the childrens carts as the base of one of my bike/ mobility scooter trailers. it is the main one for my dog to go riding with me. I had no luck getting the covers off the frames so I added a few light weith tent poles as the extra body frame I needed and will now cover all but a few (3) of the plastic & net windows with a custom cloth & glue poor mans fiberglass for a semi ridged body. It should do fine I am also building a couple other trailers/rear body add ons to make my M.Scooter to look like a 1900s era C cab delivery truck. wish me good luck.And my congratulations on your build. oh all most forgot if you use some more square tubing you could have a 2 part swivel down drop & pin leveling legs for your trailer on the cheap & with no welding needed. It would be the same as many factory built units of all kinds have at least at the tong but I would sugest you put 1 on at least front corners if not on all 4 corners. I likes the Idea of rebuilding the hitch with a angled peace of square tubing going down under the bed of it, you might just run that tubing all the way to the back for more strength. great build a new fan
Instead of a front stand you can have a steerable front wheel with a brake that's attached to the handle mount and can be raised and lowered. It will enable you to move heavier loads more easily by hand and can act as a rolling bumper for the front of the trailer while traveling over rough and uneven terrain.
I would personally raise the floor a bit so it's above the wheels and you can load even more stuff onto it, then integrate a hidden foldable chair into that raised part, so that you can take passengers with you as well! Something as simple as splitting the raised bit into three plywood panels, and folding up the rear one for a back rest and folding down the front panel for a foot rest could work!
Excellent idea to base the design around euro crates, if that's an important factor for your use. Repurposing parts from a suitable donor item - and selling the unwanted bits to ( more than ) recoup expenditure also makes good sense. Looks like you've ended up with a useful bit of kit for your needs. What weight of goods are you typically carrying - over what distance? I also took a similar - but different approach - by using parts from a couple of discarded kid's buggies. This worked well (for me) because I wanted a lightweight folding trailer that could be carried on the bike's pannier rack until needed. Another major difference is that I prefer the hitch point to be on the bike's centreline - so that associated frame brought the total weight of everything to about 5.3kg At Feb '24, it's been in use for about 5.5 years, and it's been a game changer for me - I hope yours serves you just as well.
I like your design much better than the Hinterher ones. They have a huge design failure: You cannot attach the handlebar to the triangle thing (which itself is clever!) while the trailer is filled with boxes because they block access to it. Hinterher only ever show hows to attach the handlebar while the trailer is empty, so people notice the problem at home. 😑 Your design is brilliant! And alot cheaper too... 😁
Damn, I'd been looking at building a cargo bike for work but this is way for financially viable. It's only a 10 minute drive and I spend so much on fuel nipping round site. This would easily fit all the tools I need on a day to day basis, might have to have the spirit levels hanging off the end but it'll be worth it for all the money saved on fuel
Great job, especially as selling the non-used parts covered the cost, I would add sone sort of waterproof cover. I've been thinking of getting a trailer for my eBike for groceries 😊
The trailer could use a stabliser wheel or jockey wheel to prevent it from dropping incase it comes loose while carrying groceries while cycling that way your oranges won't roll on the road and get squashed by cars or cause a slip hazard for motorcycles, imagine someone wrecked their expensive motor bike because of oranges
Not sure that unless you get real lucky on finding a used trailer to start with or reselling the parts you'd make that much money this way. That said having a custom fit to design trailer is near priceless. Even the more expensive trailers you buy pre-made are almost always the wrong size. Slightly to big, or to small. With rounded corners or something to make your desired load not fit right.
Eres grande, todas tus ideas son extraordinariamente inteligentes, porque hacen posible conseguir buenas cosas por muy poco dinero, e incluso poco trabajo(esto es aun mejor) de forma limpia y elegante, un buen amigo hace cosas asi, entonces creo que eres un buen amigo de todo el mundo. (Pon un Paypal para que te inviten a 1 cerveza o un Cafe desde todo el mundo miles y miles) GRACIAS !!
Very nice job. Only thing I would add is a couple of 100W solar panels and a large battery to reduce center of mass. Then that can be used to drive an ebike for practically unlimited range.
I got an idea for you. You could build side walls from pallet boards take apart pallets pull nails out of them use L brackets to screw to trailer floor and sides. Then you could haul dirt or wood sawdust.
I would put protective u-bars and metal shield to protect the wheel from what's on the platform and have posts/poles at the 4 corners so you can more securely carry things from a lower center of mass; without the plastic boxes... like lumber, planks and panels and even the occasional piece of furniture.
Great idea. What is the thickness of the wood you used? I have one small addition to your design. When you dismantled the trailer you used your foot to protect the reflectors. You could mount a rubber door stopper/buffer next to the reflector on each side.
@@Marty Which kind of wood your plywood is made of (birch, poplar…)? Since birch wood is the most available, I wonder if a 9mm thick birch plywood is enough.
Great build. Looking to build something similar to transport drum kit around to gifs/ rehearsals. Can i ask about the axle? What is it and where did you get it? Thanks
Hello Thank you for sharing your work which is excellent, today I started to see the carts of the same German company H, and although I had an idea with them I defined them, however doing it I was not very clear about what materials to use, you clarified everything and I will do mine equal and identical If you could please share the brand of the trailer that I use so that the axle works very well or which one you recommend the most, of. The best ones that I allow myself to comment on would be to make 4 to 6 cm punches to lighten the table, thanks and congratulations, it looks almost identical to the original of H, greetings
Thanks! The trailer was a "Chariot Cougar". The brand Chariot was acquired by Thule, so the newer models are from them. I suggest to get a broken or very dirty one, otherwise they will cost you around 300€.
Yeah in my experience if your carrying enough stuff to warrant a trailer you better hope your route is either really flat or all down hill on the way home. Add the weight of the trailer to even just a 30-50 lb load and those hills are a killer, never mind full stops and starts at intersections and the like.
I had two euro pallets on there with 20-25kg each. There was a hill on the way home and yes, I got pretty warm. But it was that pretty warmness of success and satisfaction :D
You’d need smaller wheels, and the front would have to be able to steer. The best way to make any trailer stand on its own, is to give it fold down legs at the corners. (Like a caravan)
i’ve took two child ones and connected them together and made one that i connect to my motor bike/put bike and pull a lawnmower and stuff on it im a 16 year old kid trying to make money i thought mine was pretty awesome
I'm looking to make one to transport a 3m ladder and my tools to various jobs. I'd have to change the gears on the bike to help me pull it all though. Thoughts?? Cheers for the video. It helped.
Sounds doable. There are bike trailers for carrying kayaks and such. Whether you need another gear ratio depends on the weight of the load. I found the rear gear to be cheaper, so I would start with that and add a tooth or two. You will probably need a longer chain.
Not sure if this construction can carry much weight - maybe 20 to 30 Kilo? Your tools and ladder is probably much more - I would invest in something that can carry more. I'm on the lookout myself, but want to build something on top of the trailer. I found the Surly Bill is pretty long - 1,2m and 60cm wide - but can carry up to 130kg. Something like that would be better. You can always strap things on - or mount a watertight box.
Hi Marty, do you have a list of parts you used? I'd like to build it like yours. It's cheap, stable, pretty, easy built and small - exactly what I searched for.
I have no full list, since the available material will vary from country to country. The important stuff is the plywood. In my case it was 1250x625x8mm I believe. And the 60x35x1mm steel angle profile with the holes.
Marty, thanks for the great video! Where did you put the wheel axle? I bet more weight should be put towards the hitch. The H-trailer looks like it has the axle at approx. 1.5 ratio (front/rear distance). Have you experimented with different positions to find out how the bike handles if more weight is loaded towards the hitch?
Honestly, I just guessed. I looked at a few trailers and they seemed to have the axle slightly behind the middle, so I went with that too. It makes sense, because you want to balance the weight pretty well, so there is not much down or up force on your bikes rear axle.
@@Marty There should only always be down force on the bikes rear axle for stability and braking. Regulations also recommend that the front of the trailer not have a hard 90° which could catch on a post or a person as you ride, so should have another deflector on the front right side, as well as deflectors in front of the wheels.
What does your trailer weigh? Maybe I skipped it in the video. The hinterher-trailer weighs 12.9 kg. I like machined parts but using CNC cut aluminium for zhis is ridiculous if that price comes out. I guess your trailer isn't much heavier you could optimise here anc there to save some weight.
Das geht schon, man kann damit ohnehin nicht so rasen, wenn der beladen ist, sodass das nicht so ins Gewicht fällt. Aber nett wär es schon. Gerade wenn die Boxen noch leer sind, klappern die wie verrückt. Wobei das mit Federung wahrscheinlich auch nicht verschwinden würde. Aktuell lege ich einfach Karton unter, das funktioniert auch :)
I am thinking of making a similar trailer but with higher sides and I want to use pvc pipes to make an arch or rib going from side to side and then cover with tarp like covered wagons for a bottom use corplast and 1x2 for wheels I am thinking wheelchair so they only need supported on 1 side so there's no shaft or axle what do u think of the wheels?????? but I won't get to it anytime soon was hoping someone would see this and try it
I first thought about wheelchair wheels too, but then I found the used trailer. But they should work just fine. Plus used wheelchairs are quite cheap here.
Someone please build me one. I’m not very handy. Something like this would help tremendously to get my musician gear around my island for performances.
Hello, I viewed lots of DIY bicycle trailers and noticed they were all bad (too small wheels) , were overdesigned (mostly german bastlers), expensively made (expensive aluminum tubes and connectors) , wrong material (pvc pipes huh?) much too heavy (big wooden logs) built, weak connection to the bike (15mm hot water tubing?). Your design is the best for cargo. I love it. I also use 2 trailers for my rc airplanes or for shopping and they are made out of bicycle trailers for 2 kids, 20 and 24 inch detacheable wheels, the tarp and upper section removed, put a flat piece of 5 mm plywood on it and angled steel around the edges like yours. Painted the plywood and there you go! . I will make a video of mine this summer.
Hola Marty, te felicito por tu proyecto, me gusta mucho, por varios motivos, el primero porque es simple, el diseño es más lógico que científico, sin embargo, debes haber invertido muchas horas en cálculos y pruebas, segundo porque está construido con materiales comunes que se pueden obtener en cualquier parte y los ángulos ranurados hasta te permitirían variar las dimensiones del remolque, tercero, porque es desmontable y te permite ahorrar espacio cuando no lo usas, y el cuarto motivo y más importante para mí, es que, tu proyecto es viable para replicar. Lo que no me queda muy claro, es que, si bien el excelente peso final es de 15 kg. No nos comentas de la rigidez de la estructura y el peso de carga que soporta. Quisiera también que nos comentes de la posición del eje de las ruedas, qué tan desplazado del centro hacía adelante lo has anclado, para no recargar el peso a la bicicleta y restarle estabilidad. Apreciaría mucho tu respuesta. Un fuerte abrazo desde Lima, Perú.
Hi Gino, I used a translation tool so please forgive me if I did not get everything right :) First, thank you very much for your kind words. The trailer is not perfectly stiff. It can twist a little bit along the roll axis. I always load it symmetrically (as you should with every trailer) and did not have any problems so far. As for the position of the axis, I imagined it being in the middle would give me the best properties in regards to riding comfort and load distribution. I took it a little bit back from the middle to the rear end so that the trailer will naturally lean forward when it's not loaded. A big hug back from germany :)
Hi Marty, impressive build! I really want to do this on own, very likely heavily inspired by yours. Could you please share were you bought these steel profiles? (I am from germany, too, so shop names would also be fine) Thx.
I think I've found the exact same steel profiles at Hornbach (Art. 6783642), check them out here: www.hornbach.de/shop/Conceptor-Winkelprofil-gelocht-verzinkt-25x45x1-mm-2m/6783642/artikel.html
Hello, what type of an Axles is that? What brand is that ? Also, what type of a wheel hub is that ? I see it is a single mount, but what Brand is the wheel ? Could not find it somehow and I really would appreciate your help on this. Cheers
