Cargo trailers?

[andyoxon]

The time has come to look at getting a bike cargo trailer.  Panniers are OK, but limited for larger loads.  So for use in the locality, on road, moving shopping /other items.  What do people use?  Two wheels best?  Hitch types?

There seems to be quite a range on fleabay, but have no idea about quality/longevity, or availability of parts...

[Wobbly John]

I use trailers a few times a week. Because they are often used for allotment work, they are old robust and I don’t mind them getting mucky.
Mine are homebuilt or adapted from commercial ones. I have gone to releasable ball joints for a hitch system as they make life easier than commercial ones - quick to unhitch and work better.

[road-runner]

Andy, have a look at I need a trailer to shift beer... any suggestions?

[andyoxon]

Thanks both. 

[diapsaon0]

I bought a Carry Freedom from a member of this parish a while ago.  Really useful and well made.

[fruitcake]

I have tried single wheel and double wheel trailers. The single wheel models handled well when hitched to the bike and so would be a good choice for longer distance rides, but the double wheel model was easier to hitch and to load and is my preference for rides of 10 miles and less.I was surprised how inconvenient I found trailer storage when i borrowed a trailer from a friend and so I eventually bought myself a model that folds flat for storage.

[handcyclist]

I bought a Carry Freedom from a member of this parish a while ago.  Really useful and well made.

Carry Freedom's lollipop hitch is the best. I've replaced all the hitches on my trailers - I have three of various sizes and configurations - with them.

[phantasmagoriana]

Resurrecting this thread because I'm on the lookout for a new cargo trailer. Years ago, I had an Avenir Mule - which was fine, though the fabric sides were a weak point. I eventually sold it when I lived in second-floor flat and couldn't be bothered lugging it up and down the stairs.

Now I'm living on the ground floor, I think I might use a trailer again. Flatbed style appeal, as they seem a bit more versatile in terms of load size (it would be really handy to be able to carry a Christmas tree easily, as well as the usual tip/DIY shop runs). An added bonus would be the ability to rotate the hitch arm to use as a hand cart, as sometimes I need to carry bulky stuff short distances.

I like the look of the Burley Flatbed, though am not sure about the material used for the base - but it's got plenty of positive reviews so I might be overly concerned.



I also saw a cheaper one called Klarfit Companion, but I can't find much online about this.



I like the fact that the arm can be rotated on the Klarfit, but otherwise, it looks like a cheaper version of the Burley and I'm not sure about quality.

Has anyone any experience of either of these, or anything similar? Please don't suggest Carry Freedom as I can't justify that sort of money.

[diapsaon0]

My Carry Freedom is excellent.  Regularly used for shopping and tip runs.  I bungee whatever bag or box I need to it.

[phantasmagoriana]

In an ideal world, I'd love a Carry Freedom (ok, I'd prefer a cargo bike, but...). On a budget, though.

[iandusud]

My concern about this style of trailer would be the wheels, which are on stub axles and therefore dedicated to the trailer. I would imagine that the Burley ones would be readily available as spares but as for the cheaper trailer on Amazon who knows. Many years ago we had a double child trailer bought from Decathlon which used std 16" wheels with Q/R hubs meaning that they could be easily removed but more to the point they used std front hubs that could be easily serviced or replaced if necessary. When we moved back to the UK from France we sold it but it would have made the basis of a good flat bed trailer.

[Kim]

Corollary to that, the wheelchair-style stub axle hubs are incredibly convenient (much easier to remove than a QR bicycle hub - you just press the button in and pull the wheel off) and reduce the overall width (and potentially weight) of the trailer for a given load size by not requiring the axle be supported outboard.  I'm sure that replacement hubs/axles, if not wheels, could be easily sourced from a supplier of wheelchair parts, if not the trailer manufacturer themselves.  (Tadpole trike hubs might also be a possibility, but they're likely to be over-engineered for this application, on account of the provision for brakes.)

Obviously child's BSO wheels win on price...

[andrewc]

Used Carry Freedom on Ebay at the moment. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325161622777

[Kim]

Used Carry Freedom on Ebay at the moment. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325161622777

The Y-Frame Small has the advantage of being able to roll through a standard doorway.  Less load space, obviously.

[phantasmagoriana]

Used Carry Freedom on Ebay at the moment. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325161622777

Ooh - added to watchlist, thanks.

[numbnuts]

I bought this back in July for shopping so far so good
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274465266932

[arabella]

fwiw my trailer used to be some sort of Burley, which arrived with 100% dead canvas.  It's had the uppers removed (easy), leaving just the rectangle of the frame and then some chequer plate for a new floor*.  So all is not lost when the canvas goes.

If I were to do it again I'd get something included for easier attachment of bungies.

*LBS pointed me to a handy local fabricant who did it for me.

[Kim]

I augmented the bed of my Carry Freedom (which is a sturdy sheet of marine plywood covered in tatty^[1] grip tape) with an assortment of 5mm holes for additional bungee-attachment points.  The other thing I've considered is attaching some sort of small platform (again, with grip tape and bungee holes) to the elbow of the longer hitch arm nearest the bike for ease of securing long pieces of wood and the like.


_{[1] I bought mine at a discount, as it was a display model that had torn grip tape and a missing reflector.  Bargain!}

[quixoticgeek]

I love my carry freedom large Y.

Very much not cheap tho.

J

[Wobbly John]

Although I made a lightweight flatbed for one of my homemade trailers, I found it frustratingly difficult to use.

On my smaller trailer, I have a strong plastic 'Fish box' and most loads can ether be chucked in, or bungeed to the top. It has a couple of holes in the bottom for drainage/washing out. In the dry spring a couple of years ago, I was regularly carrying 50 litres of water in containers to water the allotment with this trailer.

On the larger trailer, I have 2 large bread crates - chuck stuff on and the latticed base gives many strap-down points. Loose items can go in a 'tonne Jewsons bag' (I have had about 250kg of hoss-muck and 200kg of sand/ballast in bags on it.)

[mrcharly-YHT]

I had a fab trailer - weber hitch (so parts widely available). Steel frame, with very simple arrangement that took two 26" QR wheels. Again, cheap and parts easy to get.

Frame took a plastic box, which I destroyed after a year. Too much weight (100kg loads including gas cylinders). Replaced it with a heavy ply box.

Beyond me why more trailers aren't made like this. With the wheels off and box out, the whole thing would store flat to a wall, no thicker than a front wheel hub.

[Goldcrank]

Resurrecting this thread because I'm on the lookout for a new cargo trailer. Years ago, I had an Avenir Mule - which was fine, though the fabric sides were a weak point. I eventually sold it when I lived in second-floor flat and couldn't be bothered lugging it up and down the stairs.

Now I'm living on the ground floor, I think I might use a trailer again. Flatbed style appeal, as they seem a bit more versatile in terms of load size (it would be really handy to be able to carry a Christmas tree easily, as well as the usual tip/DIY shop runs). An added bonus would be the ability to rotate the hitch arm to use as a hand cart, as sometimes I need to carry bulky stuff short distances.

I like the look of the Burley Flatbed, though am not sure about the material used for the base - but it's got plenty of positive reviews so I might be overly concerned.



I also saw a cheaper one called Klarfit Companion, but I can't find much online about this.



I like the fact that the arm can be rotated on the Klarfit, but otherwise, it looks like a cheaper version of the Burley and I'm not sure about quality.

Has anyone any experience of either of these, or anything similar? Please don't suggest Carry Freedom as I can't justify that sort of money.

I have the Burley FB. I was a bit worried about the tarp floor, and I considered making a plywood base for it. However, so far I have not got around to it as the tarp is doing a perfectly adequate job. It's been used to shift just over 40kg of beer and not had any problems.

It feels quite well made and the hitch is easy to use.