K
Kent Paul Dolan
Guest
Dave Brown wrote:
> "Kent Paul Dolan" <[email protected]> writes:
>> http://www.anycities.com/user/xanthian/KentImages/KentImages.html
> SSC: I am HORRIBLY ENVIOUS of Kent's bike trailer.
How lucky for you that it is a (pricy) commercial product. I paid
roughly USD$556, delivered, for that beast.
> Except I want one which is only about a yard or so long, rather
> than that very-impressive six-yard monster. It would be JUST THE
> THING for hauling my laundry out to the laundromat.
Yes, it would. Those tubs are perfect laundry hampers and carriers.
Really, though, the trailer is only about eleven feet long,
including the hitch. The bays alone are a "mere" eight feet in
extent, leaving bike and trailer, in use, at around fifteen feet in
length, nose to tail.
How lucky for you that the "six bay" model 96 is not the only choice
available. You would be oh-so-happy with the model 32, found roughly
here:
http://www.bikesatwork.com/
and more specifically here:
http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/truss-bike-trailer/model-32-bike-trailer-in-winter.jpg
http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/truss-bike-trailer/index.html
which is a much more practical device than my choice, though not as
practical for the use to which I put mine. If ever I grow prosperous
again, I will probably add a model 32 to my possessions, along with
the optional daisy-chain hitch making it possible to pull both
trailers at once, if desired. I mostly want it for "grocery shopping"
purposes (the bigger trailer, though easily carried one-handed, is
just plain a nuisance to carry to a flat spot for assembly to the
bike, and to navigate on the streets, when you don't really need all
that capacity). Four of those Rubbermaid Rough Tote containers (the
trailer is designed specifically to match the 18 gallon size of those
tubs) will hold more canned goods than the trailer's rated 300#
capacity, easily.
I found some weaknesses in the overall trailer design, mostly at the
hitch point, but they were really weaknesses at 150% of capacity,
not at rated load. The bike, also, will not stand on its kick-stand
while the trailer is loaded. The off-center weight pulls the bike
over the kickstand's top dead center, and down the bike goes. The
hitch, however, does support laying the bike on its side while hitched
[not the best thing for the longevity of the bike, and you _really_
don't want to be laying the derailleur(sp?) side down; I broke a
"pulley" (idler gear) once during my trip doing that]. A better plan
when possible is to lean the bike upright against some better support
and attach it there.
It isn't really obvious that the model 96 is capable of carrying
loads of dimensions (though not weights) that would challenge a
pickup truck's capacity, but such is the case. The fenders are
load-bearing, and a fairly huge load, balanced supported on them,
perhaps with a stiff sheet of plywood in between to match the
load's needs for support, can be carried "easily" over smooth,
level roads. Somewhere on the web site, also, is a claim of one
cyclist towing one thousand pounds of cargo, using three of the
trailers daisy-chained behind a single bicycle.
Probably that was not done while pedaling twenty miles per hour,
though.
FYI
xanthian.
> "Kent Paul Dolan" <[email protected]> writes:
>> http://www.anycities.com/user/xanthian/KentImages/KentImages.html
> SSC: I am HORRIBLY ENVIOUS of Kent's bike trailer.
How lucky for you that it is a (pricy) commercial product. I paid
roughly USD$556, delivered, for that beast.
> Except I want one which is only about a yard or so long, rather
> than that very-impressive six-yard monster. It would be JUST THE
> THING for hauling my laundry out to the laundromat.
Yes, it would. Those tubs are perfect laundry hampers and carriers.
Really, though, the trailer is only about eleven feet long,
including the hitch. The bays alone are a "mere" eight feet in
extent, leaving bike and trailer, in use, at around fifteen feet in
length, nose to tail.
How lucky for you that the "six bay" model 96 is not the only choice
available. You would be oh-so-happy with the model 32, found roughly
here:
http://www.bikesatwork.com/
and more specifically here:
http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/truss-bike-trailer/model-32-bike-trailer-in-winter.jpg
http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/truss-bike-trailer/index.html
which is a much more practical device than my choice, though not as
practical for the use to which I put mine. If ever I grow prosperous
again, I will probably add a model 32 to my possessions, along with
the optional daisy-chain hitch making it possible to pull both
trailers at once, if desired. I mostly want it for "grocery shopping"
purposes (the bigger trailer, though easily carried one-handed, is
just plain a nuisance to carry to a flat spot for assembly to the
bike, and to navigate on the streets, when you don't really need all
that capacity). Four of those Rubbermaid Rough Tote containers (the
trailer is designed specifically to match the 18 gallon size of those
tubs) will hold more canned goods than the trailer's rated 300#
capacity, easily.
I found some weaknesses in the overall trailer design, mostly at the
hitch point, but they were really weaknesses at 150% of capacity,
not at rated load. The bike, also, will not stand on its kick-stand
while the trailer is loaded. The off-center weight pulls the bike
over the kickstand's top dead center, and down the bike goes. The
hitch, however, does support laying the bike on its side while hitched
[not the best thing for the longevity of the bike, and you _really_
don't want to be laying the derailleur(sp?) side down; I broke a
"pulley" (idler gear) once during my trip doing that]. A better plan
when possible is to lean the bike upright against some better support
and attach it there.
It isn't really obvious that the model 96 is capable of carrying
loads of dimensions (though not weights) that would challenge a
pickup truck's capacity, but such is the case. The fenders are
load-bearing, and a fairly huge load, balanced supported on them,
perhaps with a stiff sheet of plywood in between to match the
load's needs for support, can be carried "easily" over smooth,
level roads. Somewhere on the web site, also, is a claim of one
cyclist towing one thousand pounds of cargo, using three of the
trailers daisy-chained behind a single bicycle.
Probably that was not done while pedaling twenty miles per hour,
though.
FYI
xanthian.
