Do strictly cargo trailers need pnuematic tires?

[Garrison Hillia]

Can I save some costs on a homade trailer by using some of the parts from Radio Flyer wagon?

 

[Hunrobe]

>"Garrison Hilliard" [email protected]

wrote:

>Can I save some costs on a homade trailer by using some of the parts from Radio Flyer wagon?

If you mean would the wheels and solid tires off one of those wagons be a good way to economize, no.
Not if you intend to actually *use* it.

Regards, Bob Hunt

 

[Brian Huntley]

"Garrison Hilliard" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Can I save some costs on a homade trailer by using some of the parts from Radio Flyer wagon?

Assuming you're not just trolling, the answer is 'depends.' I wouldn't put SOLID tires on a trailer,
like some wagons have, but semi-pneumatics (like from a Navigator stroller) work well. I have a set
of 10" ones on my 4-wheel wagon right now, and they're quiet and can carry a lot of cargo. I've
towed it at up to 30 kph with no problems.

My 2 wheel home-made trailer has 2x20" front wheels on it, but as the frame is all but collapsed, I
may rebuild it with some smaller kids bike wheels, like 16" or so. If I were using it for touring,
I'd stick with 20" for reasons of availability (and I doubt I'd use a multi-wheel trailer for
touring anyway.)

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Hunrobe) writes:
>>"Garrison Hilliard" [email protected]
>
> wrote:
>
>>Can I save some costs on a homade trailer by using some of the parts from Radio Flyer wagon?
>
> If you mean would the wheels and solid tires off one of those wagons be a good way to economize,
> no. Not if you intend to actually *use* it.

For awhile now, I've had this incipient trailer design rolling around in my brain, based on the
good, ol' dependable travois.

Seems like it could provide a lot of space onto which to lash stuff. But to be bicycle-ly practical,
it would need an hinged connection, unlike its prairies forerunner. And wheels of some sort.

Anyhow, I haven't had time to figure out a design yet, but I think such a configuration could be
wonderfully useful as well as simple. Especially since it could carry much more stuff than a
RubberMaid[tm] bin such as is found on so many cargo trailers nowadays. The hunter/gatherer and
herding societies ain't so primitive, after all; they've got a lot of stuff figured out.

The loggers around here used to rig-up sleds out of forked tree segments, and called 'em
"go-devils". Those things really made the grease monkeys work.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

 

[M Gagnon]

"Garrison Hilliard" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de
news:[email protected]...
>
> Can I save some costs on a homade trailer by using some of the parts from
Radio Flyer wagon?

Pneumatic tires have a few major advantages:

- more comfortable ride;
- absorbs vibrations;
- less heavy to roll;
- more durable (except when they flat).

If you use totally hard tires or wheels, you'll get vibration-induced breaks (welds that break apart
and bolts that loosen and fall down). The cargo you carry will probably suffer the same fate,
although if you have a canvas trailer, the canvas will dampen some of the vibrations.

If you use wheels in soft rubber, these problems will lessen. However, expect to replace the tires
quite often.

P.S. The only real drawback of pneumatic tires is that they are susceptible to flats.

Regards

Michel