Build a Bicycle Trailer

(Page 4 of 4)

July/August 1981
By Bill Sullivan 
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If you plan to pad the seat, it won't be necessary to paint it first, but the unit should be cut down to 22-1/2" to allow room for the vinyl covering and padding. Cut a scrap of 1"-thick foam rubber to size . . . trim a piece of vinyl cloth 2" longer, on all sides, than the foam . . . fold the cover over the padding and the wood ... and secure it with 114" staples or tacks. The finished seat can then be fastened to the cart. (If you use stapled-down scrap leather hinges to do so, it can then be lifted like a lid to permit storage of tools or what have you underneath.) Attach a second piece of covered foam rubber to the seat back, as shown in the "Front View" drawing, for additional comfort.

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Now's as good a time as any to put the wheels on your "horseless carriage". Use washers to prevent the axle bolts from chewing up the plywood slots . . . and be sure the rollers are on tight so they won't lean under a load.

HOOK 'ER UP!

The cart-to-bicycle hookup is nothing more than a length of old auto tire sidewall cut (with a knife or hacksaw) and drilled as indicated in the "Attachment Assembly" drawing (use a 318" leather or grommeting punch to form the holes). Just wrap the strip around the seat post of your bike and bolt its ends—trying various combinations of holes to get a good solid, yet flexible, connection—between the tips of the cart's tongue.

USE IT IN HEALTH

Your finished carrier should prove invaluable in handling any number of homestead chores. Just take it easy when going over bumps, be sure to weight any heavy loads toward the front of the cart, and bear in mind that your two-wheeler is now a wider, four-tired conveyance . . . and you shouldn't have any problem getting used to riding with the trailer in tow.

I've seen bike carts adapted to do everything from making deliveries for a local bakery to taking the family hound for a daily spin. As for me, I mostly haul groceries, laundry, and my youngsters around. Every once in a while, though, I still draw stares while on my way to an outdoor barbecue . . . with a picnic table securely in place behind my bike!

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  • marco 3/26/2007 2:20:06 AM

    Bob, you have my fullest sympathy as it took a good long while
    before I realized to click on the picture top right of the article
    for the illustrations.

  • Bob 3/14/2007 3:23:37 PM

    I wish you would have put some pictures on here

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