Build your own bicycle cargo trailer

Submitted by Barbara on Sun, 04/10/2011 - 04:30

So being part of the riot4 austerity and just generally wanting to live a better, healthier life has led us to try and spend more time biking around.  Most of our local errands we accomplish on foot but what about errands that take us out of town but arnt so far that we need to take the car?  What about those intermediate distance shopping trips?  How to get the goods home?

I was looking at bicycle trailers online and in addition to not really wanting to buy anything new, I was kinda disappointed with what I could find.  Nothing looked practical or secure and most of it was fairly expensive.  I was also having no luck on craigslist.

Some how it just hit me.  Big Suitcase!  They are lockable, sturdy and already made to be light weight because they are made for air travel.  

First we found a really big suit case from craigslist.  This was easy since airlines have cracked down on big suitcases so everyone is getting rid of theirs.  Here is our son demonstrating just how big our suit case is.  Next Billy from the hardware store gave us and old "Tot Tote" bike trailer.  I could have stopped right there, but the tot tote wasnt lockable or weather resistant so I continued with my devious plan.  Having something lockable was important to us since we often make multiple stops on our trips.  If you dont have another bike trailer to use for parts, a metal bed frame would probably work just as well to make the yoke and wheels can be found or bought.

I cut a piece of 1/2" plywood I had in the scrap pile to fit the back of the suit case.  I cut out the center to conserve on weight.  I also cut out the corner so the plywood would fit around the suitcase wheels.  I removed the extendable suitcase handles, lining and all the other dead weight I could from the suit case itself.

I put a few screw thought the back of the suit case to hold the plywood on while I worked on it.  I then bolted the tot tote yoke though the plywood and back of the suit case, drilling first.  Drilling though the nylon was a little tricky since it wanted to grab the drill.  Then I added the axle and wheels with a few screw just to see how it was fitting.  I had to move the axle a few times before I found the best position.  Once I had the axle and wheels in the optimum position, I bolted those though the plywood and back of the suit case as well.  I also added an L bracket at the bottom edge so that the bottom of the suitcase was also taking some of the weight and it wasnt all on the back of the suit case.   I used big washers every where so the bolts wouldnt pull though.  All of this took me a really short time.  About two hours.

What did take time was the connection between the bike and the trailer.  The tot tote yoke already had a connector, but I wanted the trailer to be interchangeable with my son's trail-along-bike because there wasnt room on my bike for both connectors.  You might be able to figure a simpler connector for your purposes.  With the help of the guys at the hardware store I was able to piece together a connector with all degrees of freedom and that worked with the same receiver. 

The connector consisted of (from left to right) a short piece of 1" EMT conduit, an anchor shackle and a welded ring.  The welding ring is looped thought the anchor shackle then the anchor shackle is held into the EMT by a bolt and a lock washer.

The total weight of the trailer is 30lbs which is great!  Many of the enclosed trailers I looked at online were more than 30 lbs.  The axle and wheels are about 11 lbs so finding a lighter axle and wheels might be a bonus some time in the future.   I also dont know what the max weight limit is but I think my legs will give out before the trailer does.

Never having ridden with another trailer, I cannot make any comparisons but I barely feel the trailer.  My biggest problem is remembering not to cut curbs so closely.  Going down hill I dont feel it.  Going up hill I feel it but its mostly the weight of the thing itself.  Sometimes the connector shifts slightly but honestly it dosent bother me.  Im not a great bicyclist so if it dosnt bother me I presume its not going to bother most people.

Project budget. 

  • used suitcase from craigslist:  $20
  • used tot tote: free but you can sometimes find them for about $20 on craigslist
  • salvage plywood:  free from scrap pile
  • salvage L bracket: free from scrap pile
  • new half-ton anchor shackle $4.99
  • new 1" welded ring: 89 cents
  • new 10' of 1" EMT conduit (yes I had to buy 10' to get a 1.25" long peice) $8.99
  • various bolts:  some I managed to scrounge a few I had to buy.

Riot Total:  $16.87