XnTRICK Cycles

Trailer page

Making unloved bicycles more interesting.

Designing cycling solutions.

XnTRICK Cycles trailers:

Click here to see our new 'How to Build Trailers' page!

Tow hitch:

To connect the trailers to bikes we usually use a commercial ball and socket unit, the sort often used in pneumatics. This is one on an adapted kickstand, but we are starting to weld mounting brackets straight on to any new frames we build.

The 8mm threaded, ball-and-socket joint gives about 15 degrees of pitch and roll in each direction and will 'pop out' before any damage to the frame in the case of a fall. The joint has stood pulling the box trailer fully laden with logs, on rough terrain, uphill, putting so much force on the pedals that I couldn't keep the front wheel on the ground. Yet when the empty trailer flipped over when I hit a kerb with it, the joint 'popped' without throwing me off.

Box:

This trailer is a one-off. Bought from a student who built it as a school project, it has an extremely light aluminium chassis and a big useful box. It is often used for carting logs for firewood or 'Hoss-muck' for the garden. It holds about 1.5 wheelbarrowfulls, fits through the garden gate, and with it's fat tyres rolls well both on road and muddy farm droves.
It is here seen being used for towing a load of XnTRICK Cycles, cycles to the Spokesfest 2001 tryout show behind one of the Wobblebikes!

Adaptable trailer:

This trailer is built almost entirely from scrap! The chassis is from a scaffold tower. It is adaptable because it is easy to bolt anything on with 2" exhaust clamps. The BMX wheels are on sealed bearings running on 1/2" hardened steel axles. The trailer is bigger than it looks, with a total length of nearly 2m and a width of about 1.1m. It is probably capable of carrying in excess of 100kg.

Adaptable trailer-Boat version:

The job the trailer was first built for was to tow the Pedalmouse boat. It can be used as a launch trolley as well.
The boat attaches with a bolt through the skeg and sits on trunnions about half way down.
Because the axle can be positioned, the 8' boat sticks out 4' beyond the back of the trailer yet can still be perfectly balanced.

Adaptable trailer-Bike version:

Up to 3 'roof rack' bike holders can be fixed on for carrying diamond frame bikes - although handlebars have to be turned if three are carried.

The photo shows 2 MTBs behind the SWB recumbent.

Adaptable trailer-Flat-bed version:

A flat bed is useful for awkward loads which can be strapped down with bungee cords. The flat bed is Aluminium framed plywood measuring over 1m x .75m. In this form the trailer only weighs about 16kg.We intended making additional, aluminium framed, foam-cored PVC sides, so that they could be fitted to the flatbed to enable loose loads to be carried. But came up with a different idea - see below

Flat-bed version in use:

The flat bed is proving to be very useful. It can carry the sort of loads the average car owner would hate, such as 2 bales of hay (I must buy some longer straps and try 4!) or this 8' Christmas tree we took for recycling. (If the snow that was falling when we were getting the trailer out had stayed, it would have been a more festive picture.)

Adaptable trailer-Breadbasket version:

A number of bread baskets got dumped in the skip at work. To add to the recycled theme we acquired two to make a load carrying platform for the adaptable trailer. This gives 4' by 2'6" of area.....That sounds small and it doesn't look big in the photo, but this is a BEAST of a trailer.

Max load? - No bullsh*t:

Being a bit of a gardener, I often visit the local stables for a load of well rotted hoss-muck. We reckon there is about 1/4 ton (250kg) in this load! It filled the wheelbarrow 7 times! An equal amount was hauled a mile to the allotment.

Adaptable trailer-Banned accessories:

The photo shows an accessory for the trailer that I would have loved to show in action.
Unfortunately I have not been allowed to try it out. There are a pair of aluminium assemblies as shown that clamp on the sides of the boat trailer. I also fit a single bike rack under the trailer.
When you have towed the Pedalmouse to the river and launched it, you turn the trailer over, clip on these floats and fix the bike on the trailer. The trailer can then be launched and towed behind the Pedalmouse boat, the tow-hitch screws into the rudder mount.
We did have this rigged last time we had the Pedalmouse on the river, but Salsabanned me from trying to launch the trailer down the 18" drop into the water.

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