Mountain bike carrier

[Water Warrior 2]

I seem to have a new neighbor with a passion for 2 wheeled forms of transportation. Quite ingenius and easy to use.

[blaine]

Does the rear wheel tilt or swivel for turning,or does it just follow along? :??: O_o

[Water Warrior 2]

I was wondering that myself until I realized the bottom of the U has a vertically mounted big pin and bushing to allow the straight portion and rear wheel to track properly. The U itself is mounted with a rod through the bike's hollow rear axle to allow for road dips and speed bumps etc. So it actually will follow well and not upset the motorcycle dynamics. Basically it is a one wheel trailer with the electrical stuff and a plate to keep it legal. I doubt that most bikes would even feel the trailer behind it.

[mrlmd1]

If the rod goes through the hollow rear axle there must be some kind of spacer in there on the outer ends of the axle or some kind of bearing on it to keep it separate from the axle, or the rotating axle rubbing on the rod would create all kinds of problems. Most bikes have solid axles, don't they?, so having this is a plus to make something like that. Pretty cool idea, probably pretty easy to put on and take off, and simple, so that it can turn around corners.

[dentheman]

Is the mountain bike rack removeable so it can be replaced with racks suitable for a canoe, surf boards, camping gear, etc?

[mrlmd1]

That would be great - to take your canoe or kayak or other stuff on a trip. Shouldn't be to hard to adapt that trailer to anything relatively light and streamlined.

[cayuse]

Looks good. Is it home-made?

[Water Warrior 2]

If the rod goes through the hollow rear axle there must be some kind of spacer in there on the outer ends of the axle or some kind of bearing on it to keep it separate from the axle, or the rotating axle rubbing on the rod would create all kinds of problems. Most bikes have solid axles, don't they?, so having this is a plus to make something like that. Pretty cool idea, probably pretty easy to put on and take off, and simple, so that it can turn around corners.
Think back to the last time you adjusted the GZ chain. The axle is solidly torqued to the swing arm. There are inner bearings running on the axle so the wheel can rotate. The mounting rod for the trailer has very little movement in the rear axle so there is likely no wear and tear on any surfaces.
Solid and hollow axles do the same job but hollow axles weigh less and are probably stronger.

[Water Warrior 2]

I think this trailer is a home built or custom for the owner so I would well imagine the sky is the limit for adapting the design for things like canoes, giant coolers, storage boxes and the like.
I can see a lower main bar/body/frame to lower the center of gravity and a larger 12 inch trailer tire for less tire wear and rotational speeds. This would be great for packing camping gear in a large Rubber Maid waterproof box.
Something I did see a few years ago was a canoe packed with camping gear. The canoe had a set of the 8 inch wheels and a light weight mounting attached to it. The canoe WAS the trailer in reality. There was some kind of removable hitch up front to hook up to the bike.
Haven't talked to the new neighbor yet but I hope to satisfy my curiousity about the bike hauler.

[mrlmd1]

Brain fart - dumb me, The axle is fixed and the wheel rotates on bearings around it - don't know what I was thinking, drinking, at the time.

Eight inch diameter wheels are really not very good for use at any higher speed on the road because of how fast they have to rotate on their bearings. At least a 12" wheel would be much better.
I think you would have to be nuts to use the canoe itself as a trailer but necessity is the mother of invention like they say. and to each his own.

You could probably just use a threaded rod through the axle for that trailer and just lock it on to the axle with the nuts with lockwashers on the ends.

Thinking about the GZ, as well as looking at my other 2 bikes, and at numerous parts fiches on Ron Ayers, all of the axles I have seen on there are solid rods, not hollow pipes. For this application (as an axle) I don't know if I agree that hollow pipes are stronger than a solid rod, but I do agree they weigh a little bit less. I just have not seen a bike with a hollow rear axle and I suppose they exist, but I wonder if that hollow axle was custom made to fit that rod and trailer on to the bike.

[Water Warrior 2]

Hollow rear axles are more common on dirt bikes and sport bikes. A racing stand can be used to keep the bike upright for maintenance and repairs.
Letting my mind wander a bit I was thinking of a trailer similar and slightly more robust to haul a motorcycle behind a vehicle. I don't have room for an actual trailer but a 1 wheeled affair might not be hard to park somewhere when not in use. I really don't like the idea of loading a bike in the Ranger because of the height/weight issues and the need for long ramps. I'm talking full size 500/600 pound bikes that are more readily dropped by old guys with bad backs. Although we have never had a bike break down or need an actual repair that prevented riding it to the shop there might come a day.
And of course I could indulge in a riding/driving vacation whenever I choose to. It would have been much better than driving my car to Tenn. in 2007 and renting a bike upon arrival. And no I never considered riding the Vstrom all the way there for more a minute. I just wasn't prepared and experienced enough for a trek back and forth across North America on a bike. The bike was capable but the rider was the weak link.

[mrlmd1]

If you didn't want to get a dedicated small bike trailer or something else you can load the bike on, there is a bike hauler that attaches to the hitch ball on the car/truck that raises and locks the front wheel of the bike onto the trailer/hauler thing, and drags the bike along riding on it's back wheel only. Minimal fuss to attach it and let it down and release it, no real trailer to tow, the bike rides behind the car with the front wheel off the ground, on it's rear wheel. If you are interested, here's one site that makes this thing: http://www.undertakermts.com/

[Water Warrior 2]

If you didn't want to get a dedicated small bike trailer or something else you can load the bike on, there is a bike hauler that attaches to the hitch ball on the car/truck that raises and locks the front wheel of the bike onto the trailer/hauler thing, and drags the bike along riding on it's back wheel only. Minimal fuss to attach it and let it down and release it, no real trailer to tow, the bike rides behind the car with the front wheel off the ground, on it's rear wheel. If you are interested, here's one site that makes this thing: http://www.undertakermts.com/
That is a neat little rig. Well thought out and does the job without a lot of fuss and muss. I doubt it would be a good idea as a long hauler though. There will still be wear and tear on the rear tire, chain maintenance for some bikes and some bikes make not lube properly even with only a few internal parts spinning while being towed. As a rescue rig it is definitely a winner for anyone at a really bargain price.
Just for fun I am going to try to think up a redesign of the mountain bike carrier to see if I can create a Vstrom Hauler/M-50 Hauler for the back of the Ranger. Gotta keep the brain cells active or loose what is left. I could probably have one made up for about the same price as The Undertaker.

[blaine]

That would my main concern,no lubrication to spinning internal parts.I think it needs to be modified to keep rear wheel up off the ground.Around here it is illegal to tow a vehicle with two wheels trailing on the ground.This came about with everybody hauling stock cars on the u-haul type dolly's. :skeptical: :??:

[mrlmd1]

I saw a trailer hitch bike carrier that's rated at 500lbs, and I think one rated even higher than that, but the ramps are pretty narrow, like 5", and the ramp is pretty steep at about 45 degrees, so it would be a little difficult if not dangerous to get a bike up on one of those and you have to have probably a class III hitch to handle the weight and torque of the whole arrangement.
All you need to haul both bikes is a 4x8 or 5x10 flatbed trailer with a ramp, and they can be had pretty cheap. There's also a small fold up trailer at Harbor Freight which may work if you don't have much space to store a trailer.

[Water Warrior 2]

I saw a trailer hitch bike carrier that's rated at 500lbs, and I think one rated even higher than that, but the ramps are pretty narrow, like 5", and the ramp is pretty steep at about 45 degrees, so it would be a little difficult if not dangerous to get a bike up on one of those and you have to have probably a class III hitch to handle the weight and torque of the whole arrangement.
All you need to haul both bikes is a 4x8 or 5x10 flatbed trailer with a ramp, and they can be had pretty cheap. There's also a small fold up trailer at Harbor Freight which may work if you don't have much space to store a trailer.
Harbor Freight sounds good but we don't have them up here in the GWN. We do have Princess Automotive that is similar. They usually have trailer parts but not actual trailers to the best of my knowledge. Even the smallest trailers around here are about $1000 and go up from there for something useable to haul a bike. A nice 2 bike trailer with a full width ramp would be $1300 and up. Not a bad price but no where to park it if I buy one.

[dannylightning]

tailors on a bike are scary, i wold not want to pull one..

[Water Warrior 2]

tailors on a bike are scary, i wold not want to pull one..
Danny, you are speed reading again. :lol: We are talking about a bike hauler not pulling a trailer with a bike. I have seen many trailers pulled by bikes successfully with no problems but not my cup of tea either.