Custom Built Trailer For $$$

Who in this fine city builds quality steel trailers based on custom orders? Are they fast?

Here is my rough sketch of what the trailer will have to have...

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Permalink Reply by Ace Mann on May 8, 2011 at 7:39am

Adam Clark with pedal2thepeople I think he still does custom orders

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Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on May 8, 2011 at 9:04am

Thanks, I emailed him. Hopefully he'll get back to me.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on May 9, 2011 at 2:42am

Talk to Alex at West Town Bikes.

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 9, 2011 at 4:09am

That's a pretty impressive looking sound system on that trailer drawing.

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Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on May 9, 2011 at 4:30am

Hopefully it will be, it'll cost a pretty penny when finished.

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 9, 2011 at 4:36am

I'm interested in the battery set-up. How many batteries does it have? What kind of Amp-Hour rating does the system need to keep the sound system powered for an extended time?

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Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on May 9, 2011 at 4:40am

James, all good questions! I am actually trying to get some assistance from the resident sound experts on how I should proceed. You can see a more detailed description of the setup here, http://www.thechainlink.org/group/bikesound/forum/topics/boom-bike-... .

This topic is really just to find someone to build the steel trailer since I have no welding skills.

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 9, 2011 at 5:01am

Regarding the trailer question and the batteries be sure and communicate the weight issue to the builder. I have a lot of experience pulling trailers in the automotove/truck world although not much with bikes.

Batteries are fraking heavy so that is going to be an issue both with the trailer's frame and hitch arm as well as the hitch on the bike too.

Don't forget about the weight bias on the trailer itself. You want to have sufficient tongue weight (but not too much) or the trailer is going to want to push the bike around something fierce. On an automotive trailer you ideally want something close to 10-15% of the Gross Trailer Weight on the tongue of the trailer. This becomes even more important as the weight of the trailer gets to 50% or greater than the weight of the tow vehicle which most surely be the case here unless you are a super big dude with so much audio gear and the power supply.

Getting the balance of the trailer so that you have 10-15% on the tongue might be tricky with the batteries where they are. Talking with the trailer builder about these things and knowing what each component weighs and where its individual CG falls on the trailer footprint will be important to get tongue weight correct at the design phase. Re-engineering the weight bias after the trailer is built and it rides horribly will add unnecessary expense and time to he project which are things I'm guessing you don't want.

Good luck. It's a neat project and I'll be following that other thread to see how it progresses.

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Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on May 9, 2011 at 5:30am

Cool and thanks. The batteries are super awesome lightweight ones linked in the forum comments. They weight 1.6lbs each and provide the same power of a regular 50lbs motorcycle battery. They are also expensive.

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 9, 2011 at 5:39am

Lightweight is the way to go. Having a really heavy battery set will cut down on the utility of the trailer. Like you said, expense isn't that high on the list of priorities and lighter batteries will make everything else easier.