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"I live on a small acreage near Thorsby Alberta. I enjoy motorcycle riding and traveling by bike. I have been building and fixing things all my life. My late father used to build all kind of things and I learnt it from him; there was nothing we couldn't build with a pile of scrap iron and Princess Auto. I wanted an affordable cargo trailer to put camping gear in, so this winter I decided to make one. It wouldn't be possible without Princess Auto."
There's nothing quite like riding a motorcycle on the open road. The sense of freedom it delivers is second to none, but when it comes to storage space, motorcycles don't offer much - which is a bit of a problem if you want to bring more items than your carriers or saddlebags can handle. Bill decided to build himself a trailer light enough to be towed behind his bike, yet big enough to handle camping gear for a long trip. Looks like it does the job just fine.
Nice trailer, Bill! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Q: What is it used for?
A: I can put camping gear in it and pull it behind my motorcycle. It took about 3 months to build it. Above all I wanted it as light and stable as possible, but strong enough to stand up to highway pounding. I pulled it on short trips empty and full to test it. Took it on a long trip and it pulled great. Worked better than I thought it would.
Q: What components are used to perform the work for your project? (e.g. hydraulic cylinder(s), hydraulic motor(s), sprockets, pulleys etc.)
A: Lights and wires. Wheels, springs and axle. I used the car topper to save weight. The trailer weighs about 185 lbs empty and I tested the suspension and made it capable of handling 500 lbs tare weight with about 150 lbs of tongue weight.
Q: What design/build challenges were overcome?
A: I had to make a frame for the car topper to sit in to make it sturdy, and get the tongue length and the axle in the right place to have proper weight distribution. I had to make sure the springs were strong enough to hold the gross weight of the trailer, but not feel too rigid. Originally, I had a gas jug mounted on the tongue and the cooler inside, but now I have the cooler on the tongue. I had to hide as much wiring as I could inside the frame: the front of the trailer started off square but I modified it for looks and to cut weight, and to make it easier to run my wiring inside the tubing to hide it.
Q: If you had to build it again, what would you do differently?
A: I would add small hydraulic shock absorbers to the suspension.
Q: Which Princess Auto location do you visit most?
A: Edmonton (South), AB