BO15 A single wheel trailer called: "Taildragger" - Update: Wings?

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After thinking about a class 2 entry (I could not enter with my cross frame bike, which started earlier than allowed for the build off) I decided to modify my "single wheel" trailer which I assembled fairly quick in 2018. I took it apart in 2019 and it was lying in pieces between our camping gear.

This is the frame:
kXqf9f7.jpg


The features:
It features CroMoly tubing and a fork for 28inch wheels which is originally used for city bikes. The only thing I welded was the "T" shape at the front. The fork is aligned and mounted with a bolt and glued with a very strong 2 component glue.

A 20inch rear wheel with 2.1 "crazy bob" tires.

The swing arms at the front are made of stainless steel tubing, I wanted to keep that as thin as possible for the looks, but still being able to carry about 15-20 kilograms of camping equipment. It hinges over a 1 1/8 threaded headset, so I could replace it at a bike shop when needed.

This is how the trailer looks when finished in 2018:
ApQOf0X.jpg

2YB506u.jpg


Now I want to modify it a bit more, but still keeping it lightweight! If I add 15 kilograms of cool stuff and steel than it has no use for me :bigsmile:

First ideas:
Adding this fender I have:
uR0YmtO.jpg

zgcmNTS.jpg


wjkm0D7.jpg

Tossed the fender on the trailer. :rockout:

This gave me inspiration for more inspiration.... hmm

This picture gave me the inspiration for the build:
1024px-Dewoitine_D.511.jpg


This plane is in my list of most beautiful planes ever built, but thats another topic. The front landing gear wheel fender/cowling reminds me of the fender I am going to use on my trailer. Initially I wanted to name this build "Landing gear" but then more memories came back: I saw a "taildragger" wheel in a museum of a shot down WW2 plane once, it reminded me of a "single wheel bike trailer". Because a long piece of the boom was still attached to it. So I am going to name this build Taildragger.

Some thoughts I want to share:
  • The trailer must be lightweight, so I can take my tent, sleeping bag and more stuff for camping.
  • The location of the rear wheel is able to carry most weight.
  • Heavy parts and gear should be strapped/mounted/welded as low a possible to keep it sturdy and following the bicycle.
  • Ad propellor or wing shaped cowling to the main "backbone" tube.
  • Oldschool, WW1 / WW2 airplane inspired looks.
  • Keep the patina on the rear fender.
  • Don't know if I am going to paint the rear wheel, or get another wheel that I saw for sale, which has a more oldschool look to it.
  • The stiffness of the stainless steel tubes at the front keep it from hauling heavier stuff...

I do not consider this to be a real contender, but just having fun with it and sharing it with the RRB community. I am hoping to tow this with my class one build ratracer after the buildoff.
 
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Also, I wanted to share the parts I made today to hold the stainless steel tubes in position:

Before I started this build, the lower stainless steel "swingarm" tube was held in place by a heavy duty tywrap :bigsmile:
Now I made a aluminum tube inside the headset's tube which pulls it into place. The top (golden) stemcap is used with a allen screw to pull this aluminum tube.
Pretty hard to get a picture in words......:wondering:

I'll just post some pictures and if there are questions I will answer them!

4X8ZoHM.jpg

Threaded headtube with a milled slot.

OIYsb2p.jpg

When camping, you can hit a bear or snoring neighbor with this...

ZDQiu9O.jpg

Stemcap removed.

aNryu6E.jpg

Now this should come off!

BRoM3TQ.jpg

Succes! I did'nt lie!

flrCe3U.jpg

When mounted. Releasing that allen key screw in the stemcap loosens the inner tube and lower swingarm.

82HqemB.jpg

Complete swingarm assembly.

mhEooQO.jpg

Hitch.

zl8Kyu6.jpg

Empty headset CroMoly tube. The white stuff is a wax, to keep it from corroding. I only want patina on the outside.

vZUh9lI.jpg

This is the wheel, I think it is too "new" for this builds look. And I dislike the unpainted part on the rim that is normally used for rimbrakes.

Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking a look! More updates soon.
 
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BRE, I'm glad you are going ahead with the trailer build! That tire on there looks great! Remember my first 'BACK40 wheels turning' video you watched? You could RaT-ina that wheel and give it that vintage look you want here.
 
BRE, I'm glad you are going ahead with the trailer build! That tire on there looks great! Remember my first 'BACK40 wheels turning' video you watched? You could RaT-ina that wheel and give it that vintage look you want here.
Thanks OJ! :thumbsup: I did take a look at that video again. You used rustoleum, I found something else which works with powder: "Abbondanza Rusty Effect". But I still have figure out if this stuff does'nt wash up in the rain. If that's the case, I will get me some rustoleum.

Rusty balls with that paint:


Little update:

I put some holes in the fork to mount the fender and played with some ideas.
a1Qfcxu.jpg

46nwrxt.jpg

Would I use wood? Wood I? Wood eye? :bigsmile:

The 2.1 tire seems to hit the fender a bit on the inside. And while thinking about a solution, I went for a ride with our dog and the American Eagle.
YMntro3.jpg


After having this fender for sale for too long, I decided that a bit of chopping is OK. The fender mounting holes are a bit more to the front, so if I bring that front a bit down, the fender should give a bit more space for the wheel to turn freely. I drilled a small hole and filed it down.
ozm2F5B.jpg

k23tzjl.jpg

cTN4dFz.jpg

Above: Idea with a eye for mounting the fender and keeping it clean!

The fender was not as stiff and rigid as I hoped, so playing with some ideas for making it sturdier on the rear:
eQtFE9W.jpg

Above: fender bracket for 26inch fenders, very thin so I don't know yet... :wondering:
HrIA9q2.jpg

oWeA43Y.jpg

z2RpZnA.jpg

Above: Some setups with a sturdier fender bracket. What do you guys think? Shall I mount it a bit more back or directly on the fender?

Pictures beneath: Playing with some ideas. One of the thoughts was to use a piece of aluminum aircraft wing for this. Or cut something from steel myself and weld it onto the backbone. Incorporating wood is also nice. Maybe use a skateboard (normal horizontally positioned, like the plank a few pictures back) for this?
xQ58wIo.jpg

J35Pkd1.jpg

CADboard fun :rofl:

Thoughts ideas are welcome! Thanks for taking a look.
 
BRE, the tubing for your fender brace has a good look. I've also used 1/8" thick x 1/2" wide steel stock to make my own braces. It bends in a vise, and can be drilled for mounting holes fairly easily. One application I used it for was holding up the Higgins cheese grater rack on my Surly Fat Rat build I did almost 10 yrs ago now.
DSC00002 (2).JPG



If you are trying to keep your weight of the trailer below 15 kilos (?) then a thin piece of aluminum or steel sheet would be lighter than wood probably for your below deck part. But either way, it will limit your clearance. I like the flat bed design myself.
 
That skirt is so freaking awesome!
I love the idea of the speed hole bottom skirt too.
 
BRE, the tubing for your fender brace has a good look. I've also used 1/8" thick x 1/2" wide steel stock to make my own braces. It bends in a vise, and can be drilled for mounting holes fairly easily. One application I used it for was holding up the Higgins cheese grater rack on my Surly Fat Rat build I did almost 10 yrs ago now.
View attachment 124660


If you are trying to keep your weight of the trailer below 15 kilos (?) then a thin piece of aluminum or steel sheet would be lighter than wood probably for your below deck part. But either way, it will limit your clearance. I like the flat bed design myself.
OJ, that Surly Ratsley looks good! Love that rear rack :inlove:
Thanks for the idea, I can probable obtain such a piece in our shop! Maybe even design something and laser cut it. With my other build I wanted to do it old style: no power tools. But for this trailer, no limits!
 
That skirt is so freaking awesome!
I love the idea of the speed hole bottom skirt too.
Thanks!! Still playing with possibilities and ideas, but it is a serious contender!

I love that fender on there so much. Not sure about that wood deck though:shake:
Thanks Cap! The wood wood :rofl: probably be too heavy for this application. Balsa wood is not resistant to rain unfortunately.

I'm digging the trailer! What's that fender off of?
Thank you! The fender comes from a "NSU Quickly Luxus" moped, google it on images, it is a very potential ratrod bike!

What a fun idea great work
Thanks Skip! As mentioned earlier, sorry for stealing the name :bandit: :thumbsup:
 
Very little Updates

The covid pandemic did not shift the deadlines @ work, so it is extremely busy right now.
I was looking for aircraft parts at a aircraft junkyard, but they send me away because it is for 'sane' people only... :bigsmile: No just kidding, they only let companies have a look and buy stuff there unfortunately, so I have to fabricate the parts myself.

I did write down some pretty sweet ideas on paper, I thought lets share it with this community: (The green is not a paint idea btw)
TbE2rAS.jpg

My drawing skills are very dangerous: the wheel isn't even attached in the first drawing...

The stainless steel exhaust pipe idea came from a lamp I built a while ago:
I obtained some Mikoyan MIG combustion chamber parts and decided to build a dining table lamp. I cut and bent two sheet metal parts and milled spacers.
The sheet metal is stainless steel. How did I create this colour? I just threw it in the wood stove and let it rest for 20 minutes. Then I removed the big parts of dirt and charcoal with a broom. After this I clear coated it, so I can remove dust when cleaning the house.

This is our dining table lamp now: My wife wasn't happy at first, but now she likes it too :bigsmile:
0um02qw.jpg

7gKfm3X.jpg

mXNiJpX.jpg

e6VRGd3.jpg
 
Have you looked at it with the fender flipped end around?
Curiosity has me wondering if the heavy end at the back would feel more "Tail Dragger" maybe with a bit of duck tail added down low. It's probably a little late in the build but...

GC.
 
Have you looked at it with the fender flipped end around?
Curiosity has me wondering if the heavy end at the back would feel more "Tail Dragger" maybe with a bit of duck tail added down low. It's probably a little late in the build but...

GC.
Good call Guitarlcarl, I will definitely try this! I'll take a picture and post it soon.

I hope to visit a junkyard soon for more parts to build a deck/wings on the backbone.

Thanks again y'all!
 
Also, I wanted to share the parts I made today to hold the stainless steel tubes in position:

Before I started this build, the lower stainless steel "swingarm" tube was held in place by a heavy duty tywrap :bigsmile:
Now I made a aluminum tube inside the headset's tube which pulls it into place. The top (golden) stemcap is used with a allen screw to pull this aluminum tube.
Pretty hard to get a picture in words......:wondering:

I'll just post some pictures and if there are questions I will answer them!

4X8ZoHM.jpg

Threaded headtube with a milled slot.

OIYsb2p.jpg

When camping, you can hit a bear or snoring neighbor with this...

ZDQiu9O.jpg

Stemcap removed.

aNryu6E.jpg

Now this should come off!

BRoM3TQ.jpg

Succes! I did'nt lie!

flrCe3U.jpg

When mounted. Releasing that allen key screw in the stemcap loosens the inner tube and lower swingarm.

82HqemB.jpg

Complete swingarm assembly.

mhEooQO.jpg

Hitch.

zl8Kyu6.jpg

Empty headset CroMoly tube. The white stuff is a wax, to keep it from corroding. I only want patina on the outside.

vZUh9lI.jpg

This is the wheel, I think it is too "new" for this builds look. And I dislike the unpainted part on the rim that is normally used for rimbrakes.

Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking a look! More updates soon.
Great and unique entry! Anything with wheels or wings is good in my book! Absolutely LOVE the fender. What is that off of?
I'd love to have a pair for a trike I'm building. ;^)
 
Great and unique entry! Anything with wheels or wings is good in my book! Absolutely LOVE the fender. What is that off of?
I'd love to have a pair for a trike I'm building. ;^)
Thanks WayOutWheels! The fender is of a "NSU Quickly Luxus".

Thanks Verrt! I hoping to!

Not much updates at the moment, a shipment for the class 1 Ratracer will be here in a few days.

I am looking for aircraft parts for this trailer, but they are extremely expensive and/or hard to find!
So that means I probably have to fabricate something myself, I do not have much experience with sheet metal work... We'll figure something out :thumbsup:

Not the airplane theme I am shooting for, but I love these tailwings and lights!
1592385846930.png
 
@GuitarlCarl I did not try to switch the fender yet, my thoughts were somewhere else:

Looking for aircraft stuff could have me ending up broke or irritated :bandit: but the solution and idea was so simple: It was laying in my shed all along!

Pictures:
ggNXsN1.jpg

rOimGBH.jpg

Reservoir for tools/flats? I might cut it in half, and put some hinges on the bottom of the canteen bottle. The threaded plug acts as a means to hold the halfs together... good idea?
S57sSl0.jpg

oHKODpt.jpg

5nqS2xH.jpg

I disassembled this old "steerable" slay... we haven't had snow for over a decade! :(

bNDB5kp.jpg

This looks good!
Wkcw48Q.jpg

9E2C6qo.jpg

dERvLWf.jpg

vZAmQ9P.jpg


I really like this :rockout:
Benefits:
  • Its for free. (Yes I'm Dutch, we like free stuff).
  • It is quite light.
  • It is stiff and strong.
  • It has a nice patina!
  • It has that sheetmetal/aircrafty feel to it.
  • Its old.
  • It has rivets!
To do: Fabricate a bracket, strong enough to carry some stuff around and weld it to the backbone.

What do you guys think? Thanks for having a look and/or feedback!
 

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