New Design

Here is the trailer I built for the Sunflower co-op in south Austin, June 2010.
Above you can see the new style that I am experimenting with; using thin-wall conduit as the frame and using stub axle wheels.

The conduit is very lightweight and inexpensive; I can bend, cut, and weld/braze it very easily. Stub axle wheels are wheels that are mounted from only one side of the axle (as opposed to normal bicycle wheels which mount to both sides). These save material weight and labor.

Also, the nice curvature of the bent tubing makes for a smoother look and removes the sharp corners prevalent in the rectangular designs made from square tubing.

All of these developments are leading the way to the end goal of a trailer design that is as strong, lightweight, elegant and inexpensive as it physically can be.

Notice that the trailer was designed specifically to hold these plastic containers. That's why it has no built in floor made of wood, fabric, etc. Some kind of flooring could be made for the trailer if it needed to be a general utility trailer.

The next one will have side rails that are about 3 inches higher, meaning they will surpass the wheels. I will also beef up the supports for the side rails. This would make it possible to rest bulky--yet relatively lightweight-- items on the trailer, making the trailer more versatile.