Aldi 145L "Heavy Duty" Trunk £17.99

thelarkbox

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I swapped around the side walls and its a nice snug fit, excuse the beerline, Im just using it to gauge the required bracket size to remount the ends.
looks like a few things could work, Im gonna try buying a meter of waste overflow tube 20 something mm in diameter and heat bend into a 90 degree bend and pin in place at the walls, I will need 4x more hitch pins or diy equivalents (nails tied with paracord?).. IMG220304-224942F.JPGIMG220304-224927F.JPG
 
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guerney

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@thelarkbox - Thanks for doing that and posting those very informative photos! Bloody useful. I'm definitely going to buy the larger 175L version from Amazon, with the reasonable expectation all but the lid is the same as Aldi's 145L. Looks a great solution for those click and collect supermarket orders - I could chuck in a smaller box or two, to protect crushable items, and it'll all be enclosed and protected from the elements.

There are thinner ratcketing tie down straps, which might fit through the hollow square bars of the ends? When I locate mine, I'll try to shove two through... might keep both ends on securely. I've got two, which might not be long enough to go all the way around the trailer and through both ends, so I may grab another pair from one of the increasing number of bargain shops which defy categorisation on my high street - it's unguessable what's insde those places.

If sharp edges were smoothed, ratcheting rope tie downs might be a better option?



 

thelarkbox

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Glad to help, thanks for the pointers to both the box and trailer, ive been considering something like this for ages, Im just sorry about the pic quality ive been using an action camera, since i mislaid my good camera when dashing out to take measurements in the rain hrmphh Ive got a partial recollection of stashing it somewhere 'safe' but F-me if i can track down exactly where that is..

And this is a much simpler solution than any of the utube inspired builds i have considered.
And it fills the gap in my local pick up/drop off capacity since giving up the car.


AS for fixing the front and rear walls, If i cant knock up some reasonable brackets i will just go without until the box comes off for any reason.. the box itself should? substitute for any structural input the end walls contribute, or so i guess..
 

guerney

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AS for fixing the front and rear walls, If i cant knock up some reasonable brackets i will just go without until the box comes off for any reason.. the box itself should? substitute for any structural input the end walls contribute, or so i guess..
That really long, wide, thick and strong ratcheting tie down I found on the road fallen off a lorry could be just the job? It looks long enough to go around both front and back, maybe I could simply dispense with the end bars? Plus another tie down, under the trailer and over the box, to hold the box down - Bob could be my uncle and Fanny my aunt.
 

guerney

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That really long, wide, thick and strong ratcheting tie down I found on the road fallen off a lorry could be just the job?
It's this one, I think. Could well go around the trailer, between and around the side bars, and box twice.


LARGE 50mm x 15M Heavy Duty TIE DOWN RATCHET STRAP Webbing 2500kg Lorry Fasten
£17.54

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201696715081

 
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Nealh

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thelarkbox

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Good stuff indeed @Nealh as a cycle trailer newbie I have a lot to catch up with,
braking suddenly when towing a load worries me tbh, of course i would cycle defensively trying to avoid possible situations that require sudden braking but even so..

Good job there are no pressing chores demanding a heavy tote.. So i should be able to get some experience towing before its needed and i will be prepared. I'm hoping that sensible distribution of loads within the box should negate the need for additional strapping for now at least..
 

guerney

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braking suddenly when towing a load worries me tbh, of course i would cycle defensively trying to avoid possible situations that require sudden braking but even so..
With v-brakes, I don't think my stopping power is good enough for the trailer to jacknife. The Homcom manual recommends a slow speed, the fastest I'll go fully loaded is 9mph. Keeping far enough from the kerb takes getting used to initially, as does going further out before turning corners. With heavy loads, shallow falls and small rises on the road surface can slow down and speed up the trailer a little, changing your bike's speed. A trailer carrying that big box will get you noticed by big SUV, van and lorry drivers - a flapping flag and pole waving about nearer their eye level increases visibility of course. It's nuts how close drivers used to zoom by before installation of the Siderating Illumimaker™.


54929
 
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Nealh

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Tbh there is no reason not to add a couple of rachet straps to tie the load box to the trailer, as with any vehicle a safe /secured load is a legal obligation no matter whether cycle or car towed.
It takes a few seconds to tie down the load.

I hit a root /bump on a camber on the trail I ride and it flipped my trailer on to it's side, if I hadn't had it secured to the load bed then I expect I would have been picking stuff up if the lid popped open. Instead I simply right the trailer and carry on unhindered.
 
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Nealh

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I have one of those homcom type trailers and hate the spring loaded hitch as when it compresses I feel the load pushing the bike fwd which I simply don't like (I no longer use the trailer , probably goes down as one of my worst bike accessory buys). The CF tow hitch is excellant and has no spring attachment , instead it uses an excellant elastometer which is very flexible with no compression . The trailer and bike are one and there is no secondary pushing effect under braking.
 

guerney

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I expect that big empty box on a trailer will be usefully noisy, alerting pedestrians of your approach.

I was lucky 70kg of plastic milk bottles filled with water were in a big loosely tied rubble sack in my trailer, not secured in a box and tied down when I my tyres skidded on gravel and the Homcom hit a tree root - my trailer flipped to one side and over... then to my horror started sliding down the steep slope towards a deep ravine with a big drop down to the river, when I was going down a steep gravelly path through woods which snaked a sharp bend left - there was no barrier to stop the trailer sliding and taking my bike down with it, which it would have done if the bottles had been in a big box and tied down. Fortunately many of the milk bottles fell out and the trailer stopped sliding down the bank. Swings and roundabouts. These days I cut across the golf course instead.
 
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Nealh

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I steer clear of mountain roads and ravines.
 

Nealh

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I don't leave home without my flags , I made up my own light flag holders for both of my CF flat beds which are permanently bolted to the rear corners of each .

Some drive with tunnel vision and seem to not see or ignore objetcs in front of them but a fluttering flag/s breaks up interferes with vision to aid the rider for safety against these drivers.
 

guerney

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These look heavy duty, could be bolted to a CF platform - big.






I suppose a hole could be drilled through the platform, and this screwed through and nutted on from both sides - the top could be drilled and tapped for a screw, to hold the flagpole.


 

thelarkbox

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On reflection straps and one more strap may be worthwhile after all.. Flags for sure.. I was just going to wire wrap 2 4ft bamboo poles from the garden together with a diy red card flag gaffer taped in place, cable tieing, a short length of beerline or plastic water pipe to the wagon into which i would wedge the flag.. knocked off nicked no matter lots of replacement materials..

Ive drilled out one bike 'hook' and fitted it to my not road bike. Why did i think it had to go on the chain side???? the reason i selected this bike first was the not through the axle motor cable arrangement , Ha.. and i had some fun towing it round the back yard once sorted on the correct side of the bike. ..

my bucket of plumbing bits is proving elusive, in which i have all sorts of pipe clips some of which must be a suitable match for the box/trailer.. The trailer itself came with sufficient sealed closed cell packing foam to secure the box wheels clear of the platform when clamped down, am intrigued to discover the audio properties of the rolling box/trailer combo now..
 

guerney

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am intrigued to discover the audio properties of the rolling box/trailer combo now..
If too noisy, you can always do what I'm planning: get a street trader's license to sell ice cream - the box would no longer be empty, embedded peltier plates powered by the ebike battery could keep the box cool, and I'd meet lots of fat girls. They might be thin at first, when they initially become customers.
 
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thelarkbox

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Waggon cage ends now fitted.. 21mm pvc overflow pipe heated up and shoved in the square tube of the cage ends, elbows and couplers added to direct and strengthen and glued with pvc cement.

No flag as yet, single test run up the quiet rd and back, Not the percussion instrument @guerney predicted.. so far.. danger flags are next..

And it fits past the car in the drive wehey!!

IMG231106-125438F.JPG

IMG231106-125451F.JPG
 
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