Heaviest haul with the Homcom trailer so far

[guerney]

Mine is the only bike trailer I have ever seen in my area, and it was unnerving towing it on the road while some drivers allowed me the same space as nomal ie none - despite the flag on the passing side.

After much weight loss, I now only weigh 63.5kg. The trailer plus heaviest cargo hauled was 65.5kg, and at the end of the 8 mile journey I tackled a very steep hill. Usually, this incline is easily handled by my bike's 2/8 or 1/8 gear (52T to 32T)... but after miles of hauling the maximum cargo my trailer is rated for, it was a right struggle climbing this hill on gear 1/8! I actually had to make an effort cycling, something I do my damndest to avoid. I now see how a 250W BBS01B would feel underpowered for much heavier persons. I had to haul the same weight up the same hill two hours later, at the end of a 3.5 mile journey - this time, voltage had recovered and it was much easier on gear 1/8.

At times, with the trailer pulling and pushing the bike, the longer journey didn't feel altogether safe. The deep potholes would also occasionally swing the trailer side to side a bit, so I kept my speed low. Built with sturdy steel, the Homcom trailer managed very well. But boy was it noisy. Yes it was! Shake, rattle and roll!

It flipped over on one occasion, while carrying an empty 25 litre water bottle. The road surface was clear, I couldn't see the cause. Looking at the action camera video, I suspect it had been nudged by a car on the passing side. That would have been quite a bad thing to happen while hauling a 65.5kg trailer.

 

[richtea99]

Here's the advice for motorbike trailers, a similar setup:

Towing with a motorbike

You can tow some small trailers using motorbikes of 125cc or more

www.gov.uk

...2/3 of the kerbside weight of the motorbike.

I'm guessing you + bike might be 85Kg, so 2/3rds of that is 57Kg (and take away the trailer weight of 13Kg) might be a sensible max, i.e. 44Kg.
(Their Amazon ad suggests 40kg max:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HOMCOM-Folding-Trailer-Bicycle-Storage/dp/B078W39W37

)

Still pretty good though!

I've witnessed an over-heavy trailer of gravel jack knifing a car downhill on the M42. I'm glad I was only watching from behind as it slewed all over three lanes.
I bet they had wished they'd still got some British Leyland brown vinyl seats fitted to hide the stains.

 

[guerney]

(Their Amazon ad suggests 40kg max:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HOMCOM-Folding-Trailer-Bicycle-Storage/dp/B078W39W37 )

To muddy clarity, the instruction booklet states 50kg max.

 

[guerney]

I'm guessing you + bike might be 85Kg, so 2/3rds of that is 57Kg (and take away the trailer weight of 13Kg) might be a sensible max, i.e. 44Kg.

According to my digital luggage scale, Amazon's stated weight of the Homcom is incorrect - it actually weighs 15.5kg. Because I keep adding things to my bike, it now weighs 22.41kg, therefore max is 41.77kg. That's not enough, unfortunately I need 50kg at the very least (50 litres of water)... but I should stick to the sensible max. Or add more weight to the bike, by strapping water containers to it.

 

[Nealh]

If your trailer was fliiped by a car hitting you and you have the footage then it needs reporting, it isn't without due care and attention but dangerous driving and should be punnished.

I don't have an issue with traffic towing my trailer, if i judge passing to be debatable I simply command the lane/road. Driving standards and tolerance varies widely around the country, some of the posts we see on the forum makes me glad I live where I do where driving and courtesy appears a lot better.

The push/pull effect occurs with every cycle /trailer combo with weight towed.
I bought home 159lbs of precious honey last week, if I add on the weight of the wooden super/honey boxes and the wax in the wooden frames then I expect the overall cargo weight was in excess of 200lbs.

On my ute I am on the mk2 tow bar fitting as the mk1 using the P clips failed after 6 runs, the metal coudln't take the force and two snapped.
My new set up and attachment should prove better for the purpose but if it proves to be problamatic I shall opt for a normal axle application and an extended tow bar.

 

[Raboa]

The most I have ever carried on my bike with panniers and a rack top bag is 70 double electrical sockets, a lock and puncture repair kit / pump. I am dismantling the sockets to take the brass, copper and steel to the scrapyard.

 

[guerney]

I bought home 159lbs of precious honey last week, if I add on the weight of the wooden super/honey boxes and the wax in the wooden frames then I expect the overall cargo weight was in excess of 200lbs.

Wow, that's 90.72 kg!

On my ute I am on the mk2 tow bar fitting as the mk1 using the P clips failed after 6 runs, the metal coudln't take the force and two snapped.
My new set up and attachment should prove better for the purpose but if it proves to be problamatic I shall opt for a normal axle application and an extended tow bar.

Sorry to hear that, have you got a pic of your Mk 2?

Noticed these the other day, which I could fit to my small Y probably. Drivers will hate them I expect:

Carry Freedom - Wide Axle Beam

<p>Increase the Y-Frame trailer wheelbase to carry loads up to 0.85m or up to 105 cm wide. </p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>IMPORTANT</strong></span> - This <a title="spacer" href="http://shop.planet-used.com/shop/en/carry-freedom-looon

shop.planet-used.com

 

[guerney]

If your trailer was fliiped by a car hitting you and you have the footage then it needs reporting, it isn't without due care and attention but dangerous driving and should be punnished.

I deleted the video, unfortunately. It only showed a car speeding past very fast in the dark, and my stopping after hearing a bang. Not usable footage, as nu number plate was discernable. There's a bit of paint missing from the end of the trailer, but no car paint was stuck to it.

 

[guerney]

The most I have ever carried on my bike with panniers and a rack top bag is 70 double electrical sockets, a lock and puncture repair kit / pump. I am dismantling the sockets to take the brass, copper and steel to the scrapyard.

I carried a lot of home grown pumpkins last year in pannier bags and rucksack - worried about my old aluminium bike frame, as each pumpkin weighed about 12 to 20 lbs, and there were 8 to 10 of them! Very unsteady with so much weight in the rucksack, but I rested it on the seat mostly. Agony it was! But agony this year no more, as I have two trailers - the Homcom and the Carry Freedom Small Y. The Homcom is more practical for pumpkin transport, as there is no need to construct a big box. Those pannier bags were destroyed by the weight. I also use the Homcom as a wheelbarrow.

 

[guerney]

My experience with folding boxes hasn't been good - they break! I can't imagine that this by Carry Freedom would last long, heavy pumpkins would very rapidly destroy it. And it says "Not compatible with Light/Flag holder! " - so you can have a box, but you can't have a box if you have a flag! It should have been designed to include a flag and light attachment point.

Carry Freedom Folding box with lid (for Y-Frame)

Carry Freedom Faltbox mit Deckel - For different uses. Buy now online!

shop.planet-used.com

 

[guerney]

On my ute I am on the mk2 tow bar fitting as the mk1 using the P clips failed after 6 runs, the metal coudln't take the force and two snapped.

My new set up and attachment should prove better for the purpose but if it proves to be problamatic I shall opt for a normal axle application and an extended tow bar.

You're shifting some heavy hauls (maybe too heavy for your QR axle?), and those clips didn't look strong. Maybe buy the CF extended hitch arm?

 

[guerney]

I forgot to mention, this was on the hottest day of the year. I was soaking with sweat, and worried that the bbs01b controller or battery would fail... but they coped fine at 39 degrees centigrade hauling an extra 65.5kg up a steep hill twice plus 23+ miles. I ended up with a nasty headache.

 

[guerney]

Including trailer weight, I dragged 76.38kg up a steep hill twice today. After I trued the wheels and fine tuned the brakes, I didn't wipeout on scree going down this time - had previously skidded the front wheel and fell off, because the rear brakes were not working optimally. I think that's about my limit for loading up the Homcom - max is supposed to be 50kg (was 61.3kg without trailer weight). Gotta say... for a cheapo trailer, the Homcom is great!

 

[Nealh]

Towing heavy weights one certainl cna feel them pushing and pulling, I'm comfy with about 90/100 kg but only ride at about 10/11mph.

 

[GLJoe]

After much weight loss, I now only weigh 63.5kg.

Just to confirm this wasn't a typo?
You are 10 stone in weight?
How tall are you??

 

[guerney]

Just to confirm this wasn't a typo?
You are 10 stone in weight?
How tall are you??

About 5ft 9.5". According to the NHS BMI calculator, my healthy weight range is 8st 13lb - 12st 1lb. Given that I was prediabetic before the weight loss, I need to get to about 9 stones. I'll keep going till I feel healthy again. I'm still a bit tubby.

 

[guerney]

Towing heavy weights one certainl cna feel them pushing and pulling, I'm comfy with about 90/100 kg but only ride at about 10/11mph.

The bbs01b is capable of towing far more weight on level ground - trouble is, I'm transporting spring water from the hills to my garden veg; shingle and gravel on inclines and descents make this rather a hairy experience. V brakes are not up to the job with heavy hauls, not on those hills. There's also a nasty freaking precipice, with a long tumble down... where I almost came a cropper when my trailer turned over. I could have been dragged down with it - luckily two 25 litre water containers fell out, and the momentum of the trailer itself wasn't enough.

Then there's that pesky Homcom 45-50kg weight limit, and CF's 50kg QR axle limit warning. I've found an alternative route (somewhat more level, less gravel and shingle) and towed a total weight of trailer+water = 83.6kg 4.5 miles the other day twice.

The Homcom manual states: "DANGEROUS OVER 10MPH"

I'm not happy about the steel Homcom hitch swivelling around and wearing away one side of my aluminium rear dropout, so I've ordered some 1.5mm thickness aluminium washers - I could use the neoprene ones I got for the CF, in the interim, or as well as. I've also ordered a possibly stronger SRAM QR axle, and will carry a spare. I can't find my old rear QR axle, suddenly my home is too full of ebike kipple.

Pardon our interruption...

To haul much more weight, I'd need a bbs01b converted bike with hydraulic disc brakes and through axles, thick and nutted. And very knobbly tyres, not Marathon Plus. The bbs01b controller is still set at 15A, I haven't needed to increase to 20A. My trusty old April 2006 Dahon Helios P8 folder bbs01b conversion is managing, for now.

 

[guerney]

The aluminium washer failed, was completely destroyed by 2 X 25kg + 22 X 2.26kg = 99.72kg water cargo + 15.5kg trailer = 115.22kg. I initially thought my SRAM axle had bent... so there I was on a golf course emptying out bottles of water until I could re-attach the hitch, after inspecting the axle and discovering a totally destroyed aluminium washer. A golfer hovered around me clutching a phone, complaining to club hq... but I've discoverd that this particular golf course is situated within a nature reserve, and they can't actually legally keep me from using the road through it. Dumping water might have looked worrying, but the parched grass no doubt welcomed it. My jawguard helmet should deflect most golf balls, which signs warn of... apart from the ones which may hit me in the face.

I'm sticking to circa 70kg max cargo from now on. Stopping is too difficult. At least the golf course detour/shortcut avoids descending at least two perilous gravelly hill descents, which could end with me and my bike plus trailer tumbling into a ravine - there are no fences on that part of the path, and if there were, I doubt they'd withstand the momentum of my ensemble. Another dry year like the one we've had, will force me to give up growng veg, unless I start growing edible cactii...

Pardon our interruption...

 

[guerney]

Hauling home 73.5kg of Homcom trailer and pumpkins 12 miles tonight mostly uphill, was hard work! I'm not accustomed to this from my bbs01b conversion at all! I didn't have a rear light for the trailer, but this led flashing sash was blinking useful. Better visible than sorry. Nearly all passing drivers gave me a wider berth than usual.

And this is just the beginning of the harvest. However, this year's weather has more than halved the yield.

 

[matthewslack]

What happens to them when they get home?