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Deleted member 33385
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Should I get one which attaches to the rear axle or bike seatpost? Does anybody know which is more secure and/or easier to manage while towing?
I think rear axle is probably better as it is lower. That said we have a seatpost attached trailer (we hardly use it now, but used it extensively for the children 35 years ago) and we never had problems with it.
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Cheers! I'll probably get axle-connecting because it's lower, but the type I'd like are seatpost connecting - they have handy looking handles for pushing the trailer around when disconnected from the bike. I'll eventually find something similar or cobble something together which does the same thing.
Yes. The biggest use of our seatpost mounted one now is taking cats to the vet, using the trailer disconnected from the bike.
A disadvantage of the seatpost mounted one I forgot to mention is that we can't put it behind our step-through Motus with rack mounted battery; that is something else to consider depending on your bike.
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Is it less distressing than the car? How does your cat cope with being transported by bike? Mine hated any form of confinement or transport. One of them worked out how to pee into the water container on the cat carrier door. Such precision... But they were both freakishly smart animals.
That's a very good point! Axle-mounted with some sort of cobbled together push-handle it is then...
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That trailer is amazing work! Out of old aluminium ladders! That must have taken a lot of work! How long did it take to contruct? It appears to be capable of bearing rather a lot of weight, has plenty of carrying volume, and of course I would love one exactly like that. How much does does this trailer weigh? Constructing anything like that is beyond my skill level - "O" level Metalwork and Design Technology are the only practical qualifications/experience I have lol.
Does the rubber band soften in extremely hot weather, enough for it's strength to be of concern? I'm looking carefully at the mechanism and am wondering... what would happen, if the rubber band snapped in action? Could you use spring steel?
I'll buy a basic small trailer, it's just for a spare battery, generator, a small tent, a couple of tins of beans, the bike when it's folded (when walking about sightseeing, no need to lock the bike up), camping stove and gas bottle - and a wooden box (yet to be constructed ) to keep it all in.
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The trailer weighs 14 kilos, but it's carried fridges, freezers and heavy cookers so is easily strong enough. It didn't take long to make, stripping the ladders was the toughest part since their alloy rivet material needing drilling out was surprisingly hard.
The rubber band has never broken in years of use, but their quality varies widely so I keep an eye on it and have replaced it a couple of times when it's showed signs of weathering.
Trailers add considerable drag as well as weight, so I only use them when I have to. Whenever possible I use large Dutch style panniers and the platform on top of them to carry things:
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That's an impressively low weight for a self-build trailer! I suppose they have to make sure ladders are extremely well bonded for the highest possible weight bearing rating - loads of super strong adhesive plus high strength alloy rivets possibly.
I'm now wondering if I should have a go at making a solid pannier... I wonder how light a solid structure shaped like your large Dutch style pannier could be, while remaining strong enough to carry spare batteries? Solid because lithium. If not aluminium sheets pop riveted to L sections - thin acrylic sheet, fibreglass or carbon fibre? Lots of possibilities for aerodynamic smooth shaping with fibreglass, but it could end up quite heavy.
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My Dutch panniers have the canvas as double walls, meaning a thin pocket at each face. It was supplied with thin and light plastic panels which when inserted making them box shaped so that is an option which i've always used.
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They are transported on the trailer in standard cat baskets, hand towed not bike towed. They'd be in the same baskets if we took them in the car. And the vet is only 1/2 mile away, with no convenient parking near. But they certainly don't like it.
(Not like our dog that used to try to pull us into the vets' if we walked past with her on a lead).
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Sounds like you're making every effort to keep them calm. I do miss my cats, they made it to 15 and 17 years old. Kidney troubles got them in the end (half-siamese, prone to it, as are larger cats which these were - my gas engineer objected to panthers being kept in private homes - I explained they were just cats), it's depressingly common. I did my best, feeding them home cooked meat with added Taurine (missing from cooked meats) and raw meat - they're obligate carnivours. In the wild, they thrive on fresh kills. Catfood is full of all manner of plant based protein which isn't healthy for them., and unlike humans, they thrive on saturated fats from fresh meat. But, the longest lived cat in the world was "Creme Puff", her diet included bacon and eggs, coffee with cream, broccoli, and wine. And she made it to 38 years old:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creme_Puff_(cat)
I'd investigate what treats the vet uses... or perhaps she finds the company of other dogs in the waiting room mentally stimulating? Perhaps she catches up on all the latest gossip?
We did have suspicions. That was when we lived near Glasgow for a year about 30 years ago, so a bit late to chase up the details now!
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