The ancient, rusty, 1980s, Burley brand, steel-tube bicycle trailer I bought from Steve for $20 CAN has been, in the short time I've had it, quite a handful, but it's been worth it as well, more than paying for itself. Previously the hitch arm broke in stages, and finally I mated a double tubed aluminium hitch arm from a 1990 Burley, which has worked like a charm for weeks now. Then I put on "new" old tires, and saw the left tire wear down to thread in under two weeks -- an old school trailer binner saw this as a sure sign the left wheel axle was bent. I stuck a bald old tire on the left wheel, and got three weeks out of it, so I wasn't convinced it was a bent axle.
I wanted to replace both tires at the same time, and the best option I found today was a set of Duro Fantasy tires. meant for a BMX bike. They are very substantial, and I've never seen their tread style before. On they went, and I was thinking, there's one problem solved.
[caption id="attachment_2719" align="alignright" width="213"]
Close but no cigar! This soft white plastic olive oil bottle pour spout had good fit characteristics, but not the necessary rigidity, or strength.[/caption]
Ten blocks later, and bits in the hub of the left wheel which fill the gap between the axle and the wheel, were noticeable by their sudden absence -- I backtracked the ten blocks, but no "bits" to be seen. Filling the gap in the hub could be a stop-gap measure, if one could lock those bits in place -- this would keep the wheel from trying to slide part-ways off the axle. Closest I came to that was with a snap-in pour-end from an olive oil bottle. If it had been made a bit thicker, it may have worked. As it was, it popped out after three blocks. A locking washer could possibly work. I have to say that I much prefer Burley's 1990s trailer designs. Thirty years may be too long to expect a steel tube trailer to maintain it's structural integrity, what with rust and metal fatigue.
I was able to hang on to the damaged, aluminium-tubed trailer, this steel trailer was meant to replace. I'll likely try to squeeze a bit more work out of it while I see if I can get a replacement wheel for the steel trailer. I need tires for the aluminium trailer wheels, but, of course, I have those now. Click the images to enlarge.
August 3, 2013 update -- I'm now fairly sure this 1980s-era trailer was made by a company called Winchester, rather than Burley, because I just hauled a trailer frame out of a dumpster, with an identical bed construction, and paint job, but with drop-outs for the wheels, and a double-tubed hitch arm -- it looks like an "evolved" version of the trailer I have, and it's labelled: "Winchester Touring Designs." Haven't found much info on them, but their steel trailers had a reputation for being heavy, being able to carry a big load, and rusting like crap -- sounds about right. The Duro Fantasy 20-inch BMX tires are great! The bike shop I frequent gave me a 15 per cent discount on them, so they cost about $46 CAN, and they were definitely worth it. "Duro" suggests durable, and they are that. Not a sign of wear after one month, which is saying something for tires on a cargo trailer.
I wanted to replace both tires at the same time, and the best option I found today was a set of Duro Fantasy tires. meant for a BMX bike. They are very substantial, and I've never seen their tread style before. On they went, and I was thinking, there's one problem solved.
[caption id="attachment_2719" align="alignright" width="213"]
Close but no cigar! This soft white plastic olive oil bottle pour spout had good fit characteristics, but not the necessary rigidity, or strength.[/caption]Ten blocks later, and bits in the hub of the left wheel which fill the gap between the axle and the wheel, were noticeable by their sudden absence -- I backtracked the ten blocks, but no "bits" to be seen. Filling the gap in the hub could be a stop-gap measure, if one could lock those bits in place -- this would keep the wheel from trying to slide part-ways off the axle. Closest I came to that was with a snap-in pour-end from an olive oil bottle. If it had been made a bit thicker, it may have worked. As it was, it popped out after three blocks. A locking washer could possibly work. I have to say that I much prefer Burley's 1990s trailer designs. Thirty years may be too long to expect a steel tube trailer to maintain it's structural integrity, what with rust and metal fatigue.
I was able to hang on to the damaged, aluminium-tubed trailer, this steel trailer was meant to replace. I'll likely try to squeeze a bit more work out of it while I see if I can get a replacement wheel for the steel trailer. I need tires for the aluminium trailer wheels, but, of course, I have those now. Click the images to enlarge.
The new-old trailer's younger brother, and those great DURO-ble tires
August 3, 2013 update -- I'm now fairly sure this 1980s-era trailer was made by a company called Winchester, rather than Burley, because I just hauled a trailer frame out of a dumpster, with an identical bed construction, and paint job, but with drop-outs for the wheels, and a double-tubed hitch arm -- it looks like an "evolved" version of the trailer I have, and it's labelled: "Winchester Touring Designs." Haven't found much info on them, but their steel trailers had a reputation for being heavy, being able to carry a big load, and rusting like crap -- sounds about right. The Duro Fantasy 20-inch BMX tires are great! The bike shop I frequent gave me a 15 per cent discount on them, so they cost about $46 CAN, and they were definitely worth it. "Duro" suggests durable, and they are that. Not a sign of wear after one month, which is saying something for tires on a cargo trailer.
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