Bicycle Trailer Build

I've been wanting to build something unique and useful all summer before I head back to college but couldn't think of anything. Last Thursday my father won a Bud Light Lime bicycle from a giveaway he entered. He gave it to me since I will make good use of it during the semester. I knew that I had found my canvas to work on. With all the possibilities, I decided to build a trailer.

The Bike


I found the frame of a dismantled Miller Bluestar generator welder laying around in the back of the shop I work at. It seemed like a good size to be the base for the trailer. It had a battery mount that could be useful too. So I went into designing how it would all come together.



I first needed wheels to know the final height of the trailer, so I bought a 5/8th rod and a set of wheels to weld on. It started to take shape.





Now came the tough part of designing a hitch that would keep the trailer fairly level, be secure with the trailer loaded, didn't bind when turning, cost effective and that was easily and quickly removable. I searched google and found an air coupler idea that I based my hitch off of. It would be able to pivot, remove quickly, hold strong and be fairly compact while in storage.







The bike hitch took me a while to create since I wanted it to be bolt on and also sturdy to hold/pull the weight of the trailer. Approximately 100+ pounds.
This is what i came up with.



The trailer needed plating so i added a floor and some walls. Just enough to hold stuff since this trailer will get heavy fast, especially while carrying the battery too.



After that, it was off to paint. I decided to go with the color sketch of the bike.





A couple finishing touches....



the finished product


The test drive was good. I already bought an 12v to 120v inverter so I can power some speakers with the battery. Now I just need to build some legs and handles so I could use it as a wheelbarrow too.

 

added a swivel to the hitch rod to eliminate some of the binding I've been having with uneven inclines.

 

Whatcha gonna do with it?

Paint came out awesome btw

 

Thanks!
I tested out the battery inverter i bought with the speakers. I had them running for over two hours without the battery dying down. Thats perfect since I will be using it for music when i throw BBQs pool side at my apartment. (no 120v connections near by)
I might use it for food or beer runs to the nearby market. other than that, its mostly for show/cruzing.

 

I like it. The only thing it's missing is a Jäger dispenser.

 

Haha, Thats a great idea!
On a related note, me and Alex (Amaes) went on a Brewz cruze last month. I regret not taking the trailer because there was a lot of custom bikes out there.
here is a link to the cruze
http://thebrewbros.com/?p=4596

 

Better keep an eye on that one. Someone will definately steal that! Just because it says "Bud". Lol.

 

just so you know, your front fork is on backwards...should look like this(without the flat though,lol)

random internet photo.

http://blog.stinker.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Bud-Light-Lime-Beach-Cruiser-winner2.jpg