Mono Wheel Trailer Build

[winston66]

Winston66 from Northampton Western Australia here,

If my computer finger works properly this link should give you something to read.

It is about my latest trailer building project

 

 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8pvw2erzrkbxjbk/mono%20wheel%20trailer%20build%20costings.pdf?dl=0

 

 

Cheers to all,

Winston66

Edited July 18, 2015 by winston66

[Eck]

I clicked on the link above and I got a pop up requesting me to "sign in". Appears we need a user name and password to log into the link you provided.

[Cheesehead in flatland]

I clicked on the link above and I got a pop up requesting me to "sign in". Appears we need a user name and password to log into the link you provided.

 

You can click on a small X in the top right corner to close the "sign in" pop up.

[Eck]

Very impressive!!!! You did a lot of planning / engineering to accomplish that.!!

 

Other: My son lives in Broken Hill, NSW

[Brake Pad]

That's a very nice build, I just wish I had the room to start on my camper trailer build

[camos]

Winston66 from Northampton Western Australia here,

If my computer finger works properly this link should give you something to read.

It is about my latest trailer building project

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8pvw2erzrkbxjbk/mono%20wheel%20trailer%20build%20costings.pdf?dl=0

 

Cheers to all,

Winston66

As you mentioned, the trailer is quite a bit heavier than it needed to be. If you ever decide to make something similar out of GRP, here are some hints. Non of the rods or chicken wire are necessary to get the shape needed. Set up the cross section stations as you did then put longitudinal stringers, like lathes, along the outside to form the shape and support the GRP layup. Along the top edge of the shell attach a 90 degree wooden bracket before laying up the outside skin. This can be cut be into the outside top edge of the station molds or just laid on top.

 

Use 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch urethane foam strips to cover the stringers. The foam is quite flexible but by using strips it will help to cover the compound curves. First coat the foam with a layer of resin and let it set then lay up the outside layers of fiberglass. Cover over the above mentioned edge bracket. This will stiffen the free edge and provide an attachment point for the lid. My preference is to use a mat, a roving and a mat but a couple of 2 oz mats will probably be enough. Two layers of 2 oz mat properly wetted and rolled out will give you about 1/8 inch of thickness.

 

After that sets up the inside supports and lathes can be removed and a layer or two of mat can be laid up on the inside. This shell will be quite stiff but to add extra stiffness, using resin, glue some 1x2 strips of urethane foam horizontally along the length then cover them with fiberglass. The bottom area could have some cross stiffeners put in as well.

 

Where attachment points are needed for bolts remove the skin foam prior to laying up the inside and and fill in with extra layers of fiberglass or a block of wood. Polyester resin needs UV protection so a gelcoat topcoat is preferred over paint. A really nice finish can be achieved using a sheet of cellophane and a squeegee to apply the gelcoat.

 

You and your sons did a really nice job but next time they won't have to work quite so hard.

[winston66]

Hi camos (Pete). And other interested parties, I appreciate your kind comments.

camos, Thank you for your interest and helpful info on GRP fabrication etc.

I do not have any experience with that type of product, and when I did some preliminary costings with that stuff it seemed to be far more expensive than the alternative stuff that I eventually used and that I had some prior experience with.

I do agree that the GRP would have been good and could have saved some weight .

In use I have felt that a saving of say 10 Kg. might be noticeable when the trailer is stationary but the main problem that I have experienced is that when laden the center of gravity is much higher than I would like, this means that for me there is needed to be considerably more physical input when parking or moving the bike and trailer around when stopped, and especially if there is a marked amount of camber on the road , as we drive on the left hand side of the road over here and the side stand is also on the left side of the bike, sometimes a lot of effort is needed in order to get the bike off the side stand and upright before taking off.

However all in all , when under way the mass of the trailer and its contents is hardly noticeable and as I have said , when the day was very windy I got the impression that the mass of the trailer really helped to stabilize the ride and added immeasurably to the comfort of the ride.

However if I was to build another similar unit I would make it a little smaller and en devour to lower the center of gravity as much as possible.

At the initial design stage I was influenced by the size of the chassis of the doner scooter and my own ignorance as to what the final result would be like, in other words , for me it was an experience and something to do in order to ease the symptoms of the onset of boredom.

In the future This mono wheel experiment will only be used when I am riding the Royal Star trike as then I will not have to have any worries as to keeping the ride upright when parking or when stationary,

If I was for instance some 40 or so years younger and as strong as I used to be then , I guess that I would feel more comfortable when muscling the combined ride and a laden trailer around but at my present age of 72 I can not see much sense in perhaps needlessly straining myself, after all the Honda ST1300 at just over 300 Kg. is more than heavy enough for me on its own .

Thanks again to everyone for your interest.

Cheers to all,

Winston 66,

Northampton, Western Australia