Push trailer from a minibike

[EsQueue]

Have anyone made a push trailer from a minibike? Do anyone here have a picture of one?

I have a welder and have an uncle who can weld pipe well. I'm planning on purchasing a cheap one from losangeles.craigslist.org and butcher it up into a push trailer.

[Mountainman]

not a bad idea

but -- seems there will be excess tubing that's not really needed

probably will not have the cool look -- I could be wrong

MM

[EsQueue]

not a bad idea

but -- seems there will be excess tubing that's not really needed

probably will not have the cool look -- I could be wrong

MM

I'm surprised to not see your signature. "Ride that ugly minibike THING".

Oh yeah, it would look horrible if I were to leave it fully intact.

I would have to do some major butchering.and will be cutting most of the bike but leaving only the drive-train. I would of corse add the needed reinforcement after that. I would aslo make a license plate mount as I've sent off for one already

The reason for this would be to to save costs as a minibike can be had for way less than all the bearings and drive components of a push kart

[stude13]

put motormaker in the search. he built a nice unit with the motor alongside of the rear wheel and full pictures. i ran with it and built one by using one bolt.

[macarollo]

That is a nice idea... then you can put a passenger on the mini bike!

There is also a good rear brake on those mini bikes.

[Dennis Becraft]

I built this minimal push trailer nearly 20 years ago. This short video is all that remains of it except the hitch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjEgsKqfi74

Use pause when watching the video to see it a little better.

It worked just fine. No need for it to be any stronger or heavier. It seems a shame to pay for, then throw away most of a minibike frame when it's so simple just to use a few bolted pieces of angle steel (mine was from a discarded bed frame) to attach the engine to the wheel. Nothing had to be welded. It only has to be substantial enough to support the weight of the engine, not a passenger.
The 'u-joint' hitch does not have to be as precisely built or as strong if the trailer stands vertically on its own by the pendulum weight of the engine. That's why mine seems a little longer than necessary. I needed to lengthen it a little to get more of the weight under a line from the seatpost hitch to the contact patch of the tire. (SEE ATTACHMENT)
The extra length also placed the engine in the middle between the hitch and contact patch such that the small flex of the 3/4 inch electrical conduit tongue stopped the trailer from bouncing as much.
There is no need for more tire pressure than is necessary to keep the bead seated. The stiff sidewall keeps the tire in shape and the low pressure helps the trailer absorb bumps in the road. The low weight and low pressure nearly eliminates the possibility of punctures or even tread wear. I can't understand why anyone would prefer a foam airless tire. It's been reported here that they wear quickly.
I can understand cannibalizing a minibike if it can be obtained cheaper than the sum of its components, but it seems to me that you should keep the frame intact so you can sell it to recoup some of your outlay.

[EsQueue]

I built this minimal push trailer nearly 20 years ago. This short video is all that remains of it except the hitch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjEgsKqfi74

Use pause when watching the video to see it a little better.

It worked just fine. No need for it to be any stronger or heavier. It seems a shame to pay for, then throw away most of a minibike frame when it's so simple just to use a few bolted pieces of angle steel (mine was from a discarded bed frame) to attach the engine to the wheel. Nothing had to be welded. It only has to be substantial enough to support the weight of the engine, not a passenger.
The 'u-joint' hitch does not have to be as precisely built or as strong if the trailer stands vertically on its own by the pendulum weight of the engine. That's why mine seems a little longer than necessary. I needed to lengthen it a little to get more of the weight under a line from the seatpost hitch to the contact patch of the tire. (SEE ATTACHMENT)
The extra length also placed the engine in the middle between the hitch and contact patch such that the small flex of the 3/4 inch electrical conduit tongue stopped the trailer from bouncing as much.
There is no need for more tire pressure than is necessary to keep the bead seated. The stiff sidewall keeps the tire in shape and the low pressure helps the trailer absorb bumps in the road. The low weight and low pressure nearly eliminates the possibility of punctures or even tread wear. I can't understand why anyone would prefer a foam airless tire. It's been reported here that they wear quickly.
I can understand cannibalizing a minibike if it can be obtained cheaper than the sum of its components, but it seems to me that you should keep the frame intact so you can sell it to recoup some of your outlay.

I understand but I've seen minibikes running which sells for around $100. The components come up to more than that easily. I'm even thinking about something in the picture for $150. I just hate to scrap it but cali laws make it impossible to do anything with it. What I plan on doing is disconnecting the drive-train from the rest of the frame. The whole engine, mounting plate, and all drive components can come out as one piece as it moves with the suspension.

[Dennis Becraft]

I see what you mean. You could reposition the shocks to require less leverage for them to operate. Mount the tops and/or bottoms of the shocks closer to the swingarm pivot. If necessary move the bottoms of the shocks nearer the fender mount holes (or tabs welded on just for the shocks) and reattach the tops farther forward.
Another way would be to reattach the bottoms of the shocks considerably closer to the swingarm pivot.
You could calculate the new shock positions based on the difference between total weight on the rear wheel with and without a rider. Any angle changes (from the current 90 degrees between shocks and swingarm) would affect leverage as well. If possible make these calculations and arrange for the shock positions to be adjustable for fine tuning.
Disguise it with a cover that doesn't restrict airflow and make or adapt a larger more effective muffler for it. No one will suspect you have a motor vehicle.

[EsQueue]

Disguise it with a cover that doesn't restrict airflow and make or adapt a larger more effective muffler for it. No one will suspect you have a motor vehicle.

Now you are speaking my language buddy. Those were my "EXACT" plans. LOL.

[EsQueue]

I will go a different route. I have purchased this beast and but haven't picked it up yet. Looks way too dangerous to ride. It even have a rear foot brake even though I don't know how it is operated.

I will cut out the front and weld something to convert this into a push trailer. I plan on relocating the gas tank to give the engine a smaller appearance. I will add the needed fuel pump. I also plan on mounting a storage container on the mid section.