ibuiltmine
New Member
This thing is going to have some complicated parts, but Im going to try and keep it as simple as possible, but im scientifically minded, and engineer and I have built tons and tons of different stuff. I like stuff to be strong, not break down and work well. I dont like wasting my time on junk that I will just throw away when I am done. With that said......
My buddy has a nice new TREK bicycle. so I can not put a motor in or on it.
I do not want to visibly have a motor on this bike. I want it concealed in the trailer.
The trailer is going to be actually pretty big, I want to be able to have all the cloths, tent, sleeping bag, supplies, spare parts, gas, etc on the trailer.
I want it single rear wheel (not sure if I have decided what size wheel yet) I might want it a BMX size wheel just to keep things compact, but if I decide to use a full size mountain bike size wheel it will have the ability to carry less supplies in case of break down. When everything is the same you dont have to carry 3 different size parts for 3 different size wheels. Plus a taller tire will have more contact patch and more rubber to wear letting the tire wear less then a smaller tire.
I want to be able to reasonably change gearing from a low gear hill country gear that will cruise about 20mph to a flat country tall gear capable of sprinting at say 40mph. I have built a simple change gear system that will only take a few min to change the gear, readjust the chain tension and off you go! not something you would do very often, but still have the ability and therefore save undue wear on your clutch.
I do not want any belts or anything that will wear and faster then a chain will
i want it to attach and push as close to the rear axle as possible
I want it to have a semi-quick disconnect, but a very solid hitch at the same time
I want the frame to be aluminum if I can find the materials at the scrap yard. If not ill cannibalize a few chromoly department store bicycles I have collected to build it out of chromoly.
Most importantly it has to be ultra reliable. I have a brand new Briggs 3.5hp flat head motor I got for $20 bucks at a scratch and dent sale. Plus I have a heavy duty centrifugal clutch that I have taken apart and put in the lathe and stripped all the motorcycle size gears off of it and I will fit the proper size sprocket on it when I figure out the right gear ratio.
I have also done the same thing to a regular BMX freewheel in order to put a larger sprocket onto it. Ill machine it for a good fit then tig weld a carrier on it that is keyed and bolted that allows me to change gears by taking a couple bolts off, swapping to the other sprocket setting the tension with a chain tensioner and then good to go!
The important thing about using a freewheel on the drive wheel is that if there ever was a failure in the motor there would not be all the parasitic drag of turning the whole chain and drive system. you wouldn't have to stop and unhook anything if you were in traffic and if you topped a large hill you could kill the motor and let it cool down while you coasted down the other side.
Thing I need to find out:
What do other push trailers weight?
What is the gear ratio that pushes a 100lb trailer and a 230lb guy up a hill without over stressing the motor?
What gear ratio will push the same load at 45mph?
Does the rear wheel usually stay planted or do people find that it tends to bounce?
More to come soon!
This is the part that I am starting with!
My buddy has a nice new TREK bicycle. so I can not put a motor in or on it.
I do not want to visibly have a motor on this bike. I want it concealed in the trailer.
The trailer is going to be actually pretty big, I want to be able to have all the cloths, tent, sleeping bag, supplies, spare parts, gas, etc on the trailer.
I want it single rear wheel (not sure if I have decided what size wheel yet) I might want it a BMX size wheel just to keep things compact, but if I decide to use a full size mountain bike size wheel it will have the ability to carry less supplies in case of break down. When everything is the same you dont have to carry 3 different size parts for 3 different size wheels. Plus a taller tire will have more contact patch and more rubber to wear letting the tire wear less then a smaller tire.
I want to be able to reasonably change gearing from a low gear hill country gear that will cruise about 20mph to a flat country tall gear capable of sprinting at say 40mph. I have built a simple change gear system that will only take a few min to change the gear, readjust the chain tension and off you go! not something you would do very often, but still have the ability and therefore save undue wear on your clutch.
I do not want any belts or anything that will wear and faster then a chain will
i want it to attach and push as close to the rear axle as possible
I want it to have a semi-quick disconnect, but a very solid hitch at the same time
I want the frame to be aluminum if I can find the materials at the scrap yard. If not ill cannibalize a few chromoly department store bicycles I have collected to build it out of chromoly.
Most importantly it has to be ultra reliable. I have a brand new Briggs 3.5hp flat head motor I got for $20 bucks at a scratch and dent sale. Plus I have a heavy duty centrifugal clutch that I have taken apart and put in the lathe and stripped all the motorcycle size gears off of it and I will fit the proper size sprocket on it when I figure out the right gear ratio.
I have also done the same thing to a regular BMX freewheel in order to put a larger sprocket onto it. Ill machine it for a good fit then tig weld a carrier on it that is keyed and bolted that allows me to change gears by taking a couple bolts off, swapping to the other sprocket setting the tension with a chain tensioner and then good to go!
The important thing about using a freewheel on the drive wheel is that if there ever was a failure in the motor there would not be all the parasitic drag of turning the whole chain and drive system. you wouldn't have to stop and unhook anything if you were in traffic and if you topped a large hill you could kill the motor and let it cool down while you coasted down the other side.
Thing I need to find out:
What do other push trailers weight?
What is the gear ratio that pushes a 100lb trailer and a 230lb guy up a hill without over stressing the motor?
What gear ratio will push the same load at 45mph?
Does the rear wheel usually stay planted or do people find that it tends to bounce?
More to come soon!
This is the part that I am starting with!
