something different

[leo1287]

I like the idea of a push trailer. But, I need something different. We live at the end of 2 miles of dirt road. The trailers I have seen here have relatively small diameter drive wheels and tires. I need to get the chain out of the dirt. I also intend to build a trailer to carry at least 200 lb +. I will use 2 wheels and tires. Probably will need a jack shaft for the proper gear ratio. 30 mph top speed is sufficient, need power more than speed.
Will be buying HF 6.5 hp engine for power. Any suggestions as far as gearing would be helpful. I am thinking about pushing the rear axle instead of the seat stem because of the load factor.
What do you think?

 

[matthew]

I'm just building a small, less powerful electric trailer for use on paved streets, but I like the idea of pushing the axle instead of the seat post. actually, the seat post is not feasible for me because I use an extreme layback seat position so I can keep both feet on the ground when stopped.

It just seems like whatever sideways push or pull there is, would be amplified by the longer moment arm from the road up to the seatpost (vs from the road to the center of the wheel).

The bigger wheels make sense too, not just because of dirt, but I think it would smooth out the bumps some.

This guy

http://www.fieldlines.com/board/index.php/topic,130246.html

also opted for bigger wheels. He had an interesting idea for a transmission too.

 

[knobb490]

leo1287,

You might consider a belt drive which would be less prone to wear in dusty conditions. Also, regarding ratios, I've posted how I manually calculated my ratios for a build I'm currently involved in. See post "5" on this thread:

http://motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=29028

Tire size, speed, and engine rpm are all factors, and you don't necessarily need a jackshaft (I didn't use one). Good Luck

 

[leo1287]

I have been doing more thinking about my design. I saw on the trike group 20" wheels with 3" wide tires that looked like what I want. I am not sure if both wheels should be driven or just one, I can make the axle as wide or narrow as I choose. I live in an area of Mesquite and Chaparral and would be on dirt a fair amount. I need low speed power and not high speed cruising (25-30 mph is plenty), want to be able to move a fair amount of weight (200+ lbs).
When I build my push trailer it will have a rack over the top of the engine for carrying gear, extra bikes parts, gas, etc.