Author Archives: bikecart

Rough prototype

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Rough prototype as of 1/11/2012

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The cross brace is made from short pieces of bike frame tube matched so the long pieces slide into sleeves, and bolted where needed, with axle bolts and nuts, from scrapped hubs. The tongue which is also part of the cross brace is made from a seat tube and down tube from a step over frame.

There is a seat post binder sleeve and bolt on one side, to allow the tongue to swivel to fit different frame sizes, and to act as a handle when wheeling the cart around on foot, that way the cart acts as a wheel barrow and the load doesn’t have to be transferred when going inside or walking around a  farmers market or some other venue that would allow the use of the cart while walking.  We’re not sure if the seat bolt binder set up will work yet the tongue may have a tendency to rotate under load, it may have to have a removable pin to lock it in place when it is attached to the bike.

The next step is to make a connector which swivels or rotates both horizontally and vertically, to allow the cart to turn  bike and rotate relative to the bike. These can be purchased from trailer manufacturers and through bike shops, but we’re going to try making them out of scraps.

Lighten up

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Well the holidays are behind us, and we’re moving forward on the Bike Cart project.

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It stands to reason that the lighter the trailer is,  the more cargo you could carry,  if you don’t compromise durability, or weight capacity.  That being said, how much difference will a couple of pounds of trailer make?  There is no doubt a point of diminishing returns, where you’ve increased the likelihood of  a structural failure.

A lot of people are going to fill a trailer to capacity whether  it’s feathers or compost, when it starts spilling over the top that’s when it’s full.  I think that has to be taken in to account when you build a trailer.  Design elements such as the shape and flexibility of  the supporting frame members can increase strength,  a lot more than adding weight in most cases.

The first thing we are trying is leaving the wheels assembled.  A spoked wheel has a lot of  strength. When it’s turned horizontal instead of vertical it’s not as strong,  but the design shown above was able to support my winter weight of around 180 lbs, or so, with no problem.  The tongue of the trailer, the part that connects it to the bike,  is made with a 27″ rim split in half  and fitted together. Initially this seems to have too much flex, but we think we can eliminate that problem by bolting it together more securely, or maybe stacking the rims vertically instead  of fitting them together horizontally.  we’ll see how that goes.

There will be a lot more on this subject later.  As I said before this process will be reported on as we proceed. Check back often for updates. Input is always welcome.

Suggestions for creating a cart out of salvage bikes

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The world is full of landfills full of bikes, here are some thoughts about alternative ways to utilize a salvage bicycle.

If we use the seat tubes, frame elements, head tubes and drop outs, for the connecting points. And seat posts, Stems, handle bars, crank arms, pedals, hubs, and bar ends for the connectors, we won’t have to machine these elements and it will make a bolt together assembly a lot easier and cheaper to create.

Using salvaged expanded metal, wire shelving, shopping carts, and other metal storage bins for the cargo areas will add to the strength of  the cargo area and in some cases be the whole cargo area ready made and already designed around standards in boxes, baskets, etc for a variety of uses.

Designing a standard main frame on wheels, that can be expanded to allow for various cargo platforms, makes production more efficient and less costly

Possible way to break up frame
Partial list of possible uses for various elements of salvaged bicycles
Wheels:
Wheels, mounting brackets, and cargo platforms
Frames:
Frames, and connecting brackets
Handle bars:
Connecting pieces, cargo support, handles for wheel barrow like use.
Seat Posts and stems:
mounting posts to connect frame elements together
Crank arms: mounting brackets to support cargo areas
Forks:
Handles, steering mechanisms, connectors to connect to other vehicles
Hubs:
Mounting points to connect forks to bicycles and other vehicles, Power take off point utilizing belts or gears and chains, rotating mounting points for folding cargo area and main frame elements
Bottom Brackets:
Mounting points for cargo area, drive element connectors,
Rotating joints for folding frame or cargo elements.
Crank arms:
Drive mechanisms, both hand and foot, rotating positioners to adjust dimensions and alignment of accessories

Bike Cart Project Begins

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Cart is adjustable to fit different bikes, people, and loads

Salvage Bicycle to Cart Project

The idea is to produce a low tech no weld cart using salvaged bicycles,  and other salvaged  materials.

Some of the specifications of these designs are:

  • Utilize minimum amount of salvaged bicycles and other salvaged materials
  • Low tech no weld construction, that can be taught to relatively un skilled workers, in a low tech environment.
  • Versatile design to allow for loading of diverse materials
  •  User friendly ergonomics
  • Low cost, somewhere in the $100 to $200.00 range retail.  Eventually developing custom configurations, to fit specific uses.

In the future we will be  developing vehicles with Power Take Offs, and accessories, that would be for various tasks such as milling, grinding, mixing, blending, sweeping, cutting ……..

All designs developed during this process will be free for anyone to use
Please keep in mind that this is a rough draft of the concepts.

We will expand on these concepts with accurate drawings, specifications, and production methods, as we develop the ideas presented here.

This work is being done in cooperation with the Ohio City Bicycle Coop

Ohio City Bicycle Coop is a community-supported 501(c)(3) corporation, and as such is always happy to accept donations.
If you enjoy the materials presented here and would like to support this project please contact
them via the web site or just click the donations link above. Please let them know it’s for the Bike Cart project.