Bike trailer?

[maverick351]

Not exactly sure where this kind of thread should go. I am looking to build or buy a bike trailer to use for hunting. Maybe help me get further back off the beaten path of a motorized vehicles. Has anyone else on here done this and have any ideas?

 

[WoodBow]

It will eat your lunch with much weight on it with much of a hill. I have a burly bike trailer that i pull my 5 year old in when im training. It isnt a big deal on flat ground but oh the hills. Bike trailers can be found cheap on CL and FB. I would buy one used and mod as desired.

 

[Felix40]

^ x2
Unless I was traveling in on a solid, fairly flat road I would much rather walk and carry a pack than pull a trailer with my bike.

 

[Old_Navy]

It sounded like the intent was to manually pull it like folks do with Pulks or toboggans in the snow.
using fat mountain Bike tires & keeping the weight centered over the axle it may be a viable option

 

[wapitibob]

I bought a Burley with the dual axle supports. Remove the snap in seats, stick a piece of 3/8 plywood on for a deck and head out. Mine cost less than $100 complete with the aluminum deck support and plywood. 30 minutes to do all the work.

 

[maverick351]

Not a bad idea. I'll look into it more. It was just something that I've seen and it seemed like a good idea as a way to carry in a tree stand and set up off the beaten path behind some blocked off roads.

 

[Live Montana]

My buddy and I are working on a design right now. I will keep the group updated. I agree, you don't want to haul much weight and even downhill with weight could get interesting fast. I'm thinking of a unit that could basically take my backpack to the end and then pack from there and then use to take loads of meat out.

Who knows, we are looking at options now.

 

[j-bow]

Check out the BOB trailers! I have a chinese knock off I bought on eBay for like $80. I made some mods and beefed it up a little. I have used it for the last 3 years in Montana. Works awesome! Even with a decent load, it's not bad to pull at all. I have had the burly trailers for my kids when they were small and they get pretty rough to pull! The single axle is the way to go! One of my buddies that goes with us tried the burly trailer one year and it was constantly tipping over

 

[elkguide]

As a crazy bicycle nut, (bad year last year and only rode 4000+ miles out on the road) I found out through sad experience that no matter how strong you are and even with one of the newer fatbikes, having a load behind you going downhill gets really exciting, FAST!!!!!! A trailer carrying tree stands or gear in is a life/leg saver but trying to carry very much weight downhill is pretty hairy when you have your brakes locked up and you are still gaining speed.

 

[akaodie]

I built my own trailer, and it is not too bad with up to about 75lbs, but like others have said the hills kill. I have gone through two chains and one rear cassette on my Surly Pugsley fat bike. I live in coastal Alaska and use my bike to pull my cooler and my kids fishing gear on the beach. Other than the extra maintenance on the bike the trailer has been great. Will post some pics when I get a chance.

 

[Floorguy]

BOB wagon is the only way to go if it is single track or rutted 4 wheeler trail. Downhills can get sketchy with the extra weight. I would look at depending on what you have upgrading brakes and making sure they are properly set up. I have used the 2 wheel similar to the burly in the pic above and on the dirt road it was ok it was crap everywhere else.

 

[Regul8r1]

I would suggest getting a surly rear rack and panniers. The surly racks are rated for 80lbs. I used this for deer hunts carrying most gear on the rack and then just rifle/bow and optics on my back. Max around 50-55lbs. You can still climb with that weight and you don't have to worry about where the extra tires are. I have also hauled this same load out with another, 70lbs of boned deer meet and antlers. Very little climbing on way out. I do train a lot on a bike. It was a lot better than back packing it out.

 

[maverick351]

I have a giant talon 0 29er I am planning on using. I did really like the idea of just a rack on the rear as it would seem easier to use than a trailer. I just had read that it would be harder since the weight over the rear wheel would throw things off balance.

 

[Regul8r1]

I was using a 29r - surly karate monkey bike. All of the weight on the back does make the front lite, but if it is steep you will be pushing anyways. I always strapped a stuff sack with 5lbs or so on the handle bars.

 

[Mike7]

I have a BOB trailer, a beafy homemade seatpost hitch type trailer, and a $30 yard sale Burley aluminum frame kid hauler trailer that I stipped down and fitted just with webbing straps & a large tote. They all have their pros and cons, but the only one I NEVER use for hunting now is the BOB trailer. So, I would recommend that you try a BOB trailer with some weight in it if you can on the terrain that you will be riding, before purchasing. It is fine with with very light loads on trails which aren't too steep (not good for hunting for me), so I would rather carry a pack and push my bike than dealing with that trailer.

I have had my 50 lb homemade trailer loaded with 75+lbs of base camp and can push it and my bike up just about any road...and have had a 150 lb load going back out downhill without any problems on a regular grade forest service type road while going slowly. Things that help with this though include having having disc brakes and having a small enough frame that a guy can put his seat all of the way down and sit on the seat while easly touching the ground with his boots. I am 6 ft tall and my 29er mountain bike is too tall for me to do this.

I think (I haven't tried it yet) that I could take out an entire elk on my homemade trailer, but on steep parts I would need my buddy to hook up to the back of the trailer with a paracord to give some additional slowing/stopping power.

 

[xziang]

What we've done is to use a normal deer cart and then make sure you have the back rack on your mountain bike. Drill a hole in the deer cart and put an 'I' bolt in so you can affix it via carabiner to the back rack of your mountain bike. It works great for our intended purpose. I've used it on levee roads and trails which are basically double track and not open to vehicles.

 

[oregonsteelheader]

Check these out:
https://www.facebook.com/FatalPak/photos/pcb.904281532954588/904272072955534/?type=3&theater

 

[Readypro1]

Not exactly sure where this kind of thread should go. I am looking to build or buy a bike trailer to use for hunting. Maybe help me get further back off the beaten path of a motorized vehicles. Has anyone else on here done this and have any ideas?

Here is one of my trailers I have built a few for hunting and use as cargo a trailer. For any kind weight the seat post hitch with hydraulic disc brakes is the way to go. The bob style I like for road touring or lighter loads.
With the use of the tote I can keep things dry and dust free or load quarters without lashing anything down

 

[go4thegusto]

The Burly Travoy is pretty slick if you are traveling light. Could maybe use larger wheels.

 

[lak2004]

Here is one of my trailers I have built a few for hunting and use as cargo a trailer. For any kind weight the seat post hitch with hydraulic disc brakes is the way to go. The bob style I like for road touring or lighter loads.
With the use of the tote I can keep things dry and dust free or load quarters without lashing anything down

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I was hoping this would end up here, I was going to cross-post from iFish, because I think yours is a sweet setup.