Big trailers

[lulubel]

I'm looking to buy a very specific trailer. It's main purpose will be to transport my dogs (2 of them, about 15kg each) for short distances, but it will also be used for shopping and general lugging stuff about. I don't have a car, and plan to keep it that way!

I don't want one of those fabric covered "dog" trailers, because I don't think they're very safe. If I got run off the road and rolled the trailer, I don't think my dogs would come out of it very well. I want a trailer that I can fix airline approved transport crates to (this kind of thing - http://www.zooplus.com/esearch.htm#q=iata - size 5 of either of the top ones would be big enough). Obviously, I would need 2 of them, one for each dog.

I've found a couple of manufacturers that make "big enough" trailers, both in the US, and I'd be looking at £600+ to buy the trailer and get it here. Then I'd need to customise it to attach the crates safely.

So, firstly, I'm wondering if there are any custom trailer manufacturers in the UK or Europe who could make something to my exact specifications.

Secondly, I'm wondering what the pros/cons are of having the crates mounted one behind the other (the only option with "off the shelf" trailers as opposed to side by side. To mount the crates side by side, you'd be looking at an overall trailer width of somewhere around 1.5m/4ft6, and I can see the obvious disadvantage (you couldn't really take it anywhere you couldn't take a car). What other disadvantages have I missed? Advantages seem to be more road presence, drivers are forced onto the other side of the road to overtake, not very likely to roll, and the whole setup is shorter (so easier for drivers to overtake).

Thoughts, anyone?

 

[Lanzecki]

Link the US trailers? €600 seems very expensive. Even being a large one. I could make then and they would be cheaper

Wide makes for more stability, but the cyclist has to be aware of the width. Narrow but long is the opposite.

 

[lulubel]

This is one example http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/specifications
I'd need the 64AW to get the width needed for the crates.
It's just short of US$1000 including the hitch and shipping (and the hitch option for disc brakes, which I have, doesn't look very substantial).

The other one I've looked at is this - Surly Bill
The trailer plus hitch is £670 from a UK company, but shipping to Spain will be on top of that.
I have a Surly bike (a frame that I built up into a bike) and I have no concerns about Surly's build quality. However, it's steel, and I think aluminium might be a better choice with the humidity levels we get here.

If I had to choose one or the other, I'd choose the Surly, even though it's more expensive, because I will be trusting it with my dogs' lives. I just think there must be European made alternatives, and I would still lean towards the wide rather than long option if I had a choice.

 

[Lanzecki]

The American Trailer has a load bed that's below the rails. The Surley's flat. 19" V's 24 " load bed width

The extra hitch of the surley isn't great as it moves the pivot point behind the bikes center of turning. But at these speeds it shouldn't matter.

For what they are, they over charge TBH. Going by those I could make a killing with the trailers.

 

[stuee147]

i used to have a trailer for my 2 dogs a collie and a boxer cross i also used to use the trailer for fishing and shopping look on ebay just search dog cycle trailer they are about £70 and well worth it i dont know how many miles i did with it and it never let me down i ended up selling it when i had no use for it a couple of years ago

this is the sort of thing

the one i had had a removerbal 3rd wheel that fitted to the front so it became like a big pushchair type thing handy to walk to the river with all the fishing stuff lol

stuee

 

[classic33]

@stuee147, couldn't you supply, custom built!!

 

[lulubel]

i used to have a trailer for my 2 dogs a collie and a boxer cross i also used to use the trailer for fishing and shopping look on ebay just search dog cycle trailer they are about £70 and well worth it i dont know how many miles i did with it and it never let me down i ended up selling it when i had no use for it a couple of years ago

Thanks, but I did say clearly in my first post that I don't want one of those because it would offer my dogs no protection against injury if I was forced off the road and it rolled.

The American Trailer has a load bed that's below the rails. The Surley's flat. 19" V's 24 " load bed width

The AW has a 27.25" load bed. That's the one I would need because I'd need a minimum 24"

I also appreciate that they're over-priced, but I'm not seeing any alternatives at the moment.

There's another company I found a while back that does completely custom trailers (I think they're in Canada). I'll see if I can find their website again and link to it, although I think they will be more expensive again,

 

[stuee147]

Thanks, but I did say clearly in my first post that I don't want one of those because it would offer my dogs no protection against injury if I was forced off the road and it rolled.

the one i had was very stable and it had a frame work that was like a roll cage there was also 2 places to secure the dogs leads to, not that i ever clipped them in i think it was safer with them loose they were both well trained so i didnt have any worry s about them trying to jump out. i dont see how it could of been any more safe for me or the dogs

stuee

 

[stuee147]

@stuee147, couldn't you supply, custom built!!

im sure i could lol

 

[ufkacbln]

Don't underestimate the dog / child trailers

A few years ago one was rammed in a road rage incident, the frame bent slightly, but the child was uninjured.

If they can understand a deliberate hit form a car then they will survive an overturn

 

[lulubel]

Don't underestimate the dog / child trailers

A few years ago one was rammed in a road rage incident, the frame bent slightly, but the child was uninjured.

If they can understand a deliberate hit form a car then they will survive an overturn

I'm sure the frame would be fine, but most of the "covering" surrounding the dog is fabric. Dogs aren't secured in a seat like children are, so would tumble around if it rolled (and I have had to go down a bank to avoid a car before, which would definitely have rolled a trailer). That's why I won't transport my dogs in anything less than the strongest crates money can buy.

I appreciate that you're trying to save me money, guys, and thank you for that, but I know what I want. It's just a case of finding it.

This is the company that makes custom trailers - Tony's Trailers

 

[Crackle]

Off topic, what dogs did you get. I recall you talking about it but you still had your cat then?

 

[Lanzecki]

The red fusion and similar trailers are very wide. The red fusion is 73cm (external width). The wider it is the more stable it'll be.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Leopet®-FAH18-Red-Fusion-Trailer-foldable/dp/B0090YN62G#productDetails

 

[Sara_H]

Can you put a crate inside the fabric trailers linked to here? I know that's what @Pat "5mph" does when she takes her cat to the vets.

 

[lulubel]

OK, I'm going to leave this discussion. I don't think anything useful is going to come of it.

Crackle, I PMed you.