Building a Bike Trailer

A bike trailer is easy to make and is useful for a variety of purposes, such as shopping, camping and transporting packages. A bike trailer is street-legal and comes in handy for those small moving jobs. You can make a lightweight trailer with a plastic container, old bike parts and two bike wheels. The completed bike trailer is attached to the rear of the bike and is removable with a wrench.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic container and lid
  • 2 bicycle wheels
  • Tape measure
  • Metal fork attachment from a bike
  • Small slat of plywood
  • Wrench
  • Drill bit
  • Screws
  • Drill flex screws
  • Bolts
  • Metal plates
  • Hitch pins
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Instructions

    • 1

      Obtain a large, sturdy plastic container with a removable lid that will be the bin for your bicycle trailer. You can buy an inexpensive plastic container from any department store. Take the measurements of all sides of the container before constructing the trailer part of your bike trailer.

    • 2

      Cut a piece of plywood two inches longer than the sides of the plastic container. The plywood will make the bottom of the trailer sturdier to carry the load contained in the plastic container. The thickness of the plywood will depend on the weight of the load you expect to carry in the plastic container. The plywood is attached to the bottom of the plastic container with bolts and screws.

    • 3

      Notch with a carpenter's pencil five equal parts on the longest side of the plastic container. Count from the back to two and a half. This line is where you will place the wheels on your trailer. The wheels must be parallel for hydraulic balance.

    • 4

      Using a drill bit, make holes on both sides of the plastic container. Attach hitch pins on both the inside and outside of the plastic container. Behind the hitch pins, place a piece of circular metal. Bolt the wheels in place with a wrench.

    • 5

      Remove a bike fork from another bike to use as the trailer fork. The fork is the part that attaches to the wheel of a bike. The men's version fork is preferable for use in making a bike trailer. There is a set of two small holes on either side of the bike fork. Attach the fork to the tow bar with bolts and screws. This is the side that will be attached to the tow bar that is then attached to the back of the bicycle.

    • 6

      Attach the tow bar behind the rear bike wheel, securing on either side directly below the bike seat. There are small holes in the bike for attaching with the drill flex screws. The bike trailer will be balanced and enabled to turn corners and curves without flipping over when the bike is in motion.