DIY Bike trailer for hunting/fishing
I always wanted to try a bike trailer to access the backcountry for hunting and fishing. There's definitely some fire roads that are closed during the hunting season where riding a bike and using a trailer would really save a lot of time and energy. Plus, they might even work on other trails that might not be a full fire road, but wide enough for a bike & trailer.
So I started watching the free section of Craigslist and found a bike trailer that was meant to hold kids. I took it apart and rebuilt it up using much of the same hardware. I put in a wood floor and tie-downs. Added cross supports using existing brackets. Cut the height down to be lower and capped the ends. The final product came out great. I bet it cost me $20 in materials.
This can easily hold 50lbs and most likely much more. Fire roads, even with an incline are easy riding. I've learned that good tires and disk brakes are needed for downhills if you have a lot of weight in it. I have yet to carry a elk quarter out, but look forward to giving it a try. I expect this will make getting game out of the backcountry....well, not enjoyable but less painful. The beauty of this is that it fully collapses down for storage as well. As I improve my sewing skills I might make nylon mesh sides to it, just to keep things more secure and minimize the chance of a strap or something reaching the tire. It was fun project. Pictures below give you an idea of pre/post, although these are two different models (found another one for free and use it for kids).
I always wanted to try a bike trailer to access the backcountry for hunting and fishing. There's definitely some fire roads that are closed during the hunting season where riding a bike and using a trailer would really save a lot of time and energy. Plus, they might even work on other trails that might not be a full fire road, but wide enough for a bike & trailer.
So I started watching the free section of Craigslist and found a bike trailer that was meant to hold kids. I took it apart and rebuilt it up using much of the same hardware. I put in a wood floor and tie-downs. Added cross supports using existing brackets. Cut the height down to be lower and capped the ends. The final product came out great. I bet it cost me $20 in materials.
This can easily hold 50lbs and most likely much more. Fire roads, even with an incline are easy riding. I've learned that good tires and disk brakes are needed for downhills if you have a lot of weight in it. I have yet to carry a elk quarter out, but look forward to giving it a try. I expect this will make getting game out of the backcountry....well, not enjoyable but less painful. The beauty of this is that it fully collapses down for storage as well. As I improve my sewing skills I might make nylon mesh sides to it, just to keep things more secure and minimize the chance of a strap or something reaching the tire. It was fun project. Pictures below give you an idea of pre/post, although these are two different models (found another one for free and use it for kids).
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