Pulling a Trailer

[davyboy]

Can I fit a trailer behind my trike, I have quick release skewers?.

[gaz]

Tadpole trike, I'm sure others do without issues.

Delta trike, I'm not sure how that would work.

[[XAP]Bob]

Tadpole - same as a bike BUT...

It needs to be a two wheel trailer.

[yakdiver]

I towed my Bob Yak behind my trike with quick release, some say you shouldn't use a single wheel mines OK

[[XAP]Bob]

I towed my Bob Yak behind my trike with quick release, some say you shouldn't use a single wheel mines OK

Ah, Ok.

A bob yak is somewhat differently mounted to most trailers, but I'd still advise against it because of the torque being put through the connection.

[hercule]

Can I fit a trailer behind my trike, I have quick release skewers?.

Yes. Two wheel trailers are recommended for trikes as mentioned above.

I've got a Carry Freedom Y-frame, although it was pricey it's very sturdy and will apparently carry up to 90kg. After enquiring they made a central towbar for me so I can swap it easily between the QNT and the Kettwiesel.

This is just a light load, I've had three 60l bags of compost on the trailer before now...

[jayjay]

I recommend checking the skewer type if you attach a trailer hitch to a quick release axle. Mine turned out to be hollow, now swapped for a solid one, and tandem length to get the threads going all the way through the nut. Carry Freedom Y Large behind Ice trike, very happy with the result.
CF recommend a lower weight limit with a QR than for a nutted axle.

[KM2]

I would have thought a tadpole trike would be better with a two wheeled trailer and a kettwiesell etc could cope with a single wheel one. Simply because of the rigidity etc on corners.

[[XAP]Bob]

The issue with a single wheel trailer is that it is designed to lean with a bike.

A trike, or any sort, doesn't lean into corners, so a single wheel trailer will try to fall outwards. If the wide axle (front or rear) of a trike has one wheel on a lump then the trike does tilt, and the single wheeled trailer must follow this tilt - again requiring torque - and this is probably a higher, if transient, torque.

The torque required to resist this falling, or to follow uneven terrain, must be supplied through the connection - which is likely to be designed to lean with a bike, not to transmit torque as needed on a trike.

A two wheel trailer does not lean or fall, and so there is no torque required. More significantly the hitch allows for rotation, since a conventional bike needs to lean relative to the trailer. This allows for uneven road surfaces, by allowing each axle to articulate independently.

Obviously all of this goes out of the window with a tilting trike - but it depends on what produces the tilt.