Hi All,

First of all, thanks to all who advised on my recent trailer extention.
I got some 12mm ply cut to size by a local hanyman shop and put
beading all round it and then slotted the panels into the trailer.
This has extended it upwards by approx 6-8 inches adding a few extra
cubic feet of capacity (just as well as a friend asked us to take a
load of their gear down to camp!)

Instead of attaching the wood to the trailer with elastic and then
attaching the canvas cover to the wood in the same way, I opted to put
some loops of guy rope through the existing elastic on the trailer
cover to allow it to still attach to it's original "buttons"

Next project is to add roof bars to the trailer so that I can then some
bike carriers.

Anyone done this and have any tips?

The main options i've seen commercially are to attach a frame to the
lower part of the trailer/chassis (see
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46325464@N00/217569962/ ).

Or to attach a couple of butch specially designed roofbars direct to
the trailer (the latter are manufactured by Erde for their range of
trailers, available from Wilstow and shown here.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNIVERSAL-HEAV...ayphotohosting

The trailer isn't either Sunncamp or ERDE, and I do have a spare set of
roofbars designed for gutterless cars, also the above options are both
a little expensive, 85 and 100ish pounds respectivly.

So, onto the questions....

Has anyone mounted a set of roofbars onto a trailer via DIY method?

How did you do it?

If not, how would people recommend doing it?

Emulate one of the above methods, or something different?

The message .com
from contains these words:

Next project is to add roof bars to the trailer so that I can then some
bike carriers.

Anyone done this and have any tips?

Mine's got a solid ply top so I screwed the bike carriers straight to
the lid with a spreader underneath to stop them leaning over.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

wrote in message
oups.com...

snip
Next project is to add roof bars to the trailer so that I can then
some
bike carriers.


As a rough guide to the sort of strength you should be achieving,
picture (or try) the trailer tilted forwards at 40 degrees, then
sideways at about the same angle. If the load falls off, or over, or
buggers the trailer, it will do the same under heavy braking or
cornering.

Are the trailer tyres, wheels, bearings, suspension, and tow hitch rated
for this extra load? Are they all in top condition? It will be a
rarity among trailers if they are.


--
Kevin Poole
**Use current month and year to reply (e.g. )***

Autolycus wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

snip
Next project is to add roof bars to the trailer so that I can then
some
bike carriers.


As a rough guide to the sort of strength you should be achieving,
picture (or try) the trailer tilted forwards at 40 degrees, then
sideways at about the same angle. If the load falls off, or over, or
buggers the trailer, it will do the same under heavy braking or
cornering.

Are the trailer tyres, wheels, bearings, suspension, and tow hitch rated
for this extra load? Are they all in top condition? It will be a
rarity among trailers if they are.

Dunno.

But I wouldn't have thought it would be a problem. We're talking about
a maximum of 50 - 60 Kilos, could be a good reason to use the kind of
carrier which puts the bike upside down though, as i'd imagine the top
and middle is where most of the weight is.

The trailer is a modern (last 5 or 6 years) Conway Carrier, 10" wheels
with taper roller bearings in the hubs serviced last year. I doubt
it's done more than 1000 miles total in it's life, though of course the
tyres are getting a little old and spend most of the year sitting in
the same spot.

Wouldn't have thought it would be any worse than an ERDE with factory
fitted hard top and load bars.