I went back to the trailer. The friction drive worked just fine but I would have had to strip the electronics from the pusher to get it back to where it used to be. I wasn't quite finished with the pusher yet.

Doc the problem with the trailer seems to be in the hitch. For the bike to handle normaly the trailer has to swing and tilt. And a pull trailer does that very well, the problem comes in when the trailer is powered I think. It it pushes the bike even a little while out of line the rear of the bike takes off and it all begins to fishtail.

When I built the bobtail pusher I didn't have the problem but it was almost impossible to make a right turn. However balance of the bike wasn't an issue since the trailer was always in line with the rear wheel. When the bike leaned the rear wheel leaned. With the two wheel trailer such is not the case.

I have tried several hitch designs and now it is getting closer. The latest incarnation of the hitch is a three point hitch. The main connection more or less lines up with the rear wheel of the bike. then there are two secondary connections from each corner of the trailer to a point farther up the hitch. The hitch is actually a frame that encloses the rear bike wheel. So far it allows for some lean of the bike, which helps with control. It does not allow for very much swing which seems to help. I'm going to keep testing it to see if I can just get used to the way it handles.

I build this one from a ebike I bought off craigs list but they would be easier to build from a 16" bike using both wheels and just weld a #25 sprocket over the bike sprocket so that you could take advantage of the freewheel already in place. I have a couple of motors and mounts that attach to the bile axle and that would work great. It's how I build the bobtail pushers.

I pulled the trailer off the bike and went back with my friction drive unit. I was never able to tame that trailer. I might go back to it or do something else with it but I just don't know right now.

another day

I redid the trailer connection to the bike and it does much better. I piggy backed a 12 ah nimh battery pack onto the sla pack I have and it did nothing detectable with the meter. Since it did draw down amps they are going somewhere so I'm going to keep fooling around with them.

Tomorrow I am going to ride the bike down the bike trail if the weather cooperates.

I finished the complete power assist trailer build today. Actually it's a lot like victory in Iraq it is finished but I'm sure a lot of adjustments will be required. I has everything mounted in the trailer. The only thing that runs to the bike is the throttle. I will eventually add a emergency kill switch as well.

I rode the bike. The trailer has to be secured so that it is rigid. Which makes it a lot like a tricycle. You aren't going to have a lot of maneuverability but it is possible to ride it quite comfortably. I plan to take it trail riding as soon as I test the battery pack tomorrow. I have a reading for two miles with just the sla pack. I want to add a nimh pack as well and read the battery results.

at least I'm getting closer to having the bike trailer running. It is actually running fine. The problem is in the tracking. If I get it a hundred percent stable it is impossible to turn or maneuver. However if I leave it loose it is like a death trap. It causes the rear end of the bike to shimmy dangerously. I am about at the compromise point now. The trailer itself does it's job quite well it seems.

I tried everything with that craigs list bike. It is just too hinky, so I decided to junk it for parts. Then I decided to use them to build a pusher trailer. I am going to build it capable of being self contained with just a throttle on the bike. I doubt that I will rig it that way, but it will be an option. I have the trailer built but I am modifying it. It is going to end up being a bob trailer with it's own sidecar. for the batteries. the drive wheel will be in line with the rear bike wheel and the side wheel will stick out on the traffic side. I will call it the suicide trailer since most likely an auto will hit the sidecar while trying to pass me in the middle of oncoming traffic.

I have made a heck of a lot of small corrections to the bike, it was in awful shape. I can ride it pedaling but the bike is very unstable with the trailer. I am trying to remount the trailer. Instead of the side mount, I'm going to try to mount it from the seat post. I have no idea if it will help or not. But I am afraid of the bike without some kind of stability.