As I noted in yesterday’s post about the test flight on the trailer, the towing hitch was a bit of a problem. I knew this from earlier tests installing the fixed, or dropout side of the towing bracket. To function properly as a universal joint, the fixed side bracket needs to be vertical with the “wings” parallel to the ground. I’ve considered several options for fixing this problem or rather adapting to a dropout that already has several fixed bits–rack mount, fender mount–in place. This sort of problem would be pretty common here in Portland as many of us already use rear racks and fenders throughout the year. Such is the case with the bikes that will pull this trailer.
Three possible alternatives for the fixed bracket
With the help of CS4 Illustrator, whose vector alignment improvements allow even a ham-fisted guy like me create decent graphics, I’ve sketched three possible solutions. I’ll leave it to commenters to tell me what they think works best. I’m no engineer, so I have no opinion or knowledge of which of these alternatives might be the most stable and strongest.
To get the full view of the illustration, click on it. It will open in a larger scale.
