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I've got a 2012/2013 Croozer Cargo trailer and its trailer hitch is very clunky. It's also difficult to couple and uncouple and I've hurt myself multiple times on the quadratic bolt sticking out at height of bicycle's rear axle. Additionally the part mounted to the bicycle makes it wider which causes issue when putting it in the boot of my car. (The bicycle is a Brompton folding bike and hence the size of the hitch matters, at least if it sticks out on the side like 5cm.)

Recently I saw new Croozer Cargo models at a dealer and I noticed that they now have a completely different trailer hitch system. Way more compact, less clunky, no more sharp 90° edges and easier to couple.

According to the dealer there's no chance of getting the new hitch system combined with my previous generation trailer—but this didn't seem a technical founded answer.

So anyone here knows if there's a possibility of retro-fitting my previous generation Croozer Cargo trailer with the current generation Croozer trailer hitch?

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  • Some photos of your existing setup and the setup you want to goto would be helpful. If they are just using standard tubing for the tongue, then it should be an easy swap. I have converted 2 none-burly trailers to use the flex connectors without any hassle at all.
    – BPugh
    Commented Dec 12, 2014 at 14:38
  • Good point. Will add some links to pictures of the different hitch generations.
    – Axel Beckert
    Commented Dec 12, 2014 at 14:53
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    So far I'm not seeing anything special about these trailers. Perhaps a closeup photo of your existing one that shows the hitch and some of the tongue? Here my own example photo: dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17697050/2014-05-22%2019.46.02.jpg This photo shows the results of a swap I did.
    – BPugh
    Commented Dec 14, 2014 at 0:07
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    I'll give you an answer to preserve the image and provide a little more info. If you provide measurements on your existing setup like the inner diameter or the tongue tube and how far back the securing bolt is then we might be able to provide some advice.
    – BPugh
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 14:18

2 Answers 2

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Maybe. It depends on differences beyond the hitch system for the trailer. Best bet is to find the model you want to upgrade to and take measurements and compare.

Typically you will find that the trailer tongue is made of plain tubing (be it square or round). I doubt that this will change much between model lines and years. What will change is probably the various bends in it to give the tire some clearance. The important part is that it is the same size tube on the inside (or really close). The hitch parts are then inserted into the tube and secured with a nut and bolt. If the inner diameter is good and the securing bolt is in the right place, make the swap.

I have done such swaps on both of my trailers. My kid trailer is a Pacific Voyager 2 and the other is a generic cargo trailer (happens to be a Asom Wonderer, but other sell it as well). Both trailers had a spring that came out of the tongue into the quick release assembly which then attached to the component that is mounted on the bike. It ends up that both trailers have tubing that is the right size for the Burley systems so it was a quick swap. All I did was undo the bolt, slide out the spring, then add the flex connector and bolt. Here is a picture of the setup from my cargo trailer:

Asom Wonderer cargo trailer using Burley flexconnector

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  • Thanks, IIRC one of the issues is that they changed from square to round tubing. But I plan to visit my bicycle dealer to take some pictures of the current models' hitch and will add them together with pictures of the hitch of my trailer. That should remove all doubt and vague information. (Actually I hoped to get some pointers to ready-to-use conversion-kits or adapters. But that may have been too optimistic. :-)
    – Axel Beckert
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 17:05
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    It probably won't make too much difference. Burley has a "square" tube flex connector which I questioned myself (bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/21666/…). I ended up using the round tube in this case because the square didn't fit. My other trailer is also a round tube. In this photo, the connector is a tad loose and jiggles so I will probably wrap some old inner tube to make up for it.
    – BPugh
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 19:52
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I have a croozer kid trailer (actually a Mec.ca equivalent from the mid 2000's) and it has the same square spring loaded hitch that is in this question. I also am in the predicament of trying to acquire the appropriate bike-side hitch bracket for the hitch. But after reading comments about how the spring mechanism is not very pleasurable to use, I'm considering trying to swap out the hitch for a Burley or Chariot mechanism.

Note: I know this question is outdated, but I have come across several others posts of people looking to find a solution to this problem so I figured I'd post my research - it seems that as trailers change owners, the hitch brackets are often left behind!

I have dismantled the hitch from the Croozer/Mec trailer arm shown in this image: original trailer arm The measurements are as follows:

  • tube diameter: 23mm
  • distance from end of the arm to pin hole (pin shown in the hole): 38mm

This post shows how an arm - very similar to this was replaced with a burley flex connector. http://www.commutebybike.com/2008/07/17/hitches-and-couplers/ One concern is the video indicated the fellow had to actually cut back the arm in order to provide the flex connector enough length outside the tube.

The post provides excellent information about the measurements of the various parts (i've copied them here in mm):

Burley

  • Round Tongue: 21.6mm
  • Square Tongue: 23.3mm

Thule/Chariot

  • Lollipop diameter: 19mm

More details about the Chariot parts can be found here: http://www.commutebybike.com/forums/two-wheel-bike-trailers/specification-on-the-chariot-hitch-cup-system/

One thing that isn't clear is the diameter of the hole in the lollipop or flex connector. In my case, the original hitch had a 6mm pin passing through the spring core connector. i found online that the lollipop pin is an M6 bolt, so it should work.

Due to the material of the burley, it's likely it can be made to fit, but since the chario lollipop is made of hard plastic, it maybe harder to modify.

I have a local store which has a Chariot Alternative Hitch (sorry not allowed to post more links) which I think I will give a try.

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  • I don't consider my question outdated. :-) Actually I'm quite happy about your answer as it shows that there are alternatives than I thought. I'll check if my favourite dealer also offers trailers from the other manufactures you mentioned and if so, will likely ask them if they can do such a modification. And yes, that picture shows the hitch I currently have and dislike. Thanks for all the links, too.
    – Axel Beckert
    Commented May 12, 2015 at 23:36
  • Ah, great, I wasn't sure if you were finished with this question or not :P Glad to hear it was useful.
    – banannacodepie
    Commented May 14, 2015 at 3:40
  • I did install the chariot lollipop on the arm using the alternative hitch dug up from the back of a local shop. The lollipop fits fine, and with a little wrapping of hockey tape fits the trailer arm snugly and contacts to the arm securely. The one problem is that the lollipop is a tad shorter than the spring so I can't turn right as much otherwise the wheel hits the bend on the trailer arm. I can still turn, just not as much :P
    – banannacodepie
    Commented May 14, 2015 at 3:46
  • Updated links for: The "Bike Trailer Hitch Upgrade" video from bikehacks.com and the CommuteByBike.com blog post discussed.
    – M.W.
    Commented Aug 28, 2017 at 22:10

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