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I am not aware of any two-wheeled trailer with (intentional) camber. Are there any? If not, why don't two-wheeled trailers use a little bit of negative camber?

I think it would reduce the stress on the wheels in turns and also slightly improve stability (due to wider base). A small enough amount would not affect total width nor usable area as the wheels are widest at the hub.

Race cars used to use camber, sport wheelchairs use it (I think regular ones don't only because it would make them wider), so why not trailers?

I am willing to believe it causes an increase in rolling resistance, but I don't think it is significant enough.

I've been thinking about this for a few weeks now and I still can't see a reason why it would not work.

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  • I suspect that simplicity and light weight are factors. Plus the fact that many potential purchasers would think the trailer defective.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Mar 29 '17 at 12:27
  • @DanielRHicks I can see the potential for perceived defectiveness, but how would it get any heavier or more complex?
    – Matej Lieskovsky
    Mar 29 '17 at 12:34
  • You would not be able to use a straight rod/tube for the axle, but would have to use some formed piece.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Mar 29 '17 at 12:36
  • Why not? I can fit the hubs at an angle by moving the dropouts. I think most trailers don't use a single axle for both wheels...
    – Matej Lieskovsky
    Mar 29 '17 at 12:50
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Tyres wear a heap faster when they're not square to the road surface. For example, tadpole recumbents wear out front wheels very fast.

Also, those riding bikes while towing trailers are going relatively slow. I've managed to roll a kiddies trailer that was loaded with two landrover road wheels weighing 68 kilos, but that took a speed of around 22 km/h on a fairly tight roundabout.

Certainly it could work - you'd want wheelchair stub axles and mount the receiver tubes at a slight angle.

Downsides, your wheels would suffer from sideways stress toward the middle when travelling straight and standing still.

Also, the wheel bearings are going to be under more stress all the time too.

Racecars and race wheelchairs are about performance, not longevity, so a different set of requirements.

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  • 1
    I forgot about camber thrust ruining tyres. Silly me. True, but I can pick up quite a bit of speed on even a slight downhill and flipping the trailer once was more than enough. I think I can use a regular hub with tilted dropouts. Any particular reason for the wheelchair axles? Concerning the bearings, I still think it would reduce maximum axial load, but yeah, might add a few percent to the average. I wonder which is worse...
    – Matej Lieskovsky
    Mar 29 '17 at 12:48
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    @MatejLieskovsky If you have the skills and equipment, and time then give it a go. I'm curious to see how it works in practice.
    – Criggie ♦
    Mar 29 '17 at 19:34
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On top of Criggie's answer there's another practical reason: camber would increase the width of road taken up while simultaneously decreasing the usable width. When towing I'm already very aware of how much road I take up (especially around potholes) and would need a quite compelling reason to increase this further.

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  • My idea was that if I make the camber small enough, the bottom and the top of the wheel would only stick out to where the ends of the hub are. I'll add an illustrative picture when I get back home.
    – Matej Lieskovsky
    Mar 29 '17 at 12:53
  • Then it's probably not worth having. Your example of race wheelchairs suggests quite a significant camber.
    – Chris H
    Mar 29 '17 at 12:57

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