5

I've bought a trailer second-hand (it's really two trailers welded together - quite original) and I don't know what brand it is. Eventually, after several years the drawbar simply broke.

This is the broken drawbar and the part that attaches to the trailer:

This is the broken drawbar and the part that attaches to the trailer

This is the part that attaches to the bike:

This is the part that attaches to the bike

Can anyone recommend somewhere I could buy similar parts?

Improve this question
5
  • 1
    Do you tow children, or stuff in this trailer?
    – Criggie ♦
    Dec 22, 2017 at 19:58
  • 2
    Examine the rest of the trailer closely for further damage before you commit to this repair.
    – Criggie ♦
    Dec 22, 2017 at 20:03
  • Could you post a photo of entire drawbar? Is it straight or bent pipe?
    – krzyski
    Dec 26, 2017 at 16:43
  • Thank you all for excellent answers and comments. Sorry that I've been inactive here, mostly due to family reasons. I've used the trailer for both children and luggage over the years, it looks rather beaten indeed but I would very much like to find time to maintain and polish it a bit - maybe even buy new textile for the covers. Some day :)
    – hallvors
    Jan 30, 2018 at 7:43
  • BTW I suppose the children have grown out of being driven now, so from now on it will be mostly stuff ;)
    – hallvors
    Jan 30, 2018 at 7:45

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

You have two parts that you need to replace - the tow bar and the hitch mount.

Tow Bar Fixing the tow bar is pretty easy. You just need a piece of steel tubing that is just a little bit larger or smaller in diameter than the existing tubing so that it'll fit like a sleeve - then bolt or rivet them together. If you aren't carrying kids or animals in the trailer, a solid piece of hardwood doweling would also work.

A good hardware store will have tubing repair clamps that could also work (I'd still drill safety pins/rivets in it to make sure that longitudinal forces don't pull it apart):

Pipe repair clamp

Alternately, you could replace the tow-bar altogether by getting tubing of the same diameter and asking a local metalshop (autobody shop, metal sculpter) to bend it to the right angle and drill holes in the right places. Some homecenters also have tubing benders that they can let you use to bend the tubing (they have them for bending electrical conduits). Getting a new tow bar made is the most expensive and might overkill but is the strongest of the options.

Hitch Mount: You could recycle your old hitch mount but they are a wear item and it'd be good to use the occasion to replace it. The parts for a new hitch mount are readily available. My trailers use a Sunlite style hitch:

Sunlite Hitch

You can also buy parts for a Burley style hitch:

Burley Hitch

Cost/Safety/Performance: If the rest of your trailer is as beat up as your tow-bar, you might consider just replacing the entire trailer as your tires and axles are most likely also at the end of their lives. Trailers are pretty cheap and you could just buy a new one for 150 eurodollars or if you look at a thrift store or on your country's equivalent of Craiglists, you might find a replacement trailer for less than 50 eurodollars (which is about what the repair would cost).

If you get one with the same wheel size, you can keep your old wheels and tires for spares. You could also easily repurpose your old trailer as a lawn handcart (wheelbarrow).

Improve this answer
4
  • Concur - replace the whole drawbar with a new piece of steel tubing. You can pattern the shape on the old one, but get tube with thicker walls. Get it bent to shape by a car exhaust bender, to avoid crimping the tube (ie you can't do this in a vise at home without a proper bending mandrel) Consider using new bolts too, not recycling the old ones. And examine the rest of the trailer closely for further damage.
    – Criggie ♦
    Dec 22, 2017 at 20:03
  • 'eurodollars' do not exist (as you well know) Better use euros/dollars to not confuse the poor people who do not know that the money is not real.
    – Willeke
    Dec 24, 2017 at 15:36
  • +1 for spring replacement recommendation - the material may get fatigued. -0.5 for repair clamp advice. Look at the shorter part of broken drawbar: it should be slided into the black C-section at least to dept of 2nd hole. Then the crack is just at the end of C-section and there is no space for clamp to hold both parts together. For cheap fixture, if the drawbar is long enough, I would consider drilling holes in the remain part, but this all apears to be false economy.
    – krzyski
    Dec 26, 2017 at 16:42
  • 1
    Hahaha, I noticed that about the break location after I wrote that part of the answer but decided to keep it in just in case someone else had a break in a better part. Still +0.5 total for the answer isn’t bad. :)
    – RoboKaren
    Dec 26, 2017 at 18:34
1

The mounting point is Thule ezHitch axle mount, so maybe it is an old Thule trailer. You can check al local dealer.

But... I suppose it would be expensive to get that this way. All you need is metal tube you can get in DIY store. Undo rivets, drill holes as on the old one and you're done. Local locksmith service should do it for you for reasonable price.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.