How to repair a bike trailer to hold kids?

Two years ago, we got this bike trailer. Looking online, it looks like these things are 30+ tI'm thinking the trailer itself is probably 15+ years old, and the vinyl canvas finally cracked and died. It's no longer safe.

This is what it looked like before:

not my picture

We stripped off the old, brittle material. But how do we get it ready to receive children?

My husband thinks we should just stick a rubbermaid tub on top and put the buckles through the bottom. I'm not so sure that's secure and safe. Any ideas on a relatively easy way to rehab this thing?

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE TURN IT INTO A CHARIOT!!!  Hahaha (You're teaching them about history, right?)

Hahaha! We already call it "The Chariot"! The problem is, I have NO IDEA how to make it into a chariot. My building skills are seriously lacking.

If you can turn the cage part around backwards, it would pretty much be a chariot. You could wrap the metal tubing with something like rattan to look natural. You could weave something like a basket on the cage and some boards for a floor, or plywood. If they are very young, a simple net back could keep them from falling off the back. I don't know why, but for some reason it seems to me that it would be much more fun for a kid to stand up than to sit down and ride. The kids could help do a lot of it, I think.

Oh what fun! Especially if your kids are girls. That thing could be decorated to the max so little girls would feel like real princesses!

Since kids small enough to ride in there probably don't weigh very much, you could get corrugated plastic to repair it. Home depot has it in large sheets. It's pretty sturdy and it never dies. You would need more than one layer for the floor part each with the lines running in opposite directions, as it creases like cardboard with little effort with just one layer. It's very lightweight, so it wouldn't add hardly any extra weight to the load.  It could be used for the back and sides too. If you wanted to get creative, you could cut doors in it. You'll need duct tape for the cut edges, as it is sharp after cutting. Hobby lobby and even walmart has many colors and patterns of duct tape.

Hi, Love the chariot idea.  How heavy is the child and how much weight can the trailer hold?

OK a couple of things.  It looks like the white straps in the center need replacing. Drill out the rivets, and get web straps, put grommets in the ends  of the straps and rivet or bolt them to the frame. Grommets can come with a tool to attach the two pieces together. You just need a hammer and a solid surface to punch em together. Then there looks like you need a floor.  I would get treated 2x4 s and bolt them to the frame. It looks like the frame is aluminum so drilling holes in it should be easy.

Then you need a box structure to hold children or garden vegetables.  A heavy duty tote tied down with ratchet straps could work.  Or a box made of wood with maybe old pillows to sit on, and screw the box to the 2x4 s.

Then you need siding.  fabric to cover the sides and top. Maybe an old sheet? or used tent?  Again I would use grommets at the edges and attach the fabric with zip ties.  

Just an idea for you to consider.

Happy Biking

Ooh, I love the thought of fixing up bike trailers, and have been quite tempted to put my nonexistent building skills to the challenge to build my own, but for now I just look at other folks ideas for them :D The best place I've found for inspiration is Instructables, which I thought may help you too: https://www.instructables.com/outside/howto/bike+trailer/
Most of the guides there are for converting a kids trailer into a cargo trailer, but that may not be such a bad thing if you're looking for more of a wagon style.

Best of luck, and I can't wait to see the results!

Perhaps it's time for a lesson on Shang dynasty warfare.


From here.

Make what looks like a box on an axle.
I would find some pallets, and create panels that look like the lid on this box.

For the sides, just attach the panels to the outside of the frame by using u-bolts.


I imagine the same method would work for the floor, though more care may be needed in its contruction. Like more cross bars? The walls could be made from roundwood instead, with pallet cross bars to hold them together.

Of course, maybe the panels would be too bulky to fit between the frame and the wheels.

How did you get on? We just got one out of a skip that needs a load of new fabric sewn and assembled. Some of the straps still look useable! We are about to go on a month long bike trip so I definitely need to fashion something very very soon. Not great at sewing but a local group will be able to help me out I think.

Was wondering about using upholstery straps to create a failsafe structure first. And as the boy will be in it for most of the day I want to make sure the windows are good and he can lie down or sit up.

Many thanks

My husband ended up putting a large rubbermaid container in it for the kids to ride in. But, we only ever used it while riding slowly on our private road. I would not trust it at faster speeds.

So, sadly, I don't have any answers for you, but hopefully someone else might!

I think upholstery straps are a good start!

This is totally a blast from the past. My 30 yr old used to ride in one of these!

1. It was the attachment to the bike that failed first. We had to work very hard to put together a replacement from a bike shop that could be considered road safe with children. Definitely worth the effort.

2. Apparently the wheels needs some ball bearing work. I will have to look into that if I decide to prepare it for use with the next generation.

3. My plan was to replace some of the fabric which goes brittle far too quickly for my taste, with light aluminium straps in key locations for safety, and then consider what material - maybe even more thin aluminium sheeting, to make it like an Airstream trailer! Possibly beyond my skill set, and not cheap, but I'm getting really tired of stuff that degrades just sitting there.

4. I don't see any way to get around some fabric and plastic for windows, and it will need to stay light to be useful.

5. FYI - the original specs were for 100 lbs. unless my memory is off. It is pretty easy for 2 children to exceed that, so keep it in mind if you're doing similar trailer repairs.

However, when my youngest was too young to be bike safe, I used our Burly to take him and his older brother bike camping. It was a blast. The older one was a very good cyclist for his age, and managed a couple of light paniers. With only 1 child in the Burley, most of the gear got packed in around him and I had a 2 small paniers as well. We didn't go too far.

It probably got more use as a double stroller than a bike trailer, but the use it did get meant I didn't have to use a car during that critical time frame of the youngest being too young to cycle, while the oldest needed supervision going to and from school a mile away.