Toys I like to play with

[winston66]

        

Here is a quick peek of a couple of my  other favorite toys that I like to play with.

Cheers , Winston66

[atoyot]

Is that a Royal Star trike with a one wheeler? Now THAT is different

[Biggles]

Whoa!  Uni-trailers I dig, but red and white checkers!?   

[Whizz]

Fascinating, three wheels at the front, one wheel at the back...never seen that before!!, very pretty!

[ST.George]

Always something interesting from the dark westside eh Winston?

The trailer's paint job is doing my head in. The monowheel on the trailer looks like the front end of some bike with it's disk brake an'all. And car tyres on the trike.

Very creative. Is this your own work?

[Rodd]

I like! Lot's of character and different..

It would be good to see the trailer painted to match the bike.. but interesting setup!

[winston66]

               

Thanks for the nice comments everyone.
One of my biggest problems here in the country is that I seem to get bored very easily and I do like making and experimenting with stuff.
I do agree  , that the paint job on the trailer is a bit different and it happened that way because my young bloke said that it would help to disguise any irregularities in the hand made free form trailer body, so we experimented , actually the trailer body was pretty uniform and summetrical so we need not have been so artistic, however I quite like the effect so it will probably stay that way.
Incidentally as I wanted to use it with my choice of rides for the day, there is a black one, a red one and now the latest one is white,I had to make a big compromise and just go for something that I felt would blend.
There is still some work to be done to finish the trailer for licencing, have to refine the towing hitch arrangment and make and fit a suitable lid, the electrical  (led stop and turn and running , all individual led's) lighting is completed and works well, so another couple of weeks or so and then it should be on the road.

Cheers to all , winston66             

[ST2UP]

Lovin the trike........and yeah something Austin Powers about the paint on the trailer......YEAH BABY 

[Mitch]

Great job Winston, any chance of some drawings and close up pics of the trailer and hitch construction? 
  Really interested in design and drawbar weight when loaded.
                       

[Abe]

Winston you are a man of many talents, Sir.

The trailer colour scheme reminds me of when the car makers drive their prototype cars on the street, with there funny patterns.
I'm lead to believe it is to confuse the spies from other car makers??
Are you worried about spies?? 

[winston66]

           

Mitch, and everyone else.

The hitch for a mono wheel trailer is a bit of a stumbling block to get over because , Australian Design Rules and Standards have to be conformed with, And there is nothing to choose from on the Australian market.
To get over this I am using a totally overbuilt devise called a Polyblock 4 WD. coupling and hitch adapter which is rated at 2000Kg. loading.
It is big , badly made and very ugly, But it is an approved item.
This is not what is needed for this application, it is not very well made,( I could make a better one myself) Its poor tolerances allow  an excessive amount of sideways movement of the trailer (tilting) in the rotational axes even though the coupling has been pinned to stop it moving. There is too much slop through the poly block pins. But initially I am forced to use a component that has the Australian Design Standard Approval, even though it is not suited to this application.
The only other recourse that is available to a build like this, is to design , and make , a hitch  and coupling to conform, and then get it certified and pay a bill of somewhere  around $3- 4000 .00
That is not feasible.
My research has not found me an alternative to what I have done at this time.
For those that are interested I am working on a little story about this build , along the same lines as I put up for The Expanding Teardrop Trailer Build.
It will probably be ready for posting in another couple of weeks or so.
Untill then ,Keep the sunny side up.
Cheers to all,
winston66 Northampton

      

[Biggles]

A mate of mine in Gladstone has a uni-trailer so I've picked his brains for you.

Here's his response:

My trailer came with the hitch for the towbar included. It uses a universal joint to achieve the same movement as the one on the forum. I honestly couldn't tell you whether it's ADR approved or not, but the bloke that sells the trailers has a compliance plate on the trailer, so one would have to assume the hitch is included.
There is a square socket that bolts to the towbar and a square tongue mounted to the universal joint that goes into the socket and is locked in place by a pin and an anti-rattle screw.
The universal joint allows the trailer to go up & down, and from side to side, but not lean. It therefore has to follow the lean angle of the bike. Crude but effective. I've attached a couple of photos that I hope will help to show how it works.



Obviously he has a 'Wing.  Here's the other shot:

[Sabie]

Good onya Winston.  Looks a neat set up.

[winston66]

Hi Biggles,

Wow those pictures and ideas, explanation are just the greatest.
I just hate it when I want to do something and the I have to  try to reinvent the wheel in order to get a reasonable result.
I figure that your mate is a better and more accomplished ideas man than me.
His solution to the problem is nothing short of brilliant in my opinion.
Do you think that he would be prepared to fabricate another unit for me?
Hitch and receiver.
I just love this forum for the interest, help , and friendship that all the members show to each other
Thanks again for your input.
Cheers , winston66

[Brock]

Winston,

perhaps you could go to your local wrecker ( or one of the farms maybe) and grab the drive shaft from a Falcon (Xb,XC, XD good stong shafts and uni joints) or a Holden equivalent. Use the gear box end to weld to the trailer, and fabricate hitching sockets for the bike. I'm sure you can visualise what I am thinking..

[STeveo]

A car one will be no good because they have a limited range of angle (about 30degrees). I am working on using a catergory 1 drive shaft from a small tractor. This will give a 90 degree + bending limit. I have welded a 40x40 x 6mm square tube to the joint that fits neatly inside a 50x50x6mm square tube, secured with a towbar type pin. This works well, but the ADR's are still a stumbling block and I may have to buy one of the approved 4WD type ones to get it registered (don't know what will happen to it after rego).

  

[Biggles]

Do you think that he would be prepared to fabricate another unit for me?

As I read it, he bought the trailer with that hitch.  You can see the compliance sticker on the towbar.  I deduce it's a Central Queensland builder, since he lives in Gladstone.  I can PM you the contact if you'd like to get in touch with the trailer builder.

[winston66]

Thanks Biggles ,I will PM. you,
Cheers ,Winston66