One Wheel Trailer

[Bikerman]

Might sound strange, but I have a trailer with only one wheel! These were popular I believe in the 50s and 60s, Sears sold a one wheel trailer. Instead of the conventional ball hitch, these have two tounges forward of the corners that bolted to a bumper mount.

I bought mine at an estate sale from a neighbor, he was a doctor who long ago made house calls in rural areas and pulled the tiny trailer. Later on he modified it with plywood sides and front to pull with a small tractor. While I was promises the title, they never found it and I'm kinda stuck with it.

I also picked up an additional wheel assembly just like the one on the trailer. I guess he had gotten it, just in case.
Wish I could post pics, sorry. But if you know what the old motorcycle spring forks were like it's the same principal.

The wheel swivels 360 degrees much like a large caster wheel. I don't know what the load rating would be for this set up. As far as I can tell, it's probably the old Sears version.

My initial thinking was to have a small trailer for my lawn tractor, then I got the wilder idea of doing a build for my motorcycle. Decided now I don't want to mess up my 1600 cruiser and I don't see how I can put the frame work on my dual sport due to it's suspension......so......

What to do with it? Any ideas? I know some collect these trailers and they are still in use, saw a rally of one wheelers. I'm not posting to offer it for sale but I could get rid of it, but I rarely get rid of anything, LOL, so looking for suggestions of how to use it or use two of these wheels.

What kind of contraption might use these wheels? Thinking bikes, boats, additional trailer support, atv, maybe a big blade runner?

[pete42]

I did find this http://singlewheel.com/
I too have seen the old ones there is a company that I have seen in "trailer Life"
magizine that sells single and double wheeled trailers for motor homes and trucks.
I just can't find the ad right now.

pete

[Bikerman]

Hey Pete, Thanks, I found tons of one wheelers and saw one for sale, $2,500! Looks like I did pretty good....LOL, guess I won't be tearing it up!

Also saw a camper (platform with a tent) that had pontoons making it a boat and could be used for cargo. I wonder what the DMV folks would say, is it a trailer or a boat or both? Guess you'd have a tag along with the boat registration numbers.

[Verna]

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/rvd/3338123888.html

$1,850 for this one. I think I'd keep hold of the one you have.....and keep it in pristine condition. It looks like it might be worth more than you thought!!!!

[angib]

The problem I see with these nowadays is that they were invented when cars had solid metal bumpers onto which the trailer could be clamped in two places. Few modern vehicles have suitable mounting points - which may be why these seem quite popular with VW Bug owners, since they had suitable bumpers right into the 1980s.

So if you want to sell yours, TheSamba.com may be the place to do so.

Someone sells modern one-wheel (and also swivelling two-wheel) trailers and they offer a modified receiver to give two points to fix the trailer to.

[Bikerman]

Well, if I sell it, my ROI will be through the roof to some obscene %, it was my neighbor's son who sold it to me and might as well just say he gave it to me at a token amount to get it out of the way. Can't yell at him about the title, I know you can get a title some way.

Yes, i'd be pretty simple to make a T bar for the hitch and slid it in the receiver.

Hey, I might fix it up, sell out and roll that money into a slicker TD!

Still have one extra wheel left, may turn that into a small boat dolly.

I pushed that trailer accross the street, it was a bear to push with that swivel wheel, they are really made to pull along, it was about as hard to push in a straight line as a rope!

[mary and bob]

The John Deere lawn tractor I use at my part time job has a trailer with two swivel wheels. This trailer is for the leaf vacuum system, it attaches to the tractor on each side of the rear frame in a way that it can pivot up and down on uneven ground. I remember when Sears and Montgomery Wards sold those trailers.

[mezmo]

Hi Bikerman,

I see someone already mentioned the http://www.singlewheel.com/
website.

Here's a link to a thread that forum member Christopher Lang started back
in Feb 2012, I have a few posts on it with links that you may find useful.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=48683&p=910270#p910270

[Including this Paint drawing I did of an expanding single wheel TD idea.]
[Click on pic for larger view.]



He hasn't made any posts since then so we don't know what he ended up
doing.

Here's a link to a thread on an @1950 single wheel expanding tent camper from
Australia that I came across much later:

http://vintagecaravans.proboards.com/in ... read=10660

Quite novel for the times I'd say.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[mikeschn]

Does it have to be one wheel? Okay. Maybe this can be adapted to one wheel?



source: http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=42693

Mike...

[Bikerman]

LOL, Mike, that's pretty cool! I'm sure it wouldnever be accepted where I am, the Trooper that inspects at the HP office said the frame has to be perminately connected and it appears that's locked together. My tounge on my trailer has a box insert at the receiver where I can pull a pin and take the receiver out. Same set up on all hitches at the vehicle, just in reverse so no one can steal the trailer. The Trooper passed me but said I had to weld that (I never did). What kind of logic is that, a pin can be used on the vehicle for the ball, but not on the other side? Hmmm

But that is a sweet set up for the bike!

That one wheel expanded version above would certainly do it!

It's getting cold out and I have unfinished projects already. I'll start my big trailer first, don't know if I'll get to a one wheel project any time soon, just saying, it's sitting out here not being used and wondered if I should keep it for something later on.....answer to that is ....absolutely! If I could get the garage cleaned out before it gets really cold, that would be small enough to mess with inside. But seeing those ideas, it's worth fixing up, especially for my bike....but this one is pretty heavy!

[GuitarPhotog]

Roly started his now-famous 3X3 wheel-less teardrop as a one-wheel project. I believe he abandoned the one-wheel concept because of the necessity for welding "hard points" on his frame to support the trailer, since as someone pointed out, you can't use the bumper on modern cars.

I think a search for Roly's 3X3 project here will find you some info from his research.

<Chas>