Bicycle Trailer Selection Guide
We make many different sizes of bicycle trailers. Which one is right for you will depend on what you want to carry on your trailer.
Choosing the Right Length
The trailer needs to be long enough to carry your cargo. Long items like canoes and ladders can extend beyond the trailer frame as long as they don't make the trailer too "back-heavy". A back-heavy trailer is difficult to control and will lift your bike in the air when parked.
The longer trailers are designed to allow you to carry different length loads by changing the axle position of the trailer. For long items like those described above, it's best to position the axle near the rear of the trailer frame. For shorter loads like groceries, landscape mulch, or recycling, it is best to have the axle near the center of the trailer. This puts more of the cargo's weight on the trailer wheels and less on your bike's rear wheel, which can fail if it is overloaded.
| Trailer Series | Axle Position | Maximum Cargo Length | Typical Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 (32A/32AW) |
 |
3 ft 8 inches / 1.1 m | run errands, personal grocery shopping, bike touring, carry small animals |
| 64 (64A/64AW/64AD/64AWD) |
 |
7 ft / 2.1 m | transport bicycles, move medium-sized pieces of furniture, carry tools or step ladders; deliver products |
 |
9 ft / 2.7 m | carry lumber up to 8 ft / 2.4 m long | |
| 96 (96A/96AW/96AD/96AWD) |
 |
8 ft / 2.4 m | haul recycling or landscape mulch, move large pieces of furniture |
 |
12 ft / 3.8 m | carry short watercraft or medium-length ladders | |
 |
15 ft / 4.5 m | carry canoes, kayaks, or long ladders |
Note that all the trailers are built using the same modular design, allowing you to shorten or extend the trailer at any time by removing or adding a section of the frame. If you have one of the 32 or 64 model trailers, you can extend the frame by installing a trailer frame extension kit.
Selecting the Right Width
Our trailers are available in two widths, standard and wide. (Custom widths up to 32" wide are available at an extra charge.) The standard width trailers are easier to fit through doorways and ride in traffic due to their narrower width. They are also designed so to accept 18 gallon / 68 L storage containers. These containers work well for carrying groceries, landscape mulch, tools, and materials to be recycled.
Our wide W-series trailers are made for carrying wider cargo like lawn mowers and furniture. These trailers are also slightly more stable due to their wider width, but also weigh more. The frame is too wide to accommodate the storage containers of our standard trailers without installing a floor, but other, larger containers may fit without one.
The limiting factor on any trailer is the available space between the wheels and fenders. If you need to carry something wider than this, you can rest it on top of the fenders (as long as the weight doesn't exceed about 150 lb / 70 kg). Alternately, you can carry it on top of containers or a self-made rack so the load clears the wheels.
Weight Capacity
We make trailers with two different weight capacities. Our standard trailers can carry 300 lb / 140 kg, which is adequate for most people's needs. If you occasionally exceed this amount, you won't damage the trailer.
Choose one of our dual-wheel D-series trailers if you regularly carry more than this. These trailers have four wheels on the axle and are built to carry up to 600 lb / 280 kg.
Accessories
In addition to the trailer, you may want to consider purchasing some accessories.
As mentioned above, standard 18 gallon / 68 L storage containers fit perfectly inside the frame of our standard-width trailers. We typically don't sell these since you can find them at almost any hardware or discount store. We suggest using Rubbermaid Roughtote® 18 gallon storage containers #2215. Similar containers by other manufacturers should also work.
If you want to carry one or two bicycles, we make a bicycle rack that mounts on the frame of our 64 and 96 trailers.
If you often carry building materials like sheets of plywood or drywall, we make a rack specifically for this purpose. It allows you to carry them vertically instead of horizontally, making it easier to carry them in traffic and on bike paths.