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I have been researching trailers and am seriously considering your Bongo model..a couple of reasons:
made in the USA, 20 in wheels, and the hitch mount style
I’ve read that a chainstay mount is superior to the axle mount. Do you have a configuration for a chainstay mount available?
For the Wandertec BONGO, we utilize Chariot Carriers hitch system which is made up of the hitch cup, lollipop and hitch pin. We really like this system and think it is great for the majority of applications.
Chariot Carriers does offer the Chariot Alternative Hitch. This replace the hitch cup and clamps to the chainstay. We definitely prefer the hitch cup because it is easier to use and offers a more solid mounting location. The Chariot Alternative Hitch can potentially twist on the chainstay. We generally only recommend this option when there is something blocking the hitch cup from mounting, like a bike rack or internal gear shifting mechanism.
We have found that the Chariot hitch cup works very nicely for most uses of the Wandertec BONGO. I’d be curious to see the article you found recommending chainstay mounts (Perhaps it was the Bikes-At-Work Trailer Hitch Guide). We do agree that for carrying very heavy loads, above 200 pounds, that a hitch mechanism that mounts to both the chainstay and the seatstay is preferable. Bikes-At-Work offers this style of hitch mechanism for their heavy-duty trailers.
Carrying over 200lbs is a not a very common use of bike cargo trailers as carrying these size loads is quite difficult if there are any hills or distances involved unless an electric bike is used. We decided to not built the Wandertec BONGO trailer to fit this heavy-duty use but rather built if for carrying everyday loads within the 200lbs. capacity. 200 lbs. is more than sufficient for almost any use especially when it comes to a load you are pulling behind a bike.
Another solution for heavy-duty bike cargo trailer hitches is the fork/hitch for Surly’s Heavy-Duty Bike Trailers. This hitch mechanism, wraps around and spreads the load to both sides of the hub and is rated for 300lbs. This hitch mechanism could likely adapted for use with other trailers though of course this use would not be endorsed or supported by Surly as with any retrofit of bike trailer hitches.
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Can you put the BOB Trailer Fork on to the Wandertec Bongo Trailer.??? The reason being is I feel more balance compare than if i have the original Bongo hitch arm.
The problem with a BOB Trailer Fork is that it is designed for a single-wheeled trailer. It does not allow for the trailer and bike to rotate side-to-side independently of each other.
I have seen some Do-It-Yourself Trailers and modified trailers that have utilitized the BOB Trailer Fork on two-wheel trailers. In fact we’ve had a few photos of these projects sent in to our blog. Have a look at this modified two-wheel BOB Trailer and this setup with a BOB Trailer fork mounted to a heavy-duty cart. So I suppose the Wandertec BONGO could be modified in a similar way though I don’t see any benefit and this would also void the warranty.
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Saw your Kickstarter. Does this Wandertec mount on a Brompton? I am looking for a nice trailer to use for errands that fits on my Brompton. Had to sell my Burley Nomad, which I loved, because it didn’t work for the Brommie’s little chainstays.
I think that you might have been able to use the Burley Nomad on your Brompton if you had upgraded to the Burley Forged Hitch which attaches with the rear wheel quick release against the dropouts. You probably had the old style Burley Classic Hitch, which I can see how it would have issues attaching to a Brompton.
All of the Wandertec Trailers, including the Tuba in our KickStarter Project utilize the Chariot Hitch Cup for its hitch system. Like the Burley Forged Hitch, this mounts to your dropouts and should work fine with a Brompton.
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I use an old Jamis Earth Cruiser with an old SunCruiser trailer to haul my beach chairs and cooler to the beach. What I like about the old Suncruiser is it’s seatpost hitch mount which is easier and I don’t have to fool around with the skewer oriented mounts.
My question is; do you have two wheel trailers with seat post mounts, or can you get kits that convert the skewer mounts to seat post on trailers that do not.
We carry the Burley Travoy trailer which is a seatpost mounted two wheel trailer. Basically it’s shaped like a hand truck with an arm that attaches to your seatpost. The Travoy hitch is really easy to use and it allows you to quickly attach and detach the trailer from your bike.
There aren’t any kits to convert an existing axle mounted trailer into a seatpost mounted one. You might want to look at this other forum post for some ideas on retrofitting trail-a-bike hitches to another trailer. Keep in mind that any do it your self conversion will void the warranty for the parts you use and isn’t really recommend for safety reasons.