Homebuilt Power Assist Trailer
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This was the orginal configuration of my first power assist trailer that could be pulled behind my trike or mobility scooter and allow either one to run as a hybrid type system. ——————————————————————————————————————————————— It supplies power from a Harbor Freight 6.5 hp engine turning two different car alternators. One is an automatic type for 12v systems and the other is an automatic type setup for 24 volt systems The outputs are as follows: 12 vdc at a maximum of 60 amps maximum for 12 volt tools, the trailer lighting system and power for the 12/110 volt inverter. 24 or 36 vdc at 50 amps maximum for the motor systems of the trike or mobility scooter. 110 vac at a maximum of 1000 watts (supplied by the 12v alternator system) Compressed air supplied by a small 12v air compressor.
Wheel plans. These wheels are no flat types I recycled from some wheelchair wheels. I could not use the original hubs so made some new ones from stainless steel sheet metal and hubs will ball brearings already mounted cut from those cheap $5 10″ wheels Harbor Freight has on sale all the time. The centers of the wheels are made from laminated plywood.
I decided I would need some kind of brakes on the trailer. The simplest thing I could come up with was a inertia driven cable system. The tongue slides in and out of the trailer frame and causes a cable to tighten up and activate the band brakes on the wheels. The tongue is spring loaded in each direction to smooth out any jerks in movement. It works quite well.
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