FGG Trailer Build Contest 2011
I went to the recycling center and picked up some aluminum panels
from an old garden shed. I also had a few extrusions leftover from
building projects. The cart in the upper right is a creeper I built
for crawlspace work (but I didn't use any of it here):

A 20" aluminum rim, cut in half, became the fixed dimension around
which all else revolved. I stripped the paint from the shed
aluminum, and a few hours later I was facing some compound curve work:

I built an oven:

I made art... several times. This was intended to be for the curved
domes at each end of the top:

However, it was not much use for the trailer, so I polished up my
ball peen hammer, and carved a scoop out of a stump, and made some
aluminum panels instead. I didn't have much previous experience
pounding metal, and was moderately successful. Things definitely have
a hand made look:

The shiny panels were nice enough that I decided to buy some new
aluminum rims. They're quick release, very nice bearings. I also
bought a ball and socket replacement hitch assembly, so I didn't have
to figure out much there. Bending the pull rod took some head
scratching to get the length, angle, height, and width right:

Finished on Tuesday afternoon. 28 pounds, about 54" long, 16" wide,
and 18" tall. LED marker lights at the rear. Rain started about when
I finished.





So, pretty nice Monkey Coffin there, what'ja gonna do with it? How
about we gather up some chairs, and have a drive in movie? Umbrellas
recommended. I laid a sheet of translucent plastic over the top
window for the light effect. Even in the cold rain, the show was
compelling enough that people stayed outside for about an hour. It's
hard to see, but the trailer remained attached to the bike, which had
a kickstand:



The AV set up, from left to right: Car audio amplifier, sitting on
top of a battery charger. Two speakers. LED stage light sitting on
top of a home DVD player. Plug strip, multimeter, and the
little blue thing is a Show WX picoprojector sitting on an empty
box, pointing out the rear window. When I started the project, I had
in mind that I would use a conventional size projector, but I met
someone who had the Show WX, and borrowed it . I threw this
arrangement together at the last minute, and obviously it relies on a
power cord. However, the long term plan is to have the system be
battery powered and thus totally portable. Many more ideas are
brewing for additional lights, video effects, and solar power, too.

I did indeed ride the bike with the loaded trailer, so far so good!
Cheers,
Carl Magnusson
"fixedsteer"