Materials: Pros: Cons: Wood 1) Availability 1) Strength 2) Easy to work with 2) Weather resistance 3) Aesthetics 3) Intricate joints 4) Wood-working experience PVC 1) Availability 1) Strength 2) Easy to work with. 2) Aesthetics 3) Weather resistance 4) Variety of pre-formed angles/attachments Steel 1) Good availability 1) Weight 2) I have the tools needed to work with 2) Weather resistance 3) Metal-working experience 4) Strength Aluminum 1) Low weight 1) Cost 2) Strength 2) Lack of experience/tools for 3) Weather resistance welding 3) Expense So after much deliberation, I decided upon a steel frame. There were a couple of sources for steel in my local area. Commercially, Steel and Aluminum are the two most popular options. In addition there are a wide variety of sizes in tubing. I decided on using 3/4” square tubing for its ease of use, smaller size and lighter weight. It’s located in 6 foot sections at my local Lowes for $17 per section. In addition, during high-school, I’ve made several electric scooters using steel tubing, so I have experience working with it in context of wheeled vehicles. Next, I needed to decide how much steel I would need. Thinking about the frame took quite a few hours of my life. I had never designed something quite like this, so I reverted to several designs online. My biggest resource was Pete Murrays bicycle trailer blog: . Pete Murray is a custom bicycle trailer fabricator
Materials: Pros: Cons: Wood 1) Availability 2) Easy to work with 3) Aesthetics 4) Wood-working experience 1) Strength 2) Weather resistance 3) Intricate joints PVC 1) Availability 2) Easy to work with. 3) Weather resistance 4) Variety of pre-formed angles/attachments 1) Strength 2) Aesthetics Steel 1) Good availability 2) I have the tools needed to work with 3) Metal-working experience 4) Strength 1) Weight 2) Weather resistance Aluminum 1) Low weight 2) Strength 3) Weather resistance 1) Cost 2) Lack of experience/tools for welding 3) Expense So after much deliberation, I decided upon a steel frame. There were a couple of sources for steel in my local area. Commercially, Steel and Aluminum are the two most popular options. In addition there are a wide variety of sizes in tubing. I decided on using 3/4” square tubing for its ease of use, smaller size and lighter weight. It’s located in 6 foot sections at my local Lowes for $17 per section. In addition, during high-school, I’ve made several electric scooters using steel tubing, so I have experience working with it in context of wheeled vehicles. Next, I needed to decide how much steel I would need. Thinking about the frame took quite a few hours of my life. I had never designed something quite like this, so I reverted to several designs online. My biggest resource was Pete Murrays bicycle trailer blog: . Pete Murray is a custom bicycle trailer fabricator