Ideas for a powered trailer.

[Frank Lee]

One thing "nice" about having a little used gasser sitting around is, at most you suffer the loss of some gas fumes from extended sitting around, whereas lead acid batteries tend to go bad after so many years whether they got used a lot or not.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

One thing "nice" about having a little used gasser sitting around is, at most you suffer the loss of some gas fumes from extended sitting around, whereas lead acid batteries tend to go bad after so many years whether they got used a lot or not.

True, but I've also made a bit of money repairing friends trucks because they sat for a few weeks found that they wouldn't start, stop or were no longer safe to drive, because gas vehicles don't like sitting either, so why not have a trailer and share it so it gets used, the savings in not having a 2nd vehicle licensed and insured would more then pay for a new set of batteries every 5 years and it could end up costing less then buying a cheap small truck.

[Frank Lee]

Shared anything would result in less down time.

I fear I'm going to have to replace the battery pack on my electric bicycle prematurely simply because it sat around so long before I got it; it sits all winter now that I have it; and I don't use it daily. So then the cost/mile equation sux even more vs ICE.

[CFECO]

FLA batteries have a fairly intensive maintenance routine, charge level, water quality and level, corrosion, cables, and even more so when sitting idle and in cold climates. Might be a good application for Super-capacitors, charge up quick when you need to go to Home Depot, regen brake assist, light weight.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by CFECO

FLA batteries have a fairly intensive maintenance routine,

Having grown up in an off grid how with lead acid batteries, having two electric cars with lead acid batteries and working at a job where I take care of the electric fork lift with lead acid batteries, it's a few minutes per year of topping off the water and looking at the connections, same thing you have to do with the battery on a gas vehicle, more so with a gas vehicle that tends to sit for weeks or months at a time.
I also checked with my parents, who's truck is one of two that I barrow when I need to haul heavy stuff, they spend a total of $275 a year just on licensing and insuring and another $100-200 (documented by my accountant mother) on home oil changes, exhaust repairs and other basic up keep on a vehicle that gets less then 2,000 miles of use per year and is used by 5 of us, plus the folks we help out with moving and other tasks.

Might be a good application for Super-capacitors, charge up quick when you need to go to Home Depot, regen brake assist, light weight.

Super Capacitors would be nice, but plugging in to a 220v 40amp plug for half an hour or more, running at full draw would be required to charge.
But keeping the batteries topped off and happy is a requirement, this could be done either with a small solar panel or by leaving it plugged in to a maintenance charger.

[jakobnev]

Originally Posted by Ryland

Those are nice pusher trailers but they can't be used for hauling anything

What is preventing you from taking the idea of a pusher trailer and designing one that can be used to haul cargo??

[CFECO]

I too live off grid, 15 + years and managed to get 10 fairly good years, out of one set of L-16's, with less than great mantenance, and poor conditions, just an open shed. They got snow and rain on them, cold to 12 degrees and hot to 105. They did need the cables removed and cleaned yearly, water monthly.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by jakobnev

What is preventing you from taking the idea of a pusher trailer and designing one that can be used to haul cargo??

A pusher trailer works well with an electric car because you can use regen braking to slow the trailer down and from your electric car more or less drive just throttle the trailer.
If you tried to use a pusher trailer behind a gasoline car I think you would spend alot of time ridding the brakes and trying to run two throttles because the pusher would be moving it's own weight, the weight of the cargo and the weight of the lead vehicle.
The idea of an electric self powered trailer is that you can have the throttle as part of a telescopic hitch and instead of needing a hand throttle inside the vehicle allowing you to focus on driving and making sure that your load is staying secure, also with electronic throttles you can program in the lag time that would take away any jerky-ness and going down hills or coming to a stop would kick in regen braking.
Also an electric trailer would cut your gasoline use, allowing a 50mpg car to still get 50mpg while hauling a ton of dirt.

[trooper Tdiesel]

the VW pusher works well, ive seen it in person at the solwest show in john day Oregon a few years back.

granted one year he learnd the hard way, about head repair. he was redoing the head all week end do to a coolent leak he had a temp gauge but he did'int know the fluid was low.....

he called it his weekend engine repair class
Oregon Solwest Renewable Energy Resources and Fairs home


his set up has one BIG draw back......hes using a auto trans it does not have a locking converter, or a tall top gear.....

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by Ryland

Those are nice pusher trailers but they can't be used for hauling anything, I'd like something that would work for hauling 4'x8'sheets of ply wood and lumber, or a half ton of dirt and I don't want to own, license, insure and store a pickup truck.

Why not get a utility trailer with a 4'x8' deck with removeable wood sides(like I have) and mount some kind of generator unit between the deck and the hitch?
I think I will have to pay $10 of $15 per year for my trailer (had it for less than a year so I am not sure) if it wasn't a one time fee.
That little area is usually just wasted space any way, some people put tool boxes there and that is about it (me).
It would be real easy to wire in remote controles to your car to start the generator and apply power as needed, such as when the batteries start to get low or you have a big hill to get over. The cheapest way to get the most power out of a generator for charging big high power battery banks while under load is a varrac and rectifier array.
Sounds like you could use the remote power of a generator at job sites too.
I would try to avoid battery banks that could end up sitting around and not being used on a very regular basis as much as possible.