Changing cattrax into trolley

Because I have worn out several cattrax bearings (the roller wheel type) this year, I started thinking about another design with real ball bearings.
This all has to do with the fact that I have to drive a long mile through my village and I'm always in a hurry. So I tow with 40 km/h.

Anyway, using ball bearings forces you to use separate axes through the rims. Hence you need two long loading-tubes instead of one for creating a carrying construction for these axes



The trick of this design is that only one loading tube has wide rolls mounted on 18x clickroller bearings at both ends. While the other loading tube has simple rubber roll-supports which are fixed!

You maybe can see this on the photo: front tube has special rollers, backtube not.

So when you place the trax in front of your cat , you start pushing it onder the bows with the wide-rollers tube first. Pushing with your foot against the other tube will slide the trolley quite easy under your cat.
Without sliding unwillingly backwards!

For unloading the cat from the trolley, you push the cat to the front from behind. again it will roll quite controlled from the trolley.

There are two remarks: I have to fix the cat with rope to the troley (can't use cradles because of the hullshapes). But with this design you can easily change the fixed rubber supports on the backtube for cradles! Never hanging cradles again.

Second: it will cost you a few do. Special connections, converters from 50mm to 20 mm for the rimaxes. The special rollers for the 50 mm tube.

You tow a boat on Cat Trax? How do you keep the boat balanced fore/aft?

Mike

Looks good, what are those T fittings from?


If you spent enough time in a Timken Catalog, I am sure you could find a bearing that would allow a single axle. But that would be a real headache.

What were you greasing the stock bearings with?

Mike, see my vid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMKThlRmCGE&list=UL at about 1.5 min.

I have a fixed pole sticking out in the front (I used a loose pole fixed with rope for about 1 year, works also).
So, this is my pulling bar which hold the cat balanced.

Because my mast is sticking out far at the back, I normally have a negative pressure at my connection point from the tow. But that gives no problems with the relative low speed.

Bacho, the T-fittings (cross-connectors) for the 50mm tubes are of glassfiber-reinforced nylon (http://www.cadkat.com/Tube_connecto..._polyamide_plastic_one_side_slotted.html ) which are pressed together with one 16cm bold (8mm) through and through.
The crossconnectors for the 50mm tube to the 20mm aluminium axes (hollow, 5mm thick wall) are from aluminium and work with built-in clamps.

See http://www.buisklemmen.nl/aluminium/kd-50x25.html


The problems which I had with the rollerbearings of my old cattrax had not so much to do with greasing. The Eurotrax rollerbearing is dimensioned with a lot of space for incoming water/sand.

The real problem are the transversely (axial) forces of the bearing rollers to the sides, to the distance bushing and wheel fixationclamps which hold the rim on his place. Eventually every part eats the other up and the whole bearing system starts to wear out critically.
When I used (on advice of the manufacturer)iron spacerdisks for that reason, one iron disk had grinded itself after a few months through the Alutube itself.

My cat fell down on the street with 40km/h!

In hindsight its always clear: a normal cattrax is not designed for road use and/or long distances. Rebuilding the trax was in my case forcefully necessary.

I've been watching your posts for years.
Very nice set ups you have there.

That is one Bad dude Cat hauler!

"Hindsight?" I really didn't consider the fact that Cat Trax are unsuitable for trailering as a mystery...

Nice work nonetheless!

Mike

My excuse is that an old fashioned cattrax worked for me for 5 years. Only the last year the real problems begun.
Because (hindsight again) I changed from a little tractor to a faster tow, so my speed increased. And because the coast situation in my village is changing, I have to drive longer.

I remember me even that other catsailors from a next village asked me a few years ago if they could also use a cattrax for trailering to and from the beach. And I said: ofcourse, peace of cake.
Then.

By the way, hindsight is the biggest nuisance for an older man. It's the cause for every night having nightmares!

Word!