Trailer Hitch

From SegwaySocial

by Jeff Backes

Contents 1 Why? 2 Tools Required 3 Parts Required 4 Make the bracket 5 Prepare the caster 6 Prepare the wagon 7 Hitch Assembly 8 Final Assembly

Why?

I often want to pull a wagon full of equipment to a camping site, the store, or polo. I have been using a bungie cord wrapped around the base, but having it fail a few times I decided to make a more permanent connection. I will be posting the outline for the bracket as soon as I can scan it in. Also please note that if you don't make the bracket "long enough" you will not be able to charge your segway without removing the hitch.

Note: This hitch only has two degrees of freedom Yaw (side to side) and Pitch (up and down) the missing degree of freedom is Roll. If you imagine going down the street with the wagon in tow, there are going to be times when one wheel of the Segway rises while the wagon remains level. In practice as a Segway wheel rises, some roll is compensated for by pitch in one direction and yaw in the other.

Tools Required

• 1/4 inch drill bit
• Handheld drill
• Dremel tool
• Tubing cutter

Parts Required

• 1 - 2" caster
• 4 - M5 x 10 cap screws
• 4 - M5 self locking nuts
• 2 - M5 x 20 cap screws
• 1 - 3" wide 4" long 1/8 steel
• 6 - M5 washers
• 1 - 1/4" x 1 3/4" clevis pin

Make the bracket

• Draw the outline on the steel
• Mark the 6 holes
• Drill the 6 x 1/4" holes
• Bend the plate at the line

Prepare the caster

• Using the Dremel tool and a grinder bit, remove one end of the pin holding the wheel in place
• Use a drift or punch to knock the shaft out though the wheel and caster

Prepare the wagon

• Using a tubing cutter, remove the handle from the wagon arm
• Drill a 1/4 inch hole in the arm of the wagon 1/2 inch from the end remember these holes will hold the clevis pin parallel to the ground.

Hitch Assembly

• Mount the caster onto the bracket using 4 M5 cap screws and lock nuts
  • After you mount the caster to the bracket make sure it rotates freely. I had to grind down the inside edges of the cap screws just bit using my Dremel tool.
• Remove the two cap screws in the back of the Segway below the power outlet
• Place the 2 M5x 20 cap screws in the bracket.
• Place three washers on each cap screw shaft to fill the gap between the bracket and the treaded part of the base
• Mount the bracket onto the Segway

Final Assembly

• Place the wagon arm in place and secure with a clevis pin