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Anonymous07/18/26, 11:14No.2874923Are ebikes capable of hauling a trailer?
I've been using a trailer on my bicycle for some time now. I reinforced the bottom, and swapped aluminium connection to steel so that I can safely get groceries which sometimes may exceed 50kg if I'm buying for example milk, sugar, flour in larger quantities.
I use a typical 28" dutch bike made by Union which is over 20 years old but it's very sturdy and served me for almost 10 years now (I'm a fat fuck).
So I want to ask whether it makes sense to get an ebike for this task or not. I'm worried that the engine or battery may get used up very quickly from the weight applied to the bicycle. I don't intend to use the electricity as the main means of transportation, instead for going uphill since it's difficult to pedal when you're already pulling weight behind yourself.
I guess it's also the matter of whether modern bicycles even have sturdy frames that can withstand pulling that much weight.
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Anon07/18/26, 11:24No.2874925
Also if you want to know how to reinforce your trailer's floor - I personally used a plastic cover for the spare wheel in the trunk from an old Laguna. Slide it between the material and the frame, then drill some holes and screw that in. This is how these trailers should be made in the first place.
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Anon07/18/26, 13:56No.2874930
Yes, it would work fine as long as you get one that is powerful enough. If you intend to pedal also then range won't be an issue. You can easily go 100 km with a 20 amp hour battery. The actual force on the frame is going to be almost nothing. You can do the physics calculations for the load you want to carry and the expected slope. You know it will always be less than half the weight of the trailer plus the rolling resistance. The frames of a bike can hold up to hundreds of pounds of force, but it will differ based on where you choose to attach it.
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Anon07/18/26, 19:35No.2874958
Neighbor actually does this.
Seems to work fine.
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Anon07/26/26, 08:02No.2875782
I wouldn't worry to much about the frame of the bike. Most e-bikes today use a middle mounted motor, som still use a front wheel motor but I wouldn't recommend that if you have a lot of uphill cycling since they tend to lose grip if you have a load on the rear of the bike. Bosch has a few newer lines that have a good amount of power to pull stuff, mostly the CX and cargo line. Stay away from AliExpress brands because when they are fucked it's way harder to find parts to repair them. The Accell (Sparta, Batavus, Koga and more) group uses a lot of their parts on multiple brands so if something breaks it is easier to find parts even for older models. I personally prefer Bosch over the Shimano system because you can fiddle with it easier and so many bikes use it that second hand batteries are easy to come by. Bafang has also come a long way and makes decent motors but most of them lack a bit of pulling power uphill. Both Bosch and bafang can easily be tuned for higher speeds if that is what you're after. I personally prefer the bobyak style trailer because it adds less resistance and because it has one wheel it fits better on trails. It's also connected on both sides of the rear wheel so less stress on one point and it doesn't jank the bike as much when you're riding on rough terrain.Bicycle mechanic for 18 years, owner of a bicycle shop for 6 years now and traveling on a bicycle since I was 15. If I can help you with anything, just ask.
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Anon07/26/26, 09:45No.2875787
You neother need a trailer, nor an e-bike for a mere 50 kg load.
Neither does towing a trailer require an e-bike, as you are very well aware since you're doing it.
Naturally an e-bike should be more capable of hauling a trailer short distance than a real bicycle, otherwise what would the point of it being motorized be?
>uphill
git gud or get the electric motorcycle
You're asking the wrong question. In my. experience the issue with towing trailers is not the power required or going uphill or anything but it is going downhill with a trailer that doesn't have overrun brakes (some do) and the e-bike is not going to help with that. Downhill is the limiting factor. Unless you get any sort of brakes on the trailer.