Cargo carrier is light, durable

April 6, 2000
Toting cargo is often a headache with compact cars, but a lightweight sport-performance trailer (SPT) offers a solution.

Toting cargo is often a headache with compact cars, but a lightweight sport-performance trailer (SPT) offers a solution. Intended for bicyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts, the rugged SPT from Let's Go Aero, Colorado Springs, Colo., weighs only 235 lb with a 25-lb tongue-weight. It's airtight, water resistant, and won't fade or become brittle at temperatures from -50 to 170°F, according to the company.

The trailer's aerodynamic hard shell consists of a coextruded, thermoformed sheet of Centrex and Lustran plastics. The Centrex exterior is a weatherable polymer that withstands extreme temperatures and weather conditions, and Lustran acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) 752 resin forms the high-impact substrate. Both are supplied by the Plastics Div. of Bayer Corp., Pittsburgh. The SPT's neutral-colored shell can be painted to match a car finish.

The standard model features 86 ft3 of cargo space -- large enough to handle five bicycles. The company also produces a soft-top version and an all-terrain model with beefier wheels and suspension for off-road enthusiasts. For more information, see the companies Web sites at www.letsgoaero.com and www.bayer.com/polymers-usa.

-- Kenneth Korane

About the Author

Kenneth Korane

Ken Korane holds a B.S. Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University. In addition to serving as an editor at Machine Design until August 2015, his prior work experience includes product engineer at Parker Hannifin Corp. and mechanical design engineer at Euclid Inc. 

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