One more option for hauling stuff on the bike - Rat Rod Trailer!!!

I really like rat rods. Rat rods come from a tradition of ingenuity and adventurous DIY necessity. I have a photo I need to dig out of my dad and uncle with their purple Model A Ford Coupe. I don't remember all the details, but they painted it with 32 cans of purple spray paint, the motor came out of a '47 model GM -maybe a Pontiac, the fenders came from an old motorcycle...

A Rat Rod VW Swartzy and I saw a few weeks ago - Check out the sky in that photo!

Their little car was phenomenally cool, but it did not come about because they had money. It came about because they worked hard mentally and physically to bring a lot of different elements together. I have realized lately that this concept has dominated my thinking on cool vehicles for most of my life, and becoming the Mesquite Hugger has changed my focus but it definitely has not changed my taste. While I think a Nissan Leaf would be a phenomenal car to own and drive, I would be much more impressed (and envious) if someone rolled up in an old rat rod that had been built as a competent electric vehicle.

(Click here to see the Steam Whistle electric '58 Chevy pickup. It's a little nice for a rat rod, but it's very cool.)

But there is no reason that we have to limit that thinking to cars. An Instructable popped up over the weekend where a builder decided to build a bike trailer using the rat rod ideals. And this thing rocks! It rocks enough that I may have to offer up the sincerest form of flattery - to rip off the idea and build my own. Sure, I could run to one of the local department stores to buy a ready-made bike trailer, but how much cooler would it be to build something like this unholy pairing of a wheelbarrow and a dolly - that just ain't right! And I love it!

Rat Rod Bike Trailer by sKout -Check out the sky in that photo!

May one man's junk become your treasure!