Innovative trailer‘s a dream of a design
By Bianca Capazorio Business Correspondent
AN innovative idea by a Nelson Mandela Bay man for a bicycle trailer could change the way water and rubbish are transported in rural areas.
Gideon Bower, who with his associates John Grootboom and Rodger Ngwira runs Ruqa Bicycle Trailers, said the idea came to him in a dream.
“I then started building the prototype. I have been busy for about a year and four months designing and testing the various models.â€
Bower said the word “Ruqa†– the name of their company – meant to pull.
The trailers, of which there are various models, are attached to the back of a bicycle, in a manner similar to the way a car trailer is hitched.
The water tanker model is able to carry 100 litres and Bower believes it is the answer for transporting water in rural areas where homes are far from water points.
The tank is made from sturdy plastic while the frame is made from durable steel.
Bower will be marketing the idea to various municipalities, along with a dirt-bin trailer that can carry two rubbish bins.
The company was just beginning to market the concept and had not yet sold any of its trailers, he said.
The utility trailer, which is not unlike a vehicle trailer, is able to carry just about anything, from beer to implements. It weighs just 15,6kg when empty, and Bower believes it could be adapted slightly to keep items such as beer and ice-cream cold.
Made from ABS plastic and acrylic, the trailer is light and durable and can even be bolted to the roof of a car.
Bower works from offices in North End and the manufacture of the trailers is subcontracted to two engineering and manufacturing firms.
Now 52, he used to work for SAA and has a background in engineering.
His partner Grootboom has a marketing background and looks after the promotions and financial side of the business.
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