Our new suspension system
Whether over curbs, cobblestones, or forest trails: our newly developed suspension system confidently compensates for even rough bumps—for significantly more comfort and fun while riding.
Not every bike trailer needs suspension—many of our models perform excellently without it. However, in some situations, high-quality suspension opens up entirely new possibilities:
Vielleicht möchtest Du deinen Hund sicher und komfortabel transportieren? Oder empfindliche Dinge wie Musikinstrumente, Kameraausrüstung oder Messgeräte schützen? Oder Du wünschst dir einfach mehr Freiheit beim Fahren – unabhängig davon, wie gut der Weg gerade ist?
This is precisely why we developed our suspension: in a long, complex development process together with two experienced vehicle engineers and Munich University of Applied Sciences. The result is a heavy-duty suspension with long travel, linear spring characteristics over the entire travel range, and genuine hydraulic damping—for optimum handling on any surface.
Ob klein oder groß, leicht oder schwer beladen – unsere Federung passt zu all unseren Modellen. Gerne beraten wir dich persönlich per E-Mail oder telefonisch.
Our suspension offers an enormous 90 mm of travel. This gives it plenty of reserves on any terrain and with varying loads.
suspension travel
Our suspension features genuine hydraulic damping, a rarity in bicycle trailers. This ensures a particularly smooth ride, without any swaying or rocking.
attenuation
Our suspension can be optimized for three weight ranges in seconds. For even more performance and driving pleasure.
adjustability
Our suspension can handle a total weight of up to 100 kg. This means that even large loads can be transported smoothly over poor bike paths or to remote locations.
resilience
Most trailers use elastomer dampers, which only work well within a small weight range and quickly harden beyond that, especially under increasing loads. Our linear suspension, on the other hand, remains evenly active throughout the entire suspension travel.
Constant spring characteristic
Our suspension is located on the underside of the trailer to save space. This means that the trailer is only slightly wider. The entire loading area and chassis width remain available. This allows the trailer to fit through anywhere while still offering enough width for standard boxes.
Minimum possible construction width
Technical data
Independent suspension with steel spring element and hydraulic damper.
Components made of high-strength aircraft aluminum, CNC-milled.
Continuous stainless steel axle for load distribution across both wheels.
High-quality plain bearings from IGUS.
90 mm effective spring travel across the entire load scenario.
Linear spring deflection behavior of the steel spring: The entire spring travel is fully available.
3 installation positions for the steel spring element: soft, medium, hard. Can be adjusted in seconds using an Allen key and open-end wrench.
Removable wheels with thru axle and safety clamp.
Total system weight: approx. 2.5 kg
Can also be retrofitted and is available for DIY installation
Designed for a total weight of up to 100 kg (trailer weight including load)
From €648 incl. VAT for the complete chassis including stainless steel axle.
Can be combined with any Hinterher with 20" wheels (except H2O). With 16" wheels (Hmini), ground clearance is slightly restricted.
Price
Du kannst die Federung bei jedem Modell im Konfigurator auswählen. Zum Nachrüsten oder Selberbauen ist die Federung als Komplettset auch in unserem Onlineshop erhältlich.
Order
FAQs on suspension
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In principle, there are various design approaches for suspension systems on trailers. However, they often do not deserve the name because they are merely elastomer-based dampers that are compressed under increasing loads and lose a large part of their spring effect.
They are all designed to cushion the impact of driving over obstacles as much as possible and protect sensitive loads (e.g., children, animals, measuring instruments, photographic equipment, or musical instruments). When a spring-loaded trailer drives over an uneven surface, the suspension allows the wheel to move upward, preventing the entire trailer from being shaken. The difficulty lies in adjusting the suspension to the extremely different load weights that can occur in a trailer. A trailer with a total weight of 100 kg has to withstand five times as much load as a small dog trailer with a total weight of 20 kg. It can therefore be said that the spring hardness must be adjustable in order to function at all in different load scenarios. We were able to solve this problem elegantly by making it possible to simply screw the spring into place for three different weight classes in a matter of seconds.
In principle, there are also different types of suspension elements. We opted for a standard suspension element with hydraulic damping that has proven itself in the bicycle market. Although it is not as inexpensive as an elastomer or leaf spring, it can cover a completely different performance spectrum. This performance spectrum is necessary because bicycle or dog trailers are loaded and used in extremely different ways. Even when unloaded or carrying little weight, the suspension should function just as well as when fully loaded. This requires a certain amount of effort in the design. That is why we rely on a very long spring travel, which provides enough reserves for fluctuating load weights and can continue to utilize the remaining spring travel evenly even when overloaded. In addition, the suspension can be adjusted by the user in a matter of seconds by moving the spring element.
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When driving over an uneven surface, the wheel is pushed upward and wants to spring back down (using the energy of the compressed spring), ready for the next obstacle. Therefore, the main task of a good suspension system (also in cars or motorcycles) is to dampen the backward movement in order to prevent the trailer from rocking uncontrollably and to ensure responsiveness for the next obstacle.
However, there are virtually no child trailers, dog trailers, or cargo trailers that have actual damping built in. Neither elastomer suspensions nor leaf suspensions provide real damping in bicycle trailers. Here, a certain degree of deceleration occurs more by chance and more poorly than well due to friction and the inertia of the built-in systems.
In contrast, our high-quality suspension system incorporates a spring damping element that can perform all these tasks perfectly. -
Elastomers are very popular as suspension elements in bicycle trailers, mainly because they are inexpensive. However, they have many disadvantages, which is why they are hardly ever used in bicycle chassis. As the load increases, they behave progressively, i.e., they harden as the load increases, so that the spring effect decreases significantly. They have no damper and only comparatively low inherent damping, which means they cannot achieve a long spring travel. However, precisely because bicycle trailers have a very large load range, from unloaded to heavily loaded, a long suspension travel is very important. This provides extreme reserves and a large range in which the suspension can work optimally. Instead of cheap elastomers as suspension elements, we rely on a component that has proven itself in the bicycle sector for decades: a steel spring element with hydraulic damping.
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Some manufacturers use leaf springs. Put simply, the wheel is attached at the end to several metal strips that lie on top of each other and are held together with a variably positionable clamp. The wheel bends upward with the leaf spring when it encounters an obstacle. However, the leaf spring stores this deformation energy extremely well and returns it to the wheel immediately once the obstacle has been passed. Without damping, the wheel oscillates back and forth until the energy is used up or the next bump or pothole is encountered. There is virtually no effective damping, only the friction and inertia of the components.
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No, the suspension does not require intensive maintenance. The steel spring itself is maintenance-free, but the hydraulic damping is a wearing part in the long term and may need to be replaced after many years. The trailer would still remain roadworthy (with suspension, but without damping). However, this component can be replaced at any time. After a few years, the high-quality, maintenance-free plain bearings from market leader IGUS may also need to be replaced, but these are also standard wear parts.
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For sensitive loads, such as animals, musical instruments, photographic equipment, etc., we would generally recommend good suspension. Anyone who transports sensitive loads or simply wants to ride more carefree will benefit from a suspension system, because the numerous shocks that the bike trailer has to endure on inadequately developed bike infrastructure are hardly transmitted to the bike anymore. This not only protects the load, but also the material.
But not all suspension systems are created equal. We would not overestimate the effectiveness of a primitive suspension system on a cheap trailer, and it is certainly no better than a large-volume tire that is driven with relatively low air pressure. For most users who need a simple, robust, and easy-to-maintain trailer, this would also be our recommendation for everyday use. A truly high-quality suspension system comes at a price and definitely makes the bike trailer more technically complex. Even with an unsuspended bike trailer, you can easily cope with everyday use. We fit large-volume tires from Schwalbe as standard, which can already compensate for many small vibrations. If necessary, simple damping can be achieved by adjusting the air pressure for different load weights.
However, if you often ride on rough roads, you will need to ride more slowly and carefully with an unsuspended bike trailer. With a suspension trailer, you can ride much faster and more carefree. Even if you ride longer distances and tours, our high-quality suspension clearly makes riding more enjoyable and is easier on your equipment and your nerves.
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Yes, this is possible in principle and can also be done yourself. To do this, the existing axle with brackets must first be removed. Additional holes must be drilled in the floor panel of the aluminum chassis for the new suspension system. This is not particularly difficult if you are reasonably handy. Our suspension system can also be used on homemade bicycle trailers or bicycle caravans. It is important to have a sufficiently rigid and stable base plate.
When ordering as a DIY kit, it is essential to specify the outer width of the trailer chassis so that we can adjust the length of the stainless steel axle to your trailer.
Making of suspension
We have never invested so much development time and resources in a new component. Hinterher Peter Hornung explains why this is a financial risk—and whether he himself drives with the new suspension.
Johannes: When did you first come up with the idea of developing a suspension system for your cargo trailers?
Peter: That was actually relatively early on. I think we had just started building the first series trailers—maybe in 2013 or 2014. And it seemed obvious to take a look at what suspension systems were already available. We looked at the technology used in children's trailers and started testing it on our trailers.
Johannes: And? Did it work?
Peter: Yes and no. It worked somehow, but the quality wasn't up to the standard we need for our trailers. The suspensions in child trailers are designed for a few dozen kilograms and relatively gentle use. But we wanted a solution that would still work reliably with a hundred-kilogram payload—and last for as many years as possible. It quickly became clear that this wasn't going to work.
Johannes: What exactly was missing?
Peter: Stability, suspension travel, real damping—the whole package, really. Most existing systems don't have any real damping, and the suspension consists only of rubber blocks or elastomers that are simply compressed. Even torsion axles, which are used by very few manufacturers, are based on compressed rubber cords that have less and less spring action under higher loads. This may be just about okay for transporting children weighing up to 45 kg, but for cargo trailers with completely different weights – sometimes 10 kg, sometimes 90 kg – you need a system that performs well across the entire range and simply has greater suspension travel.
"We realized relatively quickly that developing our own suspension system to meet our requirements was a step too far for us—at least at that time."
Johannes: And then the plan was: we'll just build it ourselves?
Peter: No, then we took a break. We realized relatively quickly that developing our own suspension system with these requirements was a step too far for us—at least at that time. You don't just need a good idea, you also need expertise, testing facilities, and manufacturing concepts. That would have been too much for us financially at the time, especially since bike trailers work perfectly well without suspension. So we put the suspension issue on hold for the time being.
Johannes: And how did you end up doing it after all?
Peter: The issue never completely disappeared, and it was also because of you, Johannes, because you kept bugging me about it (laughs). We also kept getting customer inquiries about transporting photo equipment, sensitive testing devices, or musical instruments, for which good suspension can be useful. And then there were also customers who claimed that all other manufacturers had suspension on their trailers. We always had to explain that not all suspension is the same and that practically no suspension on the market could withstand what our trailers are put through. Suspension systems for bicycle trailers are always advertised as being great, but like many other components, they are often so rudimentary that you could never have offered them on a bicycle decades ago, let alone on a motorcycle or even a car. In any case, the topic came up again a few years ago, and we had since learned that price is only a secondary consideration for customers who actually need something like this. This meant that the economic success of such a new system was conceivable "someday."
Johannes: How much development work was involved?
Peter: It was the longest, most complex, and most expensive development of a single component we have ever undertaken. We brought in external engineers from the automotive industry to help with the development, and a team of students from Munich University of Applied Sciences also supported us. Nevertheless, the whole thing would never have been feasible if we hadn't managed the majority of the design, prototype construction, testing phase, etc. ourselves.
Johannes: What were the requirements for the suspension system?
Peter: It had to be really durable. A long suspension travel was important so that there would still be room for maneuver even with a heavily loaded trailer, as with all our components. And it simply had to be adaptable to the wide range of trailers in our range, which come in very different sizes and therefore have different payloads. So it should be fairly easy to adjust the suspension to different weight ranges.
"From a business perspective, what we did was, quite frankly, bordering on insanity."
Johannes: At first glance, that sounds like a manageable set of specifications.
Peter: (laughs) On paper, perhaps. The theoretical concept of the suspension was relatively simple. But then you get bogged down in endless details: How do you manufacture it? How does it fit on different trailers? How can you assemble it? How can you simplify components? How can you manufacture it more cheaply, but still with higher quality and greater load capacity? And each of these aspects influences the others. You can solve one question and then realize that everything else has shifted.
Take the assembly alone: there are sequences here that you can't break out of; they are technically and geometrically predetermined. You can't tie the bow first and then put on the shoe. And that has a huge impact. You can't weld anything if you want to install plastic plain bearings. Otherwise, they'll just melt away. And even without that, welding causes a lot of warping. So everything had to be screwed or plugged together—and still be super stable. How do you do that? How do you achieve the necessary tolerances between the various manufacturing specialists? And so it goes on and on. Hundreds of hours spent optimizing manufacturing and assembly. And, of course, it has to look right too. If you're going to go to such immense lengths, then the suspension has to look good in the end.
Johannes: How many prototypes did you need before it worked?
Peter: Four completely different series. And in some cases, we even built them with our suppliers so that we could work directly with real tolerances on the high-performance CNC machines. You can simulate a lot or, like me, mill and turn yourself, but when it's actually assembled, you notice what doesn't fit. As I said, there are always conflicting goals somewhere: material, weight, stability, cost, function, assembly...
Johannes: And all that as a small company, without its own development team...
Peter: Exactly, that's another point that shouldn't be underestimated. On the one hand, all of this is happening in parallel with the usual production madness, especially in the post-corona years. And from a business perspective, what we've done is, quite frankly, bordering on insanity. We've developed a high-end chassis for a product that's produced in much smaller quantities than in the bicycle industry or by car manufacturers. But we didn't want a half-baked solution, we might as well have given up – after all, we have our reputation as the market leader for high-quality cargo trailers to uphold.
Johannes: What does the suspension look like now?
Peter: We have a linear steel spring element with hydraulic damping – this is technology familiar from bicycles, but adapted to our requirements. And with a characteristic curve that really works the same across the entire spring travel. This is extremely important when the load changes. Progressive suspension systems – such as those that work with elastomers, for example – simply have their limits. If you load it too much, the spring is basically "closed," nothing works anymore, and in practice, they can't utilize their theoretical total spring travel nearly enough. Especially where you would need it most.
Johannes: So elastomers were never an option?
Peter: No, they were out of the question for us. You can influence them a little bit via the geometry, but basically they remain progressive in character – and in our opinion, that's simply not suitable for cargo trailers with fluctuating loads. Progressive suspension works on bicycles because you always have the same body weight. But with cargo trailers, you load the trailer with something that exceeds the small ideal range of progressive systems, and then you hardly have any suspension effect. Here, we wanted the large working range of a linear system, because the loads can be 5 to 8 times higher than the trailer's own weight. With cars, it's the other way around, as the car itself always weighs significantly more than the payload.
“Everything has to fit together. What good is a great suspension system if the rest of the trailer consists of nothing more than a few flimsy tubes and fabric?”
Johannes: Did you have any role models?
Peter: Nicht direkt, das ist tatsächlich eine völlige Neuentwicklung. Aber z.B. die VSF-Kollegen von Toutterrain haben das gut gemacht. Die bauen einspurige Anhänger mit hochwertiger Federtechnik aus dem Fahrradbereich – das ist beeindruckend und funktioniert auf jeden Fall, zumindest innerhalb der Grenzen, die für diesen Anhängertypus zulässig sind. Ist technisch ein bisschen anders als bei uns, aber von der Denkrichtung her vergleichbar. Und schön zu sehen, dass man sowas auch im Anhängerbereich umsetzen kann, wenn man’s ernst meint. Und mit HP Velotechnik, ebenfalls Kollegen aus dem VSF-Verband, haben wir uns auch zum Thema Federtechnik ausgetauscht. Natürlich kennen wir auch alle anderen Federungen von aktuellen Fahrradanhängerherstellern, deren Stärken und vor allem Schwächen, sonst hätten wir uns nicht all die Mühe gemacht für so eine Neuentwicklung.
Johannes: Bist Du zufrieden mit dem Ergebnis?
Peter: Total. Es hat lange gedauert, es war anstrengend, mit zahlreichen Extrarunden, die wir drehen mussten, und wir haben viel gelernt. Aber jetzt haben wir ein System, das unseren Ansprüchen gerecht wird – und das wir guten Gewissens rausgeben können. Und das Schönste ist: Es sieht super aus und lässt sich an so ziemlich jeden unserer Anhänger nachrüsten. Selbst der allererste Prototyp könnte damit fahren.
Johannes: Hast Du die Federung patentrechtlich schützen lassen?
Peter: Ja, das haben wir. Aber ich wüsste nicht, wer das nachbauen sollte. Selbst für ambitionierte Selbstbauer ist das ein paar Nummern zu groß, so einen Maschinenpark und das Know-How in allen Fertigungsschritten hat keiner zu Hause. Und die Mitbewerber müssten ja nicht nur dieses Fahrwerk nachbauen, sondern sämtliche andere Teile, die wir mittlerweile entwickelt haben, um bei Anhängern dieser Größenordnung mit uns gleichzuziehen. Und dann müssten sie ja auch eigene Innovationen und nicht nur schlechte Kopien bringen, wie wir das immer mal wieder auf Messen und im Internet sehen. Am Ende muss ja alles zusammenpassen. Was nützt mir ein super Federungssystem, wenn der Rest des Anhängers nur aus ein paar windigen Rohren und Stoff besteht? Das würde in keinem Verhältnis stehen. Ich schraub mir ja auch keine Federgabel von Fox an ein klappriges Bahnhofsrad.
Johannes: Würdest Du dir persönlich die Federung an deinen Hxxxl light dranbauen?
Peter: An dem Hxxxl, den ich meistens verwende, momentan nicht. Ich stehe ja auf total robuste und simple Technik und muss den Anhänger schnell zerlegen können. Aber zum Glück sitze ich ja an der Quelle und kann jederzeit einen gefederten Anhänger aus unserem Fuhrpark verwenden, wenn ich ins Gelände muss oder erschütterungsempfindliche Ladungen drauf habe. Ich transportiere ja meistens nur irgendwelche Prototypen. Aber dich muss ich natürlich gar nicht fragen, ob Du ab jetzt nur noch mit der Federung fährst…
Johannes: Ja, ich genieße es total, dass ich überall fahren kann und mir um nichts mehr Sorgen machen muss. Es gibt in der Stadt so viele miese Radwege, so viele schlechte Fahrbahnabsenkungen, ich finde, die Federung ist in der Stadt fast noch wichtiger als im Gelände. Und ich liebe hochwertige Technik und freue mich einfach jedes Mal, wenn ich die Federung am Anhänger sehe.
Johannes: Welche Perspektiven für das Federungssystem siehst Du denn in Zukunft noch?
Peter: Das hängt vor allem auch von den Rahmenbedingungen der Verkehrspolitik und mit zahlreichen Einzelentscheidungen für eine echte Verkehrswende zusammen. Je höher die Geschwindigkeiten werden, z.B. bei S-Pedelecs oder leichten E-Rollern bis 45 km/h, umso wichtiger wird die Qualität aller Bauteile und auch die Federung, da bei höheren Geschwindigkeiten die relativ leichten Fahrradanhänger einfach “abheben”. Aber ich sehe hier ein enormes Potential, wenn die Politik endlich so handeln würde, wie unsere Realität da draussen es eigentlich verlangt.
Peter is the founder and managing director of Hinterher.
Johannes is responsible Hinterher the website, the configurator, photos, and videos at Hinterher .