I bought a BOB IBEX for just that idea. Before attempting any mods, I gave it a trial run – hauling a load of groceries from my local… and I was not impressed. Never used it again; it remains stored in the back room.
Decided to built my own trailer using a “jumper” frame. It had some issues that caused me to delay my 2nd California cross-country attempt – though I got it sorted well enough, and was the wiser for it.
Even though the BOB claims it can haul up to 100 lbs. of material –
don’t you believe it! The framework IMO is made of pot-steel which is heavy and weak. The frame connection concept is light- to medium-duty. I think it could handle 45 lbs. all day on a good hard trail, but going more than that is pushing the limits of the design. And then there’s the shock absorber which is not that much better than a spring.
From experience with my effort to create a pusher, it should never provide more force than the bike. In other words, have an electrified bike that is doing the majority of the work, plus there’s a trailer. And btw – it’s providing some small-in-proportion amount of work. The ebrake should be rigged to have it brake hard.
For my money, I ended up moving the motor to the rear wheel of my FWD – effectively creating a 2WD ebike, and that solved 98% of my issues with towing.
Lots of threads on this if you search around.
~
KF
PS - I'd never consider having a BOB travel faster than 25 mph. However I had my DIY-trailer up to 44 mph downhill on the west side of CA-HWY 88 Carson Pass hauling 150 lbs. of gear