Out of all 49 beautiful US states (plus New Jersey), the one you’d probably least want to camp outside in during the winter is arguably Alaska. If you were to spend a night camping out in the Alaskan winter, your first choice of shelter almost certainly wouldn’t be a USPS electric cargo trike, but over on YouTube [Matt Spears] shows that it’s not that hard to make a lovely little camper out of the mail bike.
We’re not sure how much use these sorts of cargo trikes get in Alaska, but [Matt] seems to have acquired this one surplus after an entirely-predictable crash took one of the mirrors off. A delta configuration trike — single wheel in front — is tippy at the best of times, but the high center of gravity you’d get from a loading the rear with mail just makes it worse. That evidently did not deter the United States Postal Service, and it didn’t deter [Matt] either.
His conversion is rather minimal: to turn the cargo compartment into a camper, he only adds a few lights, a latch on the inside of the rear door, and a wood-burning stove for heat. Rather than have heavy insulation shrink the already-small cargo compartment, [Matt] opts to insulate himself with a pile of warm sleeping bags. Some zip-tie tire chains even let him get the bike moving (slowly) in a winter storm that he claims got his truck stuck.
While it might not be a practical winter vehicle, at least on un-plowed mountain roads, starting with an electric-assist cargo trike Uncle Sam already paid for represented a huge cost and time savings vs starting from scratch like this teardrop bike camper we featured a while back. While not as luxurious, it seems more practical for off-roading than another electric RV we’ve seen.
Loving the subtle jabs at the cringy staging :) Glad that some still have a critical opinion of all the silly Youtube and streamer gimmicks.
Hmmm.. adding a front motor would really help that thing off road.
The USPS does some silly things because they have long held contracts with companies stuck in a 1980’s mindset and contracts that they cant get out of because of political / union reasons.
With all-wheel drive and big knobby fat bike tires, it starts to look shockingly practical.
I’ve done two e-bike conversions (wife and I had old cross country hardtails).
The torque sensor is the superior user interface by a long shot…
but I love the AWD/front-biased cadence-sensor bike on slippery surfaces. I drive the rear, a motor drives the front.
In theory that front motor could’ve been less work to install – but it front my aluminum suspension fork (since replaced for solid steel), so it requires extensive modification anyway. Oh and the injuries from breaking a fork a pretty bad, don’t recommend.
Next hypothetical bike build will use a wimpy torque sensor for mid-drive and tap that throttle signal for a beefy front motor.
I can output the legal 750W electric limit with my legs (briefly). I am the torque vectoring algorithm!
Very cool! The center of gravity issue is not immediately obvious to the untrained eye.
Question here! it is not ilegal to sell/buy goods from a National Postal Service? I mean beyond stamps and memorabilia. If not ,I guess he need to remove the logo if he thinks go go back to the road right?
It’s not too unusual to see old Postal vehicles with the original markings. I don’t think there’s a law against it. Just don’t go poking into mailboxes or knocking on doors pretending to be a mail carrier.
US Post Office doesn’t do banking or anything like that.
FYI: Postal refers to a series of games by RWS Inc.
From the LLM:
But honestly, much of the country has a “don’t make it a problem” attitude about this kind of thing.
YouTube might be making it a problem, softly… and I’d expect it to be handled softly, in kind, when the responsible authorities find out by publicly visible channel.
Legal to purchase? sure. All federal level (for a particular definition of all… There are restrictions and exemptions, mostly with certain police/military gear) surplussed materials go to public auction in US. Most other public entities in the US are the same (states, school districts, local gov, etc). This is to moderate the risk of shady dealing. THere is a bypass, in that, prior to auction, many things are made available to other qualified agencies. This is NOT The same system that gets my local government several MRAPS, combat ready Humvees, and the like.
As to the logo, I don’t know what the rules are there, but there is no copyright or trademark issue in the US. As I understand it (IANAL) from friends that are in the military and law enforcement collectors world (one has a freaking tank he brings out for parades, FFS, as well as several with half tracks and plugged howitzers. Another has a NYPD Harley in full livery with lights) there isn’t an issue unless misrepresentation happens.
government surplus is a treasure trove.
Thank you guys! that why I love HaD!
With that kind of planning and practices I’m really surprised Darwin hasn’t caught up with this guy yet.
Exactly. If he keeps going out unprepared for the conditions, Darwin will find him.
hahaha dude, you must not know this guy.
he’s a legendary dirtbike rider, and a well versed outdoorsman. the “unpreparedness” is for show for youtube. I don’t love that aspect of his vids, but he’s gotta pay the bills I guess.
he’s a huge gearhead, to modified a hayabusa (~200hp motorcylce) to have tracks like a sled (snowmobile) and raced it against one of the best professionals around (keith kurtis), check the video “I Raced the World’s Fastest Snowmobile”.
before he hacked it that way he rode it up some extremely gnarly rock hill climbs, check out “Crotch Rocket at Moab, Hells Gate”
he also recently modified a vintage hovercraft and has been riding it on old abandoned train tracks and frozen rivers in alaska.
Paint a big S on it. Look at that s-cargo trike go!
Actually if the back cabin was shaped like a snail shell it’d be more aero and have a mid level long enough to stretch out in. Too bad the post office didn’t do this with bins that would fit in a spiral shell. Red stripes on a white shell like a peppermint candy and a star spangled blue front end.
I remember the little Cushman mail trikes in the early 60’s. Nothing new, I knew someone who had one in the 80’s and hauled sound gear for events.
I hope that wood burning stove is on the outside and works by heat conduction into the box walls, rather than combustion happening inside the box.
It’s totally in the cargo box, but none of the doors have anything resembling a seal, so that’s fresh air covered. Exhaust is via a pipe out the roof.
What’s the air quality like inside? I’d be concerned about soot.
He´s also lying lower than the stove. Nothing like CO for a deep nap.
Have you ever seen a wood burning stove on a house? It’s common practice. The stove generates a draft that routes the fumes outside, as long as some fresh air can make it into the building.
Idaho license plate.
No shovel.
I know you did not watch the video. It was Montana, not AK. He had an Alaska shirt on and did another video up there.
Hopefully someone at Hackaday will correct the post, both headline and article text. :|
I like the trike, that battery appears a bit puny though… it looks suspiciously like the Hailong one strapped to my homebrew electric Brompton (250W motor). I think I’d be needing a bit more help than that, what with the hills round where I live, especially considering the weight it’d be when full of mail!
as an alaskan i have not seen any of these. in fact in a lot of alaskan communities there is no mail delivery at all (i have to walk up hill a mile, presently in icy conditions, just to get mine). it doesnt even really seem remotely viable to use these up here since they would only work half the year, they were probibly used down south. i cant even imagine it being safe enough to pass osha regs. ive had a hard time riding bikes in winter and gave up somewhere in my ’20s. a lot of people are riding fat tire ebikes now, so i guess with studs or chains those might be viable, but i haven’t seen any this winter.
“We’re not sure how much use these sorts of cargo trikes get in Alaska, but [Matt] seems to have acquired this one surplus after an entirely-predictable crash took one of the mirrors off.”
None, they’re not used up here. It’s a fun video, though.
just want to say … Matt is the Dude man! tha can-do attitude in this young man is inspiring!
Surely there must be 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 beautiful 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 in New Jersey. I mean, there is at least a 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 more to the state than the NJT. Shall we take a poll about nice places in the state?
Fun (mostly beautiful) NJ day trips for Hackaday readers:
Holmdel Horn Antenna, former Bell Labs Crawford Hill Facility. Go learn about the origins of the universe.
Marconi Tower, InfoAge Science and History Museums. Learn about the first transatlantic wireless transmission and the best radio transmitter design: the spark gap (what band? ALL OF THEM)
Princeton University, Princeton. Revolutionary history and former presidents aside, if CS is your thing you can see the graves of Alonzo Church and Von Neumman.
The Pole Farm, Lawrenceville. Go see the site of the giant rhombic long line antennas that handled international telephone calls.
What exits are those at?