Proper Builders Wheelbarrow

[tim armstrong]

Ok, I think I've asked this one before but does anyone know of a source for a good solid large wheelbarrow with an inflatable tyre ? I have looked for several years - cant find one.

[cooked]

Nope, forget it. I know what you are talking about, I can't understand why they have all this cheap rubbish in the do it your self places, but I can understand why you never see a Thai using one. Put a sack of cement on one and it will fall over. I may buy one next time I go home, ฿6000.- or so, my wife thinks that I am crazy.

A good barrow should have a low center of gravity, inflatable tyre, solid steel container. I could turn over a wheel barrow with 200 Kg of concrete in it with two fingers (not that I wanted to, just for demonstration) and really put the stuff exactly where I wanted it.

Nope.

[loong]

I did see a single wheeled wheelbarrow with pneumatic tyre in a DO Home store.

I was surprised to see it and surprised at the price, quite expensive.

Can't remember how much though, but cheaper than cooked's homeland

[cooked]

yes, I have seen pneumatic tyres, but the center of gravity is too high, the steel quality is crap. Maybe I'll get rich importing decent barrows, or go bankrupt because the Thais refuse to use them.

[jbrain]

yes, I have seen pneumatic tyres, but the center of gravity is too high, the steel quality is crap. Maybe I'll get rich importing decent barrows, or go bankrupt because the Thais refuse to use them.

Why importing, it can't be more difficult to make a good one than it is to make a lousy one.

Not much technology involved in a wheel barrow is it.

[cooked]

yes, I have seen pneumatic tyres, but the center of gravity is too high, the steel quality is crap. Maybe I'll get rich importing decent barrows, or go bankrupt because the Thais refuse to use them.

Why importing, it can't be more difficult to make a good one than it is to make a lousy one.

Not much technology involved in a wheel barrow is it.

With respect, I think you don't understand Thai (oriental) mentality. Cheap goes before quality every time, something that might last a lifetime, has something to do with craftsmanship, has no chance here.

[Canada]

We are in the land of crap. Right dead center of made in China it seems. I have yet to see a decent wheelbarrow, or a decent anything for that matter. I have broke several wheelbarrows. I once had a contractor come and do some building for me. I came home and found his guys hauling heavy in my piece of crap wheelbarrow that was pretty brand new. I made him buy it. It wasn't broken yet, but it would be. They never touched any other tools after that. I still have the one he bought me to replace it. Brand new cause I won't use it. I have a little old Suzuki mini truck that I use for my wheelbarrow. I don't mix cement in it though.

[jbrain]

yes, I have seen pneumatic tyres, but the center of gravity is too high, the steel quality is crap. Maybe I'll get rich importing decent barrows, or go bankrupt because the Thais refuse to use them.

Why importing, it can't be more difficult to make a good one than it is to make a lousy one.

Not much technology involved in a wheel barrow is it.

With respect, I think you don't understand Thai (oriental) mentality. Cheap goes before quality every time, something that might last a lifetime, has something to do with craftsmanship, has no chance here.

I'm well aware of the Thai mentality, but it was actually that you were talking about importing them to sell over here.

I understand it probably was a joke, but if you have the knowledge about how a decent wheel barrow is constrcuted, it might not be a bad idea to find a manufacturer or steel workshop and order a couple to your specifications.

Basically it is the same construction, only different balanced and a better quality of steel, so in fact it should cost not much more to produce as the crap ones they produce already.

[cooked]

I had thought about getting one made as a pilot maybe I'll get around to it.

[IsaanAussie]

Like you guys I have gone through a few barrows here building the pig sty etc.. Some are reasonably balance C of G wise but they all suffer from axle and bearing issues which grow old very quickly. Making the barrow and frame is no problem, getting the wheel and axle maybe. It has me stuffed why they put skinny solid wheels of a concrete barrow when there is invariably muddy patches you have to move it through.

But I can offer a suggestion. I use my two wheel pushcart (bicycle wheels) and put the plastic concrete mixing tub in it. It is almost a perfect fit and with a piece of timber through the end of the cart frame the tub stays firmly in place. Means you have to shovel stuff out if it is really heavy bit it can be tipped up. Not a bad compromise giving you a 150 litre barrow that has large wheels and is easy to move around. Good for mixing stuff up in as well.

[David006]

IA....exactly what I do with the trolley style...I also sewed in a piece of fishing net to stop stuff falling through ,I chuck in a tarp for small stuff or use buckets.

I have seen pretty good, well constructed wheel barrows ( as good as any Bunnings unit) in our local m and p hardware and noodle shop but decided that my back is better off with the trolley ....much more flexible too.

If ya buy one from a place that makes them I would think that you could ask 'em to weld in some L shaped tangs or somesuch to take drop in boards?

Good idea to dissemble and grease the axles and.that adjustable support leg ...mine rusted up and took half a day and six beers to fix..keep meaning to give it a coat of rust paint too...Better to mix cement in the baby bath thing as near as poss to place of use?

[TongueThaied]

The only decent "contractor's wheelbarrow" (durable with inflatable tire) I have ever seen here is mine. But anybody can have one -- you you are willing to pay. There are True Value Hardware stores in both Pattaya and Bangkok. You can go on any US True Value Hardware webesite, shop for what you want, get the True Value SKU number and order it from the True Value here. Problem is, it will cost 2-1/2 to 3 times as much as the US price.

It pretty much boils down to this: "How bad do you want it?" When it is a lifetime item, like a good wheelbarrow, I'm willing to pay.

You do NOT have to go to Bangkok or Pattaya to buy anything. You can call or e-mail. They will get you the price plus shipping to your home, you pay by bank transfer or credit card. If it is special order (they do not stock it), it will come by container and could take as long as three months. Again, how bad do you want it?

The person I dealt with (by e-mail) was the manager of the Pattay store. Her name is Panadda Narinsorrasak, 081-782-4624, 038-332-498-9; e-mail - [email protected]; web - www.truevalue.co.th. I have attached her business card. All that said, it has been more than a year since I made a purchase and Panadda may no longer be there, but somebody will be.

If you buy from True Value, ask about and get a membership first (free); it often will bring you discounts of as much as 35%. This is pretty significant if you buy a 72,000 baht Weber gas grill, as did I (best purchase I ever made -- love the thing). With the discount, the Weber still cost double the US price, but there is nothng like it here. Seems every other grill availalbe here still uses the antiquated and grease fire prone "lava rocks." I also bought a 200,000 BTU weed burner, which I use regularly. They also have "real" shovels and garden tools.

[tim armstrong]

There's definitely a Christmas book - for next year in this discussion. - 'Wheelbarrows of the World' - in colour, or like the very funny - 'Around Ireland with a Fridge', maybe 'around Thailand with a wheelbarrow'. But I like the concrete mixer arrangement.

Strangely, there has been a new and quite large steel shed built just 2 doors away from me, that appears to be selling farm stuff. As I was speeding past yesterday, what did I see in the front yard ? Yep, several of them, bright blue, chunky looking and with what appeared to be a large tyre at the front !

If its not just another old person's moment of mine,I will report back to this forum ASAP. Thanks to TT and others for the useful info.

[cooked]

This is what I mean ... low center of gravity, very manouevrable, indestructible.

Edited November 25, 2012 by cooked

[loong]

This is what I mean ... low center of gravity, very manouevrable, indestructible.

Only thing that I don't like about that wheelbarrow is that it doesn't have a "loop" around the front of the wheel.

I would think, when tipping a heavy load the wheel will try to run away from you whereas with a loop it will dig in and the wheel will lift off of the ground.

Hope you understand, "loop" may not be a good description of what I mean.

This link has a pic of a barrer with the "loop"

http://cnkunli.en.made-in-china.com/product/bMexcHzDbghl/China-Wheel-Barrow-WB6400-.html

[cooked]

Ha ha. You don't tip it straight forward (especially when it has 200Kg of concrete in it!) You tip it sort of diagonally having positioned it correctly. I had great difficulties explaining this to (English) employees, you can do it with two fingers.

Sorry mate, edit: your picture shoes a barrow with a high center of gravity. Believe me, I pushed these things around for 40 years and I know. With my version you can throw 50 Kg of cement in with little fear of it falling over. On sloping ground this is essential.

Edited November 25, 2012 by cooked

[loong]

Ha ha. You don't tip it straight forward (especially when it has 200Kg of concrete in it!) You tip it sort of diagonally having positioned it correctly. I had great difficulties explaining this to (English) employees, you can do it with two fingers.

Sorry mate, edit: your picture shoes a barrow with a high center of gravity. Believe me, I pushed these things around for 40 years and I know. With my version you can throw 50 Kg of cement in with little fear of it falling over. On sloping ground this is essential.

The pic in the link was only intended to show what I meant by the "loop" around the wheel. It was just something I grabbed from the internet, not meant to show the perfect wheelbarrow.

[cooked]

... don't need!

[loong]

... don't need!

That is your opinion but we Brits differ.

As far as we are concerned a square edged wheelbarrow is designed for front tipping. With the wheelbarrow in your pic, more of the weight is concentrated at the back, ie you have to expend more effort to lift it. This means that you can't carry so much weight but it is more stable.

We Brits are used to wheelbarrows with more of the weight carried by the wheel, so we can carry more weight, but is less stable. Needs the loop because of the extra weight and not so easy to tip.

Wheelbarrows designed for side tipping have a rounded front edge and with the weight concentrated more to the rear are more stable. These are what Grandma uses around the garden

[cooked]

A bit of fun here. I gave my English employees decent tools and they couldn't use them correctly. Long handled tools that permit you to work without bending were grasped half way down so that they could continue to have back ache. Same thing with the barrows, I don't think you have ever used one like this. You just lift it until the weight is on the front wheel. The ease with which you can unload stuff in the barrow is a joy. Not side tipping, diagonally forwards. Two fingers, I have shown this many times (disguising my pain). You just tip it over without lifting. I am (was) a professional gardener, many places are only accessible with A WB and I tried many variants.

You cannot or should not have to unload 200 Kg of concrete by front tipping: I don't think that grandmothers would want to do this either.

[loong]

You cannot or should not have to unload 200 Kg of concrete by front tipping: I don't think that grandmothers would want to do this either.

If I mentioned 200Kg to my Granny, she would ask "What's that in real money?"

[thaipod]

It's difficult to get quality tools I'm forever trying to find something that will work for me . The wheel barrow is one that I've been searching and now have come to the conclusion that I will have to get a metal worker to make it , what they have here is terrible it keeps falling over and a thin solid wheel that sinks in soft soil.

It's the same with spades, shovels and garden forks .

[tim armstrong]

Well I was having an old person's moment. The barrows that I saw nearby were green not blue, and they have a solid wheel at front. But they are large and well balanced. I'm going to see if a wheel change is possible. I will keep you posted.

[cooked]

Well I was having an old person's moment. The barrows that I saw nearby were green not blue, and they have a solid wheel at front. But they are large and well balanced. I'm going to see if a wheel change is possible. I will keep you posted.

can you put a sack of cement on it without it falling over, and then manoeuvre it around corners on wet ground and up a plank?

@thaipod: if you make two, I'll buy the second one, seriously!

[tim armstrong]

Well I was having an old person's moment. The barrows that I saw nearby were green not blue, and they have a solid wheel at front. But they are large and well balanced. I'm going to see if a wheel change is possible. I will keep you posted.

can you put a sack of cement on it without it falling over, and then manoeuvre it around corners on wet ground and up a plank?

@thaipod: if you make two, I'll buy the second one, seriously!

Cooked: I will have a good look at what's possible and let you and this forum know. Alternatively if the maker is accessible I'll find out what it would cost to make some to your specs which sum up the design very well. What a good Christmas this might be !

[cooked]

Yes indeed. I guess I get the prototype!