Lawn and Garden: Wheelbarrows - Do I Buy New or Rebuild
Wheelbarrow Problems
The wheelbarrow that I currently use, is a Farm & Ranch 10 cube wheelbarrow. It had a extra heavy duty poly, rust resistant shell and two, 12 inch wheels that had a nice tread and a tube inside.
This wheelbarrow has seen me through rows and rows of dense weeds. It has sat outside in storms, with weeds composting in it. It has been used to bring wood to the house for burning, which involves rolling across a long grassy strip and across an uneven area of wood shavings, dirt and bark.
It's Been Tough
I will be the first to admit it. If you are going to be my wheelbarrow, you will run the course. When I go to my wood shed, I don't just gently set my firewood chunks in the barrow. No, I loosen them off the top of the stack, which at times is over my head, and then, tip the stack over, in the wheelbarrow, catching the pieces as they fall.
I'm hard on wheelbarrows. Tough duty needs to be tough duty. It needs to endure hot temperatures, extreme cold temperatures. Minnesota has hot, humid summers and cold, crispy winters. The temperatures can go from wind chill factors of minus 100 below to scorching temperatures of plus 100 degrees in a matter of days.
My Poor Wheelbarrow
It's shot. Its poly bucket has a hole in the bottom. There is a metal sign stuffed in the space between the bucket and the frame holding the bucket. That sign has been abused too.
The tires have broken into pieces, threads hanging sideways. It reminds me of those cartoons where the cigar blows up and there are strings flopping everywhere in front of the cartoon mans face. Yeah. That's like my wheelbarrow tires.
They don't hold air. They did hold air until last week, when I brought 20 pieces of wood to the house in one load. These wood pieces probably weigh 15 - 25 pounds each, so the load is very heavy. You wouldn't know it when pushing it that it contains so much weight, since the wheelbarrow is so efficient that it is effortless to push. I love the double wheels!
Hubby Had Some Lawnmower Wheels
Let the air out. Stand on them to break the bead from the rim. Poke around with a small crowbar and 1 inch wrench.
Well. It's going to be a long process, getting the rubber to slip over the rim. I'm sure there is an easier method - like get someone else to do it, but meanwhile, I am going out to the garage in small bits of time and working at it. It's not like I do not have anything else to do. Focus. Focus. Focus.
I took some pictures and I should show you what I'm working with.
