Wheelbarrows: Home made to Power Wheelbarrows

My first wheelbarrow was a cheap little model. Thirty years ago I probably paid under $20 for it. It had a small pan (that's the part you load stuff into) and metal handles with rubber handgrips much like bicycle handlebars. They quickly rusted out, leaving the pan bottomless.

I got a real work wheelbarrow as a birthday gift from my husband. I was thrilled with my big, red, 6-cubic-foot model. The wooden handles were warm in winter, and the tires held up fairly well under the work hours at the barn. The fact that the tire could be re-inflated or even repaired at the same tire center as my car was a plus. I loved that wheelbarrow. But, with the metal pan it did eventually rust out.

My next wheelbarrow was the same style except that instead of a metal pan it has a corrosion-proof polyethylene pan. I can leave it outdoors in the rain with no worry of rust. The True Temper model I bought retailed for $79.99. I still have to deal with the tire going flat from time to time. But, now there are heavy-duty wheelbarrows with flat-free tires. I will be shopping for one of those tires soon.

The Ace Easy Lifter is a cool looking wheelbarrow. It has parallel stabilizer bars to make dumping easier. Retail price is $94.99.

Speaking of tires I have used the two-tire model wheelbarrow. The advantage is with two tires you are not as likely to have a "tip-over." But with my thirty-year relationship with wheelbarrows, I seldom turn a loaded one over. I don't especially like the two-wheeler because I found it harder to turn in tight spots (like a horse stall) than the single-wheeled models, which can pivot like a Carolina basketball player. Couple that with the fact that now you have two wheels to go flat (unless of course you get one with the flat-free tires) and I just don't like this model. But that is just me, and many folks I've talked to really like the two-wheeler. I think if I had kids helping me at the barn I might like it because kids are always turning over the wheelbarrow, then whining because they have to re-scoop the poop. True Temper's 8 cubic foot contractor's wheelbarrow, with 16" dual wheels and heavy-duty undercarriage is a real work hog and retails at $119.99.

Some barn managers prefer the two-wheeled garden cart. These carts hold more than a wheelbarrow and work well for moving hay bales, feed bags as well as manure. I had a homemade one and loved it for a variety of jobs, although it was harder to dump than a wheelbarrow. The garden cart was handy for other jobs, though.

Favored by many barn managers, Muller's Smart Carts are lightweight, under fifty pounds, with a choice of 20-inch spoke wheels or a wide tread 16-inch turf tire for easy movement in deep sand or heavy mud. The Smart Cart has snap out polyethylene pans, with a no-bolts assembly. There are two sizes of pans that can be interchanged. The frame is aluminum and the axle is plated steel with a powder-coated cross brace, to resist the barn acids and heavy use around a stable. You can buy the wheels separately as well the pans. The versatility of this cart makes it a great tool around the barn. It has a lifetime frame warranty.

Last but not least for the ultimate lazy barn worker, or we older perhaps weaker ones, there is the motorized wheelbarrow. The rugged Power Barrow Company's Brutus is a wheelbarrow on four wheels with a motor. Ideal for those who have to push uphill, it will take a 30-degree grade and has a release lock for easy dumping. Brutus retails for $1999. A new smaller version, designed for personal use is the 8-cubic-foot Amigo, which retails for $1199.

There you have it, the lowdown on the wheelbarrow. We've come a long way since the early wooden one-wheel cart of our forefathers.