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Vanisle_BC
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- Location: Port Alberni, B.C. Canada, Zone 7 (+?)
Wheel barrow design
Thinking about wheelbarrow design: a sloping front to the 'basket' makes sense for ease of emptying, but most also have sloping sides and back. I wonder why - is there any advantage to the user, or perhaps to the manufacturer?
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applestar
- Mod
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I’ve picked up / scooped up heavy sacks of loose material (like sand or mulch) or solid like big heavy rocks or rounds of tree by laying the wheelbarrow on its side and pushing / sliding / rolling / tilting in while a second person or 2 helpers begin the process of tilting the wheelbarrow back upright …. Sometimes with sacks for example, you can do this all by oneself.
Similarly dumped the material sideways when impossible to lift completely up by the handles.
Similarly dumped the material sideways when impossible to lift completely up by the handles.
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Gary350
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- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
Most wheel barrels are deep dish shape with most of the load near front tire so handles are easy to lift. Dish shape lets you dump the load in front or either side, if your not careful you accidently loose your balance and dump your load off 1 side.
Amish box style wheel barrel has 3 sides, front, left & right. If you like to scoop load out 1 shovel at a time Amish wheel barrel is great. If you loose your balance load does not shift to make you accidently dump your load. Box shape is not easy to dump.
Amish box style wheel barrel has 3 sides, front, left & right. If you like to scoop load out 1 shovel at a time Amish wheel barrel is great. If you loose your balance load does not shift to make you accidently dump your load. Box shape is not easy to dump.
It makes sense to increase capacity by having a wider top, flared front, and a narrower bottom. Sloping the sides toward the center does make it easier to shift the wt forward when lifting the handles. I still found it hard to move a full wheel barrel. It was not easy to walk straight and not have it topple on the side when my yard is not level and I have to dodge obstacles. I often wished it had two wheels instead of one so it would not get unbalanced so easily. My brother had a lawn cart and he basically used it for garbage. I liked the concept, but even that would be too wide to even make it past my side yard. I did not have large enough projects to make it useful all of the time. And there was a problem of storing it when it was not needed.
There are two kinds of wheel barrels. There is the smaller shallow wheel barrel and then there is the deep wheelbarrel that is called a contractor wheelbarrel and that one is designed to carry cement.
I got a gorilla cart instead. I have more use for it for hauling things. The smaller one can fit in my car so I can use it to haul my gear to the park or go to the swap meet to shop. The cart has a dump, so I can still haul dirt and compost in it and dump the load. Most of the time, I put dirt and rubbish in five gallon buckets. The lighter buckets I can just carry, but I can put two heavier ones in the cart and move that around easier. My yard is small, so I don't have to move a lot of things except maybe bagged soil amendments, but I store most of that in the garage and only bring the bags back when I need it. The cart also doubles as a potting bench. When I repot it contains the mess a little better.
You have a larger garden space planted in rows, so it does make more sense for you to have a wheel barrel. You have more space to maneuver and a larger parcel to work.
There are two kinds of wheel barrels. There is the smaller shallow wheel barrel and then there is the deep wheelbarrel that is called a contractor wheelbarrel and that one is designed to carry cement.
I got a gorilla cart instead. I have more use for it for hauling things. The smaller one can fit in my car so I can use it to haul my gear to the park or go to the swap meet to shop. The cart has a dump, so I can still haul dirt and compost in it and dump the load. Most of the time, I put dirt and rubbish in five gallon buckets. The lighter buckets I can just carry, but I can put two heavier ones in the cart and move that around easier. My yard is small, so I don't have to move a lot of things except maybe bagged soil amendments, but I store most of that in the garage and only bring the bags back when I need it. The cart also doubles as a potting bench. When I repot it contains the mess a little better.
You have a larger garden space planted in rows, so it does make more sense for you to have a wheel barrel. You have more space to maneuver and a larger parcel to work.