Flat free wheel barrow wheels

[ErrolFlynn]

I'm so tempted to get one of these.

I don't go through a lot of wheelbarrows. I'm on my second. The pneumatic tyres that both had gave up the ghost. I replaced the inner tube on the first but it didn't last long. And now it's happened on my latest barrow. This time the actual tyre has a tear.

An uncle of mine used to have a barrow with a solid steel wheel. It was a noisy thing on concrete and it marked the footpath, but there was no chance of it going flat. I recall also seeing a similar wheel to the sold steel but it had strip of rubber around the circumference. I don't know how it was held in place, but it looked like a compromise. And if it did wear and come off you still had the steel wheel that would last.

I sometimes see people selling them for garden ornaments. And they often want mega bucks for them. It was that idea that made me think of a solid rubber tyre. Though, they're not cheap. Bunnings sells them for close to $100. You can buy a new wheelbarrow for less than that.

I'd consider making a steel wheel but I just know I'd be wasting my time.

Some people have tried drilling holes in the tyre and pumping expanding foam from one of those aerosol cans into them. They claim some success. Has anyone tried that?

[r3nov8or]

Get 2 x run flat tyres and some handy flat steel and tubing for $48 :)

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-hand-trolley-run-flat-tyres---250kg/353577.html#q=Run%2Bflat&lang=en_AU&start=2

[Neil]

My Father had a steel wheel, wheelbarrow or barra (as brickies, chippies etc called it) until it finally died old in the early 60s. The new one had the steel wheel with flat rubber on. That wheelbarra did a ship load of work and the flat rubber wheel was still going strong when he shuffled off his mortal coil some 50+ years later. I have it now and it's still going strong although the steel tray is a bit worse for wear, no longer holds water, slightly bent couple of rust patches, but still good for garden work and carrying medium weight bits n pieces.

Wouldn't want to be pushing barra loads of bricks, cement, etc in it, or have it on a building site.
However... the wheel on the barra goes round and round, without even the hint of a sound.

How poetic or should that be pathetic.

Rubber flat rim wheel, barras seem to be a thing of the past now. Couldn't find on on the myriad of barras on the firt page of Google so must not be available... Yes I know there's thousands of pages on Google but who ever goes past the first page when you have it set to show 50 responses.
:huh:

Cheers - Neil :U

[mic-d]

I have some flat wheelbarrow tyres you can have for free :q

[ErrolFlynn]

I've got two of my own, thanks all the same.

[r3nov8or]

Hi Neil

I'm being told that I need to hit the Thanks For This Post button to read every post in this thread, for all posts except the first and my own

[ErrolFlynn]

Me to. And in posting I didn't do anything different from how I've always started a thread. Weird.

[Neil]

Should all be fixed now. Wasn't me. If anyone still has a problem please report the post where it happens and I'll have another look at it.

[ErrolFlynn]

Good oh!

[mic-d]

still happening for me i think. someone stick up one more reply?

[r3nov8or]

Still happening to me. On Chrome on Android hitting Thanks doesn't even help! Logged on using Brave browser and it works (posting this on Brave)

Edit: now back on Chrome and all posts are visible (hit Thanks in Brave). I'll wait for someone else to post another reply

[ErrolFlynn]

Yeah, not fixed just yet.

537895

[havabeer69]

this post DOESN"T require you to read the content.


spam aside.

I garuntee the first time to try and push the barrow up and over something with a solid metal wheel and it chips the concrete, marks the timber etc and the ton of extra weight and lack of grip you'll run back to bunnings for a normal tyre.

if they worked people would still use them

[r3nov8or]

"Thanks requirement" stopped at post 13

[ErrolFlynn]

solid metal wheel and it chips the concrete

No doubt. The last steel wheeled barrow I saw did a nice job of putting lines on the cement driveway. That's probably why the newer ones came out rubber coated. I'd love to have one. The only negative I can think of (besides taking chips out of kerbing) is that they'd probably easily sink into sand or mud. Though, to protect kerbs you could probably turn around and pull the barrow up, backwards. Oh, and they'd be noisy compared to rubber.

I've been reading a few posts on solid rubber wheels. An American forum. There's a common theme that they handle differently from pneumatic tyres. Surprising, I know. We're not referring to high powered sports cars, but that's what they say. I'll have to take their word on that.

So, I guess no one on this forum has used a solid rubber wheel on a wheelbarrow, and can tell of their experience of how good/bad they are or brands to get/avoid and the like.

[DJ’s Timber]

I wonder if they make a solid flex tyre like they do for Skid Steers

https://images.app.goo.gl/RzGBiVD4ZYAT2AJDA

[ErrolFlynn]

Interestingly designed tyre on that link. It probably prevents wear on shallow turns on those skid steer machines.

A pneumatic tyre can be quite hard under a lot of air pressure. So, I have no idea how hard the rubber is in these 'no flat' tyres. This strange handling some complain about may be becuase they are soft. Perhaps, rather than being solid rubber, they may actually be a regular tyre that has been filled with something. Foam, maybe.

[droog]

No personal experience but Sherlock make a solid flat free wheel for their wheelbarrows.https://www.bunnings.com.au/sherlock-16-wide-flat-free-wheelbarrow-wheel_p3360851?srsltid=AfmBOooZLh49K09pmGv1lXyqJDD_by9p1nW3mDTZbNCgdQa7klKH0OZOhttps://www.sherlocklastslonger.com.au/wheels-tyres-tubes.htm

[havabeer69]

I can't believe anyone would think a solid cast iron wheel barrow wheel is going to be cheaper then a solid/pneumatic one?



hell just go get a 2nd barrow for $20 and throw the tub out if you don't want new. there are also alot of other places to buy tyres compared to bunnings

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-replacement-wheel---40cm-suits-sca-wheelbarrow/340466.html - $30
https://www.amazon.com.au/Wheelbarrow-Trolley-Wear-Resistant-Anti-Slip-Trolleys/dp/B0C52NBNMS?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A1UZ5O7SRZGFSM - $25
https://www.totaltools.com.au/207685-makita-18vx2-brushless-wheelbarrow-skin-w-electric-dump-bucket-dcu602z - $7699

[ErrolFlynn]

I don't think steel wheels are available any more. I doubt cast iron was ever available for wheelbarrows. Prices of old barras with steel wheels vary from about $20 to $200, and the sellers generally push the notion of them only being good as a garden decoration.

The links you provided HB were all pneumatic tyres, which is not really what I'm after. I already have a couple of them that are only good for the bin. The last one was weird. Had to laugh. I think I could find better things to do with $7699.