Re-inventing the Wheel

[joe greiner]

Not the wheel itself, but one of its applications - a wheelbarrow.

Most cheap wheelbarrows, and some not so cheap, have a front cross-member secured to the frame by two bolts or carriage bolts, one for each side of the frame. The bolts line up well enough to allow rotation of the cross member when the bolts become only slightly loose. In storage, the wheelbarrow is often stood up, resting on the cross member. Rotation of the cross member can place the cross member in contact with the wheel. This is not good. Periodic tightening of the bolts becomes tedious. A better design would use two bolts on each side of the frame, at extra cost for materials and assembly labor, and I've rebuilt one wheelbarrow with such a new cross member.

A simpler fix, although not as robust, is to drill new holes in the legs of the cross member and the frame elements, and tie electrical wire for a secondary resisting component. Larger, solid wire would be somewhat stronger, and I'll use it when (or if) this first fix reveals its shortcomings. I wired both sides of the frame for redundancy.

Cheers,
Joe

[wheelinround]

Joe a new cross member with 2 bolts would fix it all and maybe some new wood too.

[munruben]

Simple solution to the problem Joe and if it works, so well and good. Must admit I was thinking more along the lines of wheelinround. There's more than one way to skin a cat eh?

[joe greiner]

Joe a new cross member with 2 bolts would fix it all and maybe some new wood too.

BTDT, on separate occasions.

In a more perfect world, an entire new wheelbarrow would make more sense. This is just a case of waste reduction. BTW, that's a new wheel on it - cheaper than having an inner tube installed.

Cheers,
Joe