Wheelbarrows

[MetalMonkey]

Find me Chillingtons at £20 and I'll buy three, they are £60 last I saw for sale.

Well funnily enough that's what I thought when I saw Zoro were clearing them out at £15.00 each back in Sep '23. So I bought two!
They did some more at £20 each this year, but there are only so many wheelbarrows one man can use, and five is probably pushing it.

I think B&Q used to have them at £15 but not for a long while now.

Can't comment on current prices, but then everything is ridiculous at the moment.

 

[dieselsamurai]

This is mine given to me 15years ago was old then , first thing I did was re-weld every joint then put a tractor tyre on it never had a puncture or even pumped it up since then! Used It with my mini digger when dumper wont fit and will carry 15 concrete blocks without issue as I've moved at least 1000 with it and by my reckoning that's at least 300kg each time.

 

[Pete.]

Welcome to the 21st century...

 

[Dragnet]

I borrowed a powered barrow when breaking the old concrete floors out of the house. What a handy thing, far easier than a pushy one. Mrs moved about 50 ton with it.
View attachment 451221

Cor - I would love such access. Ours has been barrows and pickaxes after cutting through the initial layer! The barrow in the picture is ancient and has had cracks welded once. We got a new deeper one from a garden centre but its supports are too close together so it's much less comfortable to use and less stable. I intend to put a jack between them and force them apart. Some good and interesting suggestions on here.

 

[addjunkie]

Cor - I would love such access. Ours has been barrows and pickaxes after cutting through the initial layer! The barrow in the picture is ancient and has had cracks welded once. We got a new deeper one from a garden centre but its supports are too close together so it's much less comfortable to use and less stable. I intend to put a jack between them and force them apart. Some good and interesting suggestions on here.

View attachment 451463

We are in the 21st century as @pete has stated…….hydraulic breakers are cheap enough to hire, or you can by electric ones from screw fix. Pick axe, no ta. All access was through normal doors.

 

[Dragnet]

Yes, we had a breaker and a concrete cutter - some of this was extraordinarily dense. However, for the stuff underneath which is quite frangible and friable it's quieter, faster, less dusty and less effort to use lighter hand tools. Especially the azada which makes prising and trenching a breeze. With really mingy doors and convoluted passages and gate it just wasn't feasible to get any 'plant' in.

 

[sako243]

Especially the azada which makes prising and trenching a breeze.

Funnily enough I was going to ask you what you call them. We call them chunkels as it was the closest Mum could come up with from the Portuguese. Until recently we always had to bring them back from Portugal but they've started to become more common here.

Digger friend had never seen them before and was blown away by how much faster they were at levelling and shifting drainage stone around in a trench compared to a spade and/or using the digger.

 

[Dragnet]

Yes, rather a cross between a hoe and mattock. I can't remember where we got it from, but I think it was made in Portugal and was from somewhere slightly specialist.

 

[Agrismith]

Funnily enough I was going to ask you what you call them. We call them chunkels as it was the closest Mum could come up with from the Portuguese. Until recently we always had to bring them back from Portugal but they've started to become more common here.

Digger friend had never seen them before and was blown away by how much faster they were at levelling and shifting drainage stone around in a trench compared to a spade and/or using the digger.

I've seen them around for years called a digging hoe. Never used one tbh. For stone in trenches I have a variety of tarmac rakes cut to different widths for trenches and foundations.

 

[Prajna]

Funnily enough I was going to ask you what you call them. We call them chunkels as it was the closest Mum could come up with from the Portuguese. Until recently we always had to bring them back from Portugal but they've started to become more common here.

Digger friend had never seen them before and was blown away by how much faster they were at levelling and shifting drainage stone around in a trench compared to a spade and/or using the digger.

Enxada (en cha da). Dunno why everyone's not using them.

 

[Martin Hocking]

We go through a lot of wheelbarrows at work.

They’ve definitely got worse in recent years.

This one is probably the worst one we’ve had in my time here.
I don’t know if Walsall wheelbarrows are all terrible or if it’s just this one. It’s terribly poorly balanced and practically falls over on its own. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve wanted to thrash it with a stick while doing concrete.


We’ve got a chillington county with a run flat tyre which is a pretty good barrow but horrible to push around because there’s no bounce in the tyre (as previously mentioned in the thread).

If you’re after a proper barrow haemerlin do one called ‘expert’ which is huge and used to be really well made and lovely to push about. Mind you they are a lot lighter weight then they used to be these days.



My test for a decent wheelbarrow is to find a relatively smooth bit of concrete and push the wheelbarrow away from you with a decent shove so it skids on the floor on the wheel and hoops, if it makes it to a stop still upright that’s a good barrow.

 

[Pete.]

My test for a good barrow - sorry 'builder's armchair' - is to put the end of the handles down to the floor. If it stays like that it's a good one and I can sit in it and have a nap in the sun.

 

[cheb]

My test for a good barrow - sorry 'builder's armchair' - is to put the end of the handles down to the floor. If it stays like that it's a good one and I can sit in it and have a nap in the sun.

I prefer ones that fall back down, it's looks better when you hear the gaffer approaching.

 

[Erie Fred]

Welcome to the 21st century...

View attachment 451461

That's 20th century, 21 has no operator, it's "self aware" and does what you need on it's own.

 

[brewdexta]

Dylan Phillips a Pembrokeshire man has just set a Guinness World Record for the fastest wheelbarrow after clocking speeds of 52mph during Straightliners Speed Week 2024 at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire.
He built the wheelbarrow in his shed in Crymych, and smashed the previous record of 46mph.
The 38-year-old said it felt "fun and surreal".

 

[Robotstar5]

Well I think I've had my money's worth out of this new tyre ordered.

 

[dobbslc]

Can't see the inner tube, carry on.

 

[Dilkris]

Site Blazer. The frame has a 2 year guarantee. Tyre is pneumatic but puncture-proof. These things last years even under the club-handed treatment they get on demo sites.

They do a lighter duty one but we only use the heavy duty ones which are about £300ish

I have only just started reading this thread with interest - so went back to the beginning.
Do people really spend £300 on a wheel barrow ??
If they do I must be really old.....

 

[Pete.]

I have only just started reading this thread with interest - so went back to the beginning.
Do people really spend £300 on a wheel barrow ??
If they do I must be really old.....

When a 60 quid metal barrow lasts 3 -4 weeks, and a £300 one lasts 5 years, sure they do. It's not just the cost of the barrow - if the man can't work for the day it's the cost of the man too and agency demo labourers are not cheap.

 

[Onoff]

I have only just started reading this thread with interest - so went back to the beginning.
Do people really spend £300 on a wheel barrow ??
If they do I must be really old.....

Not me.

This is my latest doer upper. I can't believe people throw these things out when all it takes is a new wheel/shaft, some hammering, de-rusting, painting and several hours work.

https://flic.kr/p/2q1r15u