Friday, February 4, 2011

Wheel Barrow Repair


How many of you use wheel barrows? If you are like me, you are pushing one several times a day, moving manure, dirt or bales of hay. Great for mixing concrete for corner fence posts as well. I've owned all kinds of wheel barrows,....one's with a large plastic tub,....small and large metal wheelbarrows with wooden handles,......but you just can't beat an all steel wheel barrow for durability providing you tip it over when it rains or snows, and not keep wet manure in it all the time, or rust will begin prematurely. I always buy or put the solid, no flat tires on all my wheelbarrows also.

On a new wheel barrow, I spray paint the inside of the tub several coats to help it repel rust, but inevitably I end up keeping something wet in the tub or leave it standing in the rain.

This past weekend I picked up some 36 inch long x one inch wide steel strips so I can re-enforce my wheelbarrows, already rusting out, so they'll last longer. I bent the metal strips into form, drilled holes to match up the holes already holding the tub to the frame, then drilled more holes to anchor the re-enforcing strips to other places in the tub. I used new carriage bolts and lock washers to replace the rusting original bolts and now have two again functional wheelbarrows.

When I replace these wheelbarrows, I can remove the re-enforcing strips and put them on the new wheelbarrows. See picture below:







If this was helpful to you or if you'd like to see other original or field expedient fixes, inventions and solutions for problems common to owning horses and having fences, barns and other facilities that always need upkeep and repair, then you should pickup a copy of "Helpful Hints for Horsemen" from Western Horseman publishing, available on their website, Western Horseman.

















2 comments:

  1. Fix-a-flat works good if you don't have the time or money to get a good tire. You can spin the tire at 35 mph and apply it good. Just got a bottle of Slime and like it, too. Of course, you gotta have air. If you run a wheelbarrow in the country, especially AZ, you better have some of all. But, yep, the solid tube/tire is the way to go. Great on bicycles, too.

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  2. plain old lattex house paint seals up tires....just put a bunch of paint inside tire, (use a basting syringe, taking out the valve stem) put enough in to coat the whole inside of tire. then air it up and roll it all around to coat everything. cheaper than fixaflat or other name brand..works on riding lawn mowers and most all slow moving tires...not for use in car or truck tires, unless emergency to get home to another tire!

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