Topic: Wheel on wheelbarrow problem

[twinkletoes]

I know this is really a stupid question :-[ - but here goes.   The wheel on my wheelbarrow is flat. I know nothing about tyres etc. and have never owned a bicycle so ......  There is a valve on the wheel (like a car tyre) so I assume there is an "inner tube".  I also guess I need to get this out to mend .... HOW?   

Many thanks.

[RobinOfTheHood]

Same as with any other tyre, with tyre levers, whether proper or makeshift.

Take the wheel off, push the tyre into the centre of the wheel where it will be loose, and put the edge of the lever underneath the tyre bead and prise it over the edge of the wheel rim. Work your way around the wheel with the rest of the tyre and you should then be able to get your hand in and pull out the inner tube.


Poorly explained, I know, but maybe it will make sense when you attempt it.. :-\

[Tee Gee]

The people that repair car tyres often repair these too, have a word with your local Kwik fit man or similar

[Eristic]

OK, the crude do-it-yourself method.

You will require a bicycle puncture repair kit, a foot pump, a bowl of water and a couple of  dining forks. (Not your best silver, or the cheap bendy rubbish and not the ones with fancy handles, just good old-fashioned Sheffield steel ones.)

Remove wheel from barrow then using the handle ends of the forks, lever one wall of the tyre off the wheel rim taking care not to nip the inner tube. Now it should be possible to reach inside and pull out the inner tube which should be removed but before removing the tube, carefully run your fingers round the inside of the tyre to feel if the object that caused the puncture is still there. If found, remove it and mark the spot on the inner tube.

If you have found the puncture spot, stick a patch on following the instructions with the repair kit otherwise gently blow up the tube and submerge it in the water until the stream of bubbles reveals the location of the puncture. Stick a patch on. When the patches have been applied and are dry, test the tube in water again to be sure there are no further leaks.

Now the hard part. Put it all back together again. Deflate the tube then wriggle it back under the tyre and onto the wheel, locating it properly with the valve through the hole. Replace the tyre back over the wheel rim using the back of the forks as levers again being careful not to nip the tube. At this point you will think that the tyre has shrunk but with a bit of dexterity, considerable force and a third hand it will return. Pump it up to the desired bounce and replace on the barrow.

[isbister]

My local car tyre place replaced my wheelbarrow tyre and tube recently and charged me £15

[twinkletoes]

Brilliant responses.  I'll think with Eristic's step by step method - I'll have a go at repairing it myself.  If I fail - I'll go to Kwik-fit up the road.  Thanks all for your time.

Twinkletoes

[euronerd]

Barrow tyres are notoriously thin, and i seemed to recall an aerosol product mentioned somewhere. I found this, if it's of any use to you:
http://www.netparts.co.uk/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=48&gclid=CP6Bpb22140CFQmHlAodjCDxYQ

Now I bet that's screwed up the formatting on this page.

It wouldn't surprise me if H*lfords ... no, forget it.

Geoff.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Halfords do stock it. It comes in flourescent green tubes, but I forget what it's called. You just inject it into the tyre. After a couple of years you start to find the tyre going flat periodically, and it's time to replace it.

[ACE]

There is a compound on the market that is a slimey green colour, known in the trade as 'gorrilla snot' pump it into your barrow tyre and pump it up it seals the puncture and seals future holes that you are likely to get.

Purely for ride on mowers, barrows, trailers etc. not recommended for road use.

[Robert_Brenchley]

That's the stuff. I don't know what I'd do without it; my original barrow had a tyre with massive trads which would go over anything, but it was nicked (they really went to some trouble to hoik it over a bit of chain link!), and the replacement only had a thin tyre. I have a hawthorn hedge, and just pushing the d**n thing down the path always resulted in multiple punctures.

[euronerd]

Robert, and twinkletoes, don't exceed 40mph, and NO handbrake turns  ;D

Geoff.

[Deb P]

Or you could replace it with one of these, I got mine direct from the company but not cheap.......http://www.greentyre.com/

[caroline7758]

This has been a very useful thread, thanks- I've hada wheelbarrow in the garage with a flat tyre for a couple of years-Now I know what to do!

[quizzical1]

If you can't repair the puncture, or if (as happened to mine) the tyre has perished, rather than pay Kwikfit to repair/replace it, (£15.00?) Screwfix sell a replacement wheel complete with tyre etc. for£12.99.
Failing that you can get a complete new black builders barrow from Wickes for £23.99 (galvanised £29.99)

[twinkletoes]

Well, it was too hot at the weekend to do the puncture and I opted for the easier route of taking the wheel to a local tyre place who have said they will replace the inner tube for £5 - bargain?!   ;D  ;D  ;D

Twinkletoes