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Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: RenishawPhil on November 16, 2011, 10:56:21

Title: wheelbarrows
Post by: RenishawPhil on November 16, 2011, 10:56:21
I am looking at getting one of those two wheeled wheel barrows or a 4 wheel cart thing.  Trouble is am struggling to find suppliers (apart from one on amazon)

Can anybody tell me if they are worth getting and any known places?

Cheers Phil
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: Melbourne12 on November 16, 2011, 11:04:53
We have a plastic two-wheeled barrow.  It's pretty useless, TBH.

Pros: It's lightweight
It has a drainhole so that rain doesn't accumulate, even if it's left overnight with stuff in
It's got clips on the side to attach tools

Cons: The width of the axle makes it impossible to manoeuvre between raised beds
Over anything other than pretty smooth ground it tips alarmingly, and has been known to dump the contents in the wrong place

I think it's more suited to a nice flat lawn in a back garden than an allotment.

No experience of the four wheeled trolley, but I'd imagine that it too wouldn't be sufficiently agile for wheeling round narrow paths between allotment beds.
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: Kleftiwallah on November 16, 2011, 13:29:03

Go and have a chat to your local fabricators or light engineering concern.  They may be crying out for work to keep their heads above water.  Your project might just make all the difference.   

An item made to your own requirements and design.  .  .  .  .  Cheers,    Tony.
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: manicscousers on November 16, 2011, 15:05:00
We use a 4 wheel trolley, it's a bit of a squeeze into the polytunnel but we load it up with trugs and move them one at a time. Wheelbarrows are a no no for us  ;D
here are some
http://www.mowermagic.co.uk/acatalog/Trolley_Carts.html
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on November 16, 2011, 20:46:06
A builder's supply place might be best. I got a builders' barrow type of thing some years back from B&Q but the tyre's not as olid as they are on the real thing and it suffers with the hawthorn clippings. Even with green slime in the tyre it still needs pumping up once a week or so.
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: Mr Smith on November 16, 2011, 22:07:14
Why don't you try the garden machinery place on London road in Nottingham, :)
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: RenishawPhil on November 16, 2011, 22:16:03
Quote from: Mr Smith on November 16, 2011, 22:07:14
Why don't you try the garden machinery place on London road in Nottingham, :)
Agh mower world. Good place that!
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: artichoke on November 17, 2011, 02:56:04
For what it's worth, I use a 2 wheeled sack trolley. It works well on my uneven surfaces and the turrocky grass around the plots. Everything I move gets put in a sack or a plastic trug, and I find it very useful. I did have an ancient builder's type barrow with a solid wheel, but it has rusted through after 11 years, and I find the sack trolley easier to manage.
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: artichoke on November 17, 2011, 02:56:47
 "tussocky grass"
Title: Re: wheelbarrows
Post by: lincsyokel2 on November 17, 2011, 15:04:21
ive often thought you coudl adapt the  mechanism part of the sack borrows designed to go up stairs. Tracked barrows would be unbeatable. But what could you use as tracks? You would just need a triangle of them and three jockeys. Round baler belts might be the answer. They are pretty thick, extremely durable. They somewhat resemble conveyor belts. They run from thicknesses of 4-10 inches. You could add a few different things to acquire traction, like screws, bolts, or adding actual tread blocks to the outside