h a l f b a k e r yGood ideas at the time.
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While [Schematics] and I were hauling gravel and sand, we
noticed that some major improvements could be made to
the
standard wheelbarrow.
Firstly: 1 wheel is good for maneuverability, but 2 wheels
provides stability. So, have 2 wheels close together, where
1
wheel would normally be
(for maneuverability), but can
optionally be moved far apart for a wider wheel base
(stability).
Secondly: I'm not sure if brakes on a wheelbarrow is baked,
but have them anyway.
Thirdly: Where the 'legs' are (those things near the
wheelbarrowee), they would be placed rather wide, as wide
as is possible, but not wider then the bucket. Optional
caster
wheels can fold down from the legs for easier operation on a
flat surface. (for old people who can't lift heavy loads)
Fourthly: The handles would be able to move up/down, to
accomodate for short/tall wheelbarrow users.
Fifthly: (my favorite) a small door in the bottom of the
barrow
to allow for easy dumping of its contents. The door would
open and close on a simple lever system. and probably
have
to be watertight.
Sixthly: Shocks! Now I know you're thinking they won't work
because the weight of the wheelbarrows contents is too
much. But the shocks would be optional and have a range
of
weights...0-50 lbs, 51-100lbs, 101-200lbs, 201+lbs. That way
the buyer just buys the shocks that would suit their needs.
Or
doesn't buy them at all.
Seventhly: the little bar infront of the wheel would have to
be adjustable. ie. up high, or near the ground, or right off
completely.
Eighthly: Headlight for working at night, maybe battery
powered or dynamo from the wheel(s).
Ninethly: Bigger wheels then most wheelbarrows, but I
don't know if that can be considered an option.
Any suggestions for other wheelbarrow attachments/options?
Better (much better) Wheelbarrow
http://www.shepnell.com/carts.htm
.. the Mullers Cart rocks! (i.e., doesn't) .. [bpilot, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]
Wheelbarrow
http://www.lgwheell...ed-wheelbarrow.html
Power wheelbarrow [flula, Apr 06 2010]
[link]
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A motor is pushing it (literally), but maybe. I was thinking
of some
kind of regenerative braking with a spring to help start
it up. |
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Motorized wheelbarrow: baked.
Wheelbarrows with 2 wheels: baked.
Wheelbarrows with brakes: baked. |
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Tenthly: an ergonomic handle shaped like a shovel grip but at a thirty degree or so angle like a curling bar but swings freely downwards for easy dumping when the flap is not useful. |
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Eleventhly: Caliper type hand
brakes for
control & precise use on
slopes or ramps. Helpful for
oldsters who must go a bit
then rest a bit. |
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Twelfthly: A seat. No wait, that would make it a tractor. |
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Thirteenthly: Once you lift up the barrow, you don't need the legs anymore (and in fact, they hit the ground if you get tired and start to slouch.) So maybe add a kind of "kickstand" that you can kick to raise the legs up. |
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Fourteenthly: Spring-loaded material ejector. |
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I like the original wheelbarrow. It is beautiful in it's simplicity and functionality. When you throw all these features at it, it just means that it will be broken when you actually need it. |
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It's too bad that most wheelbarrows you can buy are poorly designed. I used a really nice one once that was probably older than I was. It seems like the way our economy works, stuff has to have tons of features or be so dirt cheap that it is poorly designed by some manufacturing engineer who has rarely used the product being designed. In most cases he's probably just making a rough copy of an existing design but leaving out any feature that he doesn't understand as long as doing so will save a penny on the manufacturing cost. |
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1) If your one-wheel weelbarrow is unstable it means it is overloaded; it is not rigid enough; or the handles are poorly placed so that the load is too high above them. One wheel handles uneven terrain and narrow ramps beautifully. |
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2) Sure brakes would be handy on your typical wheelbarrow today, but the reason I've wanted them was because my hands got tired trying to hold the wheelbarrow back. If there is a slight downward curve near the end of the handles, it makes it pretty easy to hold back any reasonable load on any reasonable slope. If that's not enough, it's probably dangerous even if you do have brakes. |
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3) If you have castors, you NEED brakes, and you can't roll it over anything but very smooth ground anyway. For people who can't handle a wheelbarrow, there are other thypes of carts that can work much better than a wheelbarrow with castors. Wider leg spacing might be a good idea. |
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4) Sure it would be nice if it was perfectly sized for the person using it, but as long as the front "bumper" is designed to that it doesn't catch in the dirt when a tall person uses it, it doesn't really make much difference if you have to lift it 3 inches or a foot and a half. |
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5) I can't imagine any mechanism that would allow dumping easier than tipping the wheelbarrow up on it's nose. Of course most wheelbarrows now are designed with the front tire so far in front that it takes a lot of work to lift it. I assume that's for liability purposes since a more balanced wheelbarrow will tip over if improperly loaded. |
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6) Yes, you'll need shocks and a good suspension system if you want two wheels. The pneumatic tire seems like plenty of suspension to me. |
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7) The bar (what I previously called the bumper) could be adjustable, but as long as it is high enough that it doesn't catch when it shouldn't (while hopping a low curb for example), and the load is balanced enough that it's not too hard to lift it high enough to catch the bumper when you want to use it for dumping, it doesn't need to be adjustable. |
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8) If you're working at night I think you'd be better off buying a floodlight for the whole work site or a using a headlamp rather than trying to mount headlights on all of your tools. |
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The first part of idea 3 (wider leg spacing) and 9 (larger diameter wheel) are worth considering. |
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Twohundredandtwentysevently: man portable cold fusion generator to replace standard hybrid biodeisel/electric motor.</sarcasm> |
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Are all of these really nescesary? It seems that the fully featured wheelbarrow 2.0 will be out of most peoples price range. |
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A regular wheelbarrow is strong and
economical in design. There its
advantages end; in use it stinks. My
problem with the standard
wheelbarrow is that it's topheavy. The
load sits in a vessel sitting atop the two
struts that form the handles. It just
wants to tip. It is *not* maneuverable;
the turning point is out in front of the
load. On a cart with two side-mounted
wheels (see link), the turning point is
under the load and you can spin almost
in place. It can't tip, yet it's easy to
dump out.
I don't see a need for suspension,
unless you have a highly sensitive load
of gravel to move. It just adds more
resistance for the user. Lights could be
a useful option at some job sites.
Adjustable-height handles seems like a
good idea. Brakes and big wheels are
excellent and baked. |
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Good link. That is the type of thing I was thinking about in my point 3 above. These are useful carts, and for many purposes they are better than a wheelbarrow. They are great for working around the lawn or some other area that is fairly level, smooth, and clear of obstacles. My grandmother had one very similar to this, but she didn't have a regular wheelbarrow. At times it was very annoying. |
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With one wheel, bumps make the load jump up and down vertically. With two, one wheel hits a bump and the things almost tips over (unless you're going slow enough or it has a good enough suspension). With one wheel, traversing a steep side slope is a non-issue. With two, you'd better hope the load is loaded low enough no to tip over, and certainly don't try to corner too fast. Yes a two wheeled cart can and will tip over. With one wheel, the ground can be littered with debris with only a 6 inch wide path that's passable. |
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You're right that there is some inherant instability in a wheelbarrow. But just like the instablity of a bicycle, as long as you don't let it get out of control it isn't a problem. Of course a cheap wheelbarrow that's not stiff enough will twist as the load gets out of balance, requiring overcorrection to keep it balanced. If you've never used a good one, I can see why you'd say they are too unstable. |
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