A timber jack is a pole with a sort of fishhook-shaped grabber at
the
end that pivots a couple of feet from the end of the pole. To use
it,
you position the hook around a log, and when you pry with the
pole,
the hook digs in and the log is turned. Some have a metal "T"
opposite the pivot
point, which allows you to jack the log up off
the
ground for sawing.
My idea is for a similar device incorporated into a wheelbarrow. A
wheelbarrow is essentially a big lever, but it is rarely used for
picking items up. With the right arrangement, the nature of the
wheel barrow could be used to lift cumbersome, heavy objects
into
the bucket.
What is needed is a large, light hook that pivots from at the back
of
the barrow, either from the edge of the bucket itself or from the
handles, at the point where the handles meet the back of the
bucket. A handle protruding from the hooks would allow you to
move the hook up and down.
The hooks could be designed to lift specific loads, but dual hooks
joined about 8 inches apart would do for most logging operations.
The shape of the hooks would be very similar to that of a
timberjack; slightly curved, but terminating in sharp 90 degree
hook. They would bow above the bucket of the wheel barrow,
like
the top jaw of of a fish. A handle at the back of the jaw would
let
you snap it up and down to scare children and such.
To pick up a big log, you would simply push the wheelbarrow up to
the load, pull back the jaw, and tip the wheelbarrow up to
vertical.
You would then let the jaw settle on the log. As you pulled back
of
the handles, the hook at the end of the jaw would bite the log,
bringing it along until the wheelbarrow was again horizontal and
the
load was in the bucket.
This method lends itself to a variety of jaws; a jaw with a flat
plate
instead of a hook could be used to lift large bags of concrete.
Lighter, sharper hooks could be used to load hay bales, etc.
You could also design the bucket to help lift and accommodate the
load in tandem with the hook; a sort of simple, two-handled
timberjack with two large wheels could be designed specifically
for
moving logs.