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New wheelbarrow, advice needed

MeomyeMeomye Posts: 949
edited January 2023 in Tools and techniques
I would like one suitable for transporting soil, moving bits around the garden etc so not too heavy, possibly with pneumatic tyres ?  (are they the ones that don't puncture?) what do you recommend please? tia
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  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    pneumatic tyres do puncture, Pneumo refers to air. Solid tyres don't puncture. plastic bodies are lighter than metal and I prefer them for that reason, but they don't last as long as metal for me


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited January 2023
    Ones with pneumatic tyres can puncture but they give a better 'ride'. Some tyres may be sold as puncture resistant.  Ones with solid tyres don't puncture but have less shock absorption.

    I got a decent (pneumatic tyre) from a builders merchant. Cheaper than a garden centre and built for tough work. I much prefer a metal 'bin' to a plastic one. I think the plastic ones can become brittle after a couple of years and are likely to crack if you drop a pot in them.

    At 5' 0' tall and tending towards a petite build I needed one that was lighter and more manoeuvrable. There are different styles and some are easier for (eg) tipping out compost etc. The chaps at the builder's merchant didn't mind me wandering around trying the different models in the yard. Can't remember which model I bought in the end - sorry. 
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I bought a new one about 3 yrs ago from Wickes.
    It has a pneumatic tyre which is WAY better than a solid tyre like my old one.
    Construction is steel painted black.
    The only gripe I have is that within weeks the paint started peeling off in big sheets which is both annoying and a nuisance as I keep having to remove bits of paint from whatever is in the barrow. The entire thing is now very rusty.
    If I was buying new again I'd def get the pneumatic tyre, but I'd go for a plastic or even better galvanized construction rather than painted steel.

    My 20ish yr old one with solid tyre was galvanized and the barrow itself is as good as new, but the solid type started breaking up.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Pneumatic tyres are much easier to wheel over bumpy ground.
    Mine is galvanized, doesn't rust. I like a decent flat bottom so plant trays fit in it. I had one that had quite a small flat area and a large sloping end, OK for weeds and compost but you can't put many plant trays in it.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited January 2023
    Yes - I should have said my metal 'bin' is an unpainted galvanised one. It's about 4 years old and the only bits that have deteriorated are the plastic covers on the ends of the handles. They became brittle after about 2 years and broke off. It's not a problem just having the bare metal handles.

    I have a much older wheelbarrow with a solid tyre and I really don't like using it over bumpy or uneven ground. If it's full it becomes quite unstable. The pneumatic tyre just soaks it up.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • ColinAColinA Posts: 392
    I have had a Chillingham builders barrow for 16 years it is kept in a shed to protect from the weather, I've had several punctures but have put tyre seal in and stopped the problem
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    edited January 2023
    About ten years ago, my horse poo barrow got run over by builders next to the field. They offered to replace it so I told them I wanted a pink one - just the thought of two burly builders buying that was fair compensation I thought, lol, well they did it! And it's been up and down a hill full of manure daily, carried fencing, rocks, car batteries, earth, rubble, dogs, slabs and people. I haven't even changed a tyre yet! So, a bog standard pink plastic one gets my vote! (You don't have to have pink.. 😉)
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Mine came from an agricultural merchant, galvanised and with a pneumatic tyre.  It's easy to inflate with a foot pump if necessary.  I'm under 5ft tall and find it easy to manoeuvre - it has a "tipping bar" at the front which is useful if you move compost etc and need to tip it into a pile.  The bar stops the barrow twisting as you tip it.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Mine is now approaching 16 years old and has done a lot of work in our big garden.  My main recommendation is to go for DOUBLE WHEELS.  I find it sometimes useful to be able to push a mower AND pull the barrow which balances itself.  It also has the advantage of the centre of gravity being much further back than the more common single wheeled variety, thus taking much of the load weight off the handles.  Try one before you decide, possibly taking a heavy adult with you to represent your 'load'?
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    PS -  I should have mentioned that the brand name of mine is 'Haemerlin' (French) and was supplied by Tooled Up from Enfield, who sadly no longer deliver to Ireland.
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