I've always had metal builders' barrows. Mine is knackered now, base is rusted through, but it was my Dad's before it was mine, and has travelled with me to several gardens. I use a sheet of plastic in the bottom if I have to, but I'll be replacing it with a similar one. It's had a fair bit of use by me [more than my dad] but those are fine for my needs. I'm not sure if it has a solid tyre or pneumatic, but I have a sack barrow which has the latter, and that helps with rough or uneven ground.
The barrows we had at work [stables] would have been far too big for most garden jobs, especially in an average domestic garden. Storage would also have been a problem, so that's always a factor.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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.
Haemmerlin is owned by a French company but the wheelbarrows sold in England are made in Walsall. There are other companies that sell them, I think A..... do.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
We have Polypropylene barrows, OH had one for years when he was working as a stone mason, chunks of granite, loads of tools, full of mixed cement for filling in kerb sets, full of stoney earth from grave digging, and it’s still going strong after years of very heavy work. It had a few punctures, so we put an inner tube in there.
We wouldn’t have anything else now.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I have a two-wheeled cart with a plastic tub and solid bike tire wheels. I purchased it in 2013 and it's still going strong; it replaced one I had for years before that which finally cracked. I find two wheels make it easier for me, but I primarily use my cart for paddock and stall mucking. It's lightweight, maneuvers easily, and can be pushed or pulled with little effort. It originally came with pneumatic tires which were always going flat on me, probably because it was in constant use and in the weather more often than not. Last year I did have the frame spot welded after it rusted and broke, but the plastic tub is still in great condition. I have 3 other wheelbarrows, traditional types of different sizes, and I always opt for the garden cart.
New England, USA
Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
Hi @Lyn, may I ask, do you keep your 'poly' barrows inside in the winter? Whatever I buy will have to stay to outdoors in all weathers and I wondered if the 'poly' ones might crack in cold conditions.
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It's had a fair bit of use by me [more than my dad] but those are fine for my needs.
I'm not sure if it has a solid tyre or pneumatic, but I have a sack barrow which has the latter, and that helps with rough or uneven ground.
The barrows we had at work [stables] would have been far too big for most garden jobs, especially in an average domestic garden. Storage would also have been a problem, so that's always a factor.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It had a few punctures, so we put an inner tube in there.