In article ,
Sue Begg wrote:
In message , pammyT
writes
--"Tim Guy" wrote in message
...

Id like a buy a Wheel Barrow for a gardeners birthday.

Are there recognised makes as being the Ferrari of the Wheel Barrow world?

Buy them a garden trolley instead. It will make their life so much easier.
I got mine for a lot less than this locally.
http://www.mower-magic.co.uk/acatalo...ley_Carts.html

How about the electric wheelbarrow I saw in B&Q last week. Sorry I
didn't really take in much detail about it but I think it was about £150

I strongly advise against both of those. Trolleys need a LOT more
space, and electric wheelbarrows are a gimmick much like a Sinclair
C5. In both cases, they might be appropriate for smallholdings,
or the occasional garden with a lot of open space and not too many
plants, but not otherwise.

The best maker of metal wheelbarrows I know of is Haemmerlin, and
they last for decades. Buy an inner tube for it at the same time
(seriously). I prefer heavy-duty plastic ones (the cheap lightweight
ones are hopeless), but they are tricky to get. Buy an inner for
one of them, too.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
I strongly advise against both of those. Trolleys need a LOT more
space,
you must be thinking of different trolleys to the one I have which when
takes up no more space than a builders barrow and if you need to it can be
easily stood on end, in which case it will take up less space than a barrow.

and electric wheelbarrows are a gimmick much like a Sinclair
C5. In both cases, they might be appropriate for smallholdings,
or the occasional garden with a lot of open space and not too many
plants, but not otherwise.
Some of us do have large gardens and painful conditions which means that
anything which helps us to carry on gardening without hurting or straining
ourselves is good.

The best maker of metal wheelbarrows I know of is Haemmerlin, and
they last for decades. Buy an inner tube for it at the same time
(seriously). I prefer heavy-duty plastic ones (the cheap lightweight
ones are hopeless), but they are tricky to get. Buy an inner for
one of them, too.

But only if the user is tall and strong. For small women it often means that
the legs do not come off the ground when the handles are grasped and when
laden, the effort of lifting and pushing at the same is simply too hard.
To use a barrow, I (5' 2") have to grasp the handles, bend my elbows to
raise the legs off the ground, and then with elbows bent, push the thing too
making the job in hand most unpleasant. I love my garden cart/trolley and
consider it to be money well spent.

pammyT wrote:
For small women it often means that
(when using a wheelbarrow)
the legs do not come off the ground when the handles are grasped and when
laden, the effort of lifting and pushing at the same is simply too hard.
To use a barrow, I (5' 2") have to grasp the handles, bend my elbows to
raise the legs off the ground, and then with elbows bent, push the thing too
making the job in hand most unpleasant. I love my garden cart/trolley and
consider it to be money well spent.

You can get some hunky person to bend the handles of your wheelbarrow
over a round thing so that when you pick it up the legs are off the
ground, and your arms are straight.

In article ,
"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net writes:
| "Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
| ...
|
| I strongly advise against both of those. Trolleys need a LOT more
| space,
|
| you must be thinking of different trolleys to the one I have which when
| takes up no more space than a builders barrow and if you need to it can be
| easily stood on end, in which case it will take up less space than a barrow.

I defy you to wheel a trolley through a 12" gap without damaging
the plants either side.

| Some of us do have large gardens and painful conditions which means that
| anything which helps us to carry on gardening without hurting or straining
| ourselves is good.

As I said, "the occasional garden". Perhaps I should also have said
"a few gardeners who can't handle a wheelbarrow". However, you
do then have to ensure plenty of open space to move the thing around.

| But only if the user is tall and strong. For small women it often means that
| the legs do not come off the ground when the handles are grasped and when
| laden, the effort of lifting and pushing at the same is simply too hard.

Not at all. Modern wheelbarrows and tolleys are a pain in the back
for anyone tall, because they are so low. You CERTAINLY don't need
to be strong for a wheelbarrow, and I am not, but I agree that you
can't be definitely weak.

| To use a barrow, I (5' 2") have to grasp the handles, bend my elbows to
| raise the legs off the ground, and then with elbows bent, push the thing too
| making the job in hand most unpleasant. I love my garden cart/trolley and
| consider it to be money well spent.

I am 6'2" and have the opposite problem. At least I CAN wheel a
wheelbarrow. Most trolleys just bottom at the far end when I
stand up - and I can assure you that wheeling one stooped is FAR
more of a problem than doing so with elbows bent.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , pammyT
writes

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
I strongly advise against both of those. Trolleys need a LOT more
space,
you must be thinking of different trolleys to the one I have which when
takes up no more space than a builders barrow and if you need to it can be
easily stood on end, in which case it will take up less space than a barrow.

and electric wheelbarrows are a gimmick much like a Sinclair
C5. In both cases, they might be appropriate for smallholdings,
or the occasional garden with a lot of open space and not too many
plants, but not otherwise.
Some of us do have large gardens and painful conditions which means that
anything which helps us to carry on gardening without hurting or straining
ourselves is good.

The best maker of metal wheelbarrows I know of is Haemmerlin, and
they last for decades. Buy an inner tube for it at the same time
(seriously). I prefer heavy-duty plastic ones (the cheap lightweight
ones are hopeless), but they are tricky to get. Buy an inner for
one of them, too.

But only if the user is tall and strong. For small women it often means that
the legs do not come off the ground when the handles are grasped and when
laden, the effort of lifting and pushing at the same is simply too hard.
To use a barrow, I (5' 2") have to grasp the handles, bend my elbows to
raise the legs off the ground, and then with elbows bent, push the thing too
making the job in hand most unpleasant. I love my garden cart/trolley and
consider it to be money well spent.


I now have a plastic barrow which is lighter to push, but I still have
the problem of my arms not being high enough above the ground lol.
It does put an undue strain on the upper arm having to hold the barrow
up whilst pushing. And then the jolt when it catches on a bump on the
ground because the legs are only just clearing the ground. But if you
buy a 'ladies' barrow it only holds a teaspoonful - I know I am never
happy !!
--
Sue Begg
Remove my clothes to reply

Do not mess in the affairs of dragons - for
you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
I've yet to see any of those
small females have any problem lifting or pushing a fully laden
Haemmerlin barrow, up or downhill, up plank ramps etc.

Well Janet, you haven't seen me huffing and puffing in my gold slippers
with a wheelbarrow. I am 5ft tall and I have an awful job lifting them
as my little arms, draped very comfortably in haute couture du jardin,
ache dreadfully at the elbow - however it is a very convenient ache, it
only comes on when my husband is around! When he is not there, I have
no problem with the barrow so I agree even little women can hoist a
barrow with the best of them.

--
Judith Lea

martin wrote:
On Wed, 1 Jun 2005 16:47:36 +0100, Judith Lea
wrote:

In article , Janet
Baraclough writes
I've yet to see any of those
small females have any problem lifting or pushing a fully laden
Haemmerlin barrow, up or downhill, up plank ramps etc.

Well Janet, you haven't seen me huffing and puffing in my gold
slippers with a wheelbarrow. I am 5ft tall and I have an awful
job
lifting them as my little arms, draped very comfortably in haute
couture du jardin, ache dreadfully at the elbow - however it is a
very convenient ache, it only comes on when my husband is around!
When he is not there, I have no problem with the barrow so I agree
even little women can hoist a barrow with the best of them.

Do your knuckles scrape on the ground when you walk? Thought not.

This is one of the many "different strokes for different blokes"
questions in gardening. Of course the factors aren't the same for
everybody, but I'm for plain old wheelbarrows, myself. Nick's point
about their ability to negotiate narrow gaps is well taken; and I'd
add that they go up and down steps, too (with such huffing and
puffing as may be necessary). It seems to me that four-wheel trolleys
will be no good unless the garden has really good firm paths and
lawns going everywhere, and no sharp bends. My guess is that in most
gardens with both a trolley and a wheelbarrow, it's the barrow which
will be used most often. You can also mix small quantities of
concrete or potting mixture in a barrow next to the materials, and
then use it to deliver the mix where it's needed.

(No Skoda jokes, please: mine has a sunroof, yes, but only one
exhaust.)

--
Mike.

"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...
pammyT wrote:
For small women it often means that
(when using a wheelbarrow)
the legs do not come off the ground when the handles are grasped and
when
laden, the effort of lifting and pushing at the same is simply too hard.
To use a barrow, I (5' 2") have to grasp the handles, bend my elbows to
raise the legs off the ground, and then with elbows bent, push the thing
too
making the job in hand most unpleasant. I love my garden cart/trolley
and
consider it to be money well spent.

You can get some hunky person to bend the handles of your wheelbarrow
over a round thing so that when you pick it up the legs are off the
ground, and your arms are straight.
a/ I don't know any hunky peeps.
b/ I would still have to lift and push.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...

Oh, come off it, that's nonsense. I'm under 5ft 2. Standing straight
with my arms fully extended downwards, my longest finger tips just touch
the ends of the handles on my builders barrow. (I've just checked). So
when I grasp the handles in my palms and lift, the barrow legs rise up
at least 4", with my arms fully extended, elbows straight. I do NOT have
to bend my elbows to get the barrow legs off the ground or to push it
along.
How bloody arrogant. I can *assure* you that my barrow does in fact scrape
the ground when I lift as I should with straight back and arms.Do you
imagine that all barrows are the same? I have bought 2 different ones in the
past years and the only way I can lift the legg off the ground is to grab
the handles, straighten my back, then bend my elbows. If you read some other
posts, the problem is not unique to me either.

(Gardeners should be using their *knees* to lift a laden barrow
btw, not the elbows as you suggest)
But if you are so short that the damn thing is still on the ground whith
back and knees straight, how *else* does one push it?

Well, I have a large garden and RA, happily use a metal builders
barrow at home, and Haemmerlin barrows at the huge NT garden where I
work as a volunteer along with similar-height female gardeners and
female volunteers, aged from 27 to 75. I've yet to see any of those
small females have any problem lifting or pushing a fully laden
Haemmerlin barrow, up or downhill, up plank ramps etc.

Ahh so because *you* have never seen anyone struggle with the particular
barrows you use, you assume that nobody has a problem with barrows and I and
the other short poster are making it all up?
In addition to my being short, I also have a spinal condition and
arthritis. Pushing barrows is difficult and painful. The garden trolley is
simple to use and easy to manouver. Sure you would struggle to squeeze
between a 12" gap but since I don't have 12" gaps, and nor does anyone I
know this is not something I have to worry about.
I find I can shift most stuff using my garden trolley and sack barrow
without hurting myself.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
Not at all. Modern wheelbarrows and tolleys are a pain in the back
for anyone tall, because they are so low.

I'm 6'4" and agree with all that. Trollies /have/ to get thier handles
extended upwards, and wheelbarrows are tipped up too much. On top of
that, wheelbarrow handles are now so short that I bank my shins on the
back of the body while I walk!

I've had a pressed steel builder's barrow, and changed it for a welded
one. I put blocks under the bearings to get the frame an inch higher,
so the nose did not keep banging into steps, and added extensions to
the rear legs. I welded on longer handles so I stand further back.

My advice:
1. Avoid pressed steel bodies.
2. Avoid self-assembly barrows where bolts pass through holes in the
tubular frame. They weaken the frame too badly.
3. Avoid anything with frame tube smaller than about 45mm dia.
4. Avoid solid tyred wheels.
5. Avoid pushed-on moulded handgrips. They come off as easily as they
go on.

6. Look for sealed roller bearings in the axle
7. Look for reinforced ends on the rear legs, not just bent tube.
8. Look for a reinforced rim on the body.

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes

Well Janet, you haven't seen me huffing and puffing in my gold slippers
with a wheelbarrow.

Oh I have, but only in my mind's eye .Could I suggest you get the ones
with kitten heels? They'll make all the difference in puddles, and
provide some traction in ice and mud.

Sorry Janet, but kitten heels are useless, I still have one somewhere in
thick deep clay so I have been known to wear gold slippers with a
different one on each foot. The mule type ones are best for gardening,
easy to slip a foot out of when the mud won't release it.

--
Judith Lea

In article ,
Judith Lea wrote:
In article , Janet Baraclough
writes

Well Janet, you haven't seen me huffing and puffing in my gold slippers
with a wheelbarrow.

Oh I have, but only in my mind's eye .Could I suggest you get the ones
with kitten heels? They'll make all the difference in puddles, and
provide some traction in ice and mud.

Sorry Janet, but kitten heels are useless, I still have one somewhere in
thick deep clay so I have been known to wear gold slippers with a
different one on each foot. The mule type ones are best for gardening,
easy to slip a foot out of when the mud won't release it.

This shows the difference between the sexes. We males wear splatchers,
especially when cooking so, when the soup boils over, we needn't do
anything until we have finished our beer.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 2/6/05 10:24, in article
,
" wrote:

Nick Maclaren wrote:
Not at all. Modern wheelbarrows and tolleys are a pain in the back
for anyone tall, because they are so low.

I'm 6'4" and agree with all that. Trollies /have/ to get thier handles
extended upwards, and wheelbarrows are tipped up too much. On top of
that, wheelbarrow handles are now so short that I bank my shins on the
back of the body while I walk!

snip

It all started as a joke but we have some old pram chassis here with plastic
crates tied to them. We also have ordinary trolleys. A lot of tall or
elderly people prefer the prams because they're higher, have bigger wheels
and better ground clearance. Perhaps that's the answer - raid the local tip
for old prams!

And if anybody wants to get rid of some, please bring them along to us!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
This shows the difference between the sexes. We males wear splatchers,
especially when cooking so, when the soup boils over, we needn't do
anything until we have finished our beer.

What are splatchers?

--
Judith Lea

In article ,
Judith Lea wrote:
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
This shows the difference between the sexes. We males wear splatchers,
especially when cooking so, when the soup boils over, we needn't do
anything until we have finished our beer.

What are splatchers?

Snowshoes for mud :-)

It appears not to be in the OED, which is definitely not right.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.