Mother’s Homemade Wheelbarrow

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Published on July 1, 1979
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The homemade wheelbarrow in action.
The homemade wheelbarrow in action.
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Diagram shows parts and assembly method for the homemade wheelbarrow.
Diagram shows parts and assembly method for the homemade wheelbarrow.

The cost of gardening equipment–and of most other useful commodities, as well–is skyrocketing. So to help you save a little cash (as much as $65!) on your hardware expenses, MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ researchers have come up with an unusual and functional homemade wheelbarrow!

How It Works

Our load-lifter rolls on a recycled five-gallon Freon cylinder (available for the asking at your local refrigeration and air conditioning shop), which is in turn supported on a 3/4″ X 22″ length of rigid conduit that serves as an axle. The wide footprint of that tank “wheel” is one secret of this humus-hauler’s success. Few conventional wheelbarrows can cruise over holes as easily as this build-it-yourself tool, and no other single-wheel design is as stable. (After all, how many store-bought ‘barrows sport wheels more than half the width of their load beds?)

In addition, our easy-to-make garden helper balances its load above the wheel–for ease of lifting–in a box constructed from 10 feet of 1 X 12 (for flooring) and an eight-foot length of 1 X 10 (which is used for side boards). The little workhorse’s triangulated design provides the 2 X 4 frame (you’ll need two 10-foot lengths, all told) with added strength under load. And best of all, you can put together the wheelbarrow in a couple of hours for under $10 (or even less, if you “recycle” materials).

So Build It

This mover can be assembled using basic carpentry tools, with a few exceptions: In order to turn the Freon tank into a wheel, you must drill (using a metal working bit) a 3/4″ hole in each end of the cylinder and then weld the 3/4″ X 22″ conduit axle in position.

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