Shortly after our old wheelbarrow broke, HA bought a new one. In fact, she bought two, as there is barrowing to be done both up by the house and several hundred feet away down at the studio, and at points between. She got them from two different stores.
We moved the twelve tons of volcanic cinder with the studio barrow, which has a metal bed. The other one, a polyethylene model, only got used for light duty up by the house until this past weekend, when I asked L to fill it up with sand (well, only about ⅓ full, but the sand is wet and heavy) so I could re-set some of the stepping stones I’d laid for the path to the pavilion. I had laid them in a contour going down to the steps, but they were slowly (then not-so-slowly) slipping down the hill. They needed to be laid in a stairstep pattern instead.
I picked up the barrow to wheel it to the back of the house, and it wobbled like crazy. I didn’t think I was going to make it.
As soon as it was emptied of sand, I turned it over and grabbed some wrenches. There are sixteen nuts involved, and not one was more than finger tight. It really is a wonder the thing didn’t just collapse once filled with sand.
Good thing we discovered this before we put a really big load in it. I think it will be stable now.
—2p