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Making garden and construction wheelbarrows with your own hands. A homemade cart is an indispensable assistant for the garden. Do-it-yourself garden cart

There is always a lot to do in the garden plot. From time to time you have to endure something heavy, and this is not always good for your health. It is especially difficult for those who are not used to serious physical activity. To get pleasure from staying at the dacha, and not pain in the spine, you need not to carry heavy things in your hands, but transport them on a cart. A garden wheelbarrow made with your own hands from scrap materials will be an excellent helper during construction, harvesting and other work. Moreover, no special skills or materials are required for its construction. Everything you need either already exists at the dacha, or is easy to buy.

Option #1 – durable and simple wooden wheelbarrow

Garden and construction wheelbarrows can be bought in every store. But why waste money when you can do it yourself? You don’t need any drawings to build a wooden wheelbarrow: the product is simple and does not require significant material consumption. If you don’t have enough of something, you can always buy more during the process.

Advice. When constructing a garden wheelbarrow, you should give preference to hard types of wood: elm, birch, oak or maple. Such material will last a long time and will be reliable in use. It is better not to use coniferous species.

We make a mounting frame

From planed boards we assemble a box - the basis of the product. We choose sizes based on our own physical fitness and the needs of the household. In our example, the width of the box is 46 cm and its length is 56 cm.

The box and wheel will be mounted on a mounting frame - the main supporting part of the wheelbarrow. To construct it, we will need two bars 3-5 cm thick and 120 cm long each. We will use these same bars as handles for the wheelbarrow. It is convenient to hold onto their ends to move loads around the site.

It is important to choose the right wood for a wheelbarrow: soft woods are more susceptible to rotting, are more deformed during use and, as a result, will not last long

We place the bars on the table, connecting the front ends to each other. We move the opposite ends of the bars apart to a distance the width of our own shoulders. Place a block of smaller diameter on top of the connected ends. It is shown in a different color in the photo. It needs to be outlined with a pencil, leaving parallel lines on the frame bars. This is how we mark the place where the wheel will subsequently be mounted to the bars. Using a hacksaw or a circular saw, we make cuts along the lines drawn on the bars as shown in the photo.

The wheel will also be wooden

We will also make a wheel with a diameter of 28 cm from wood. We take six well-planed boards with dimensions 30x15x2 cm. Glue them into a square as shown in the figure using PVA glue. We keep it under pressure for about a day until the glue dries completely. We mark a circle on the surface of the square. Additionally, we fasten the future wheel with wood screws. We drill out the wheel, focusing on the outer part of the marking. We process the rough surface of the rim using a rasp.

If you are making a wheelbarrow for gardening, it is better to buy a ready-made wheel (metal with a rubber tire). And if you are making a decorative wheelbarrow, then nothing will work better than wood.

Mounting the frame and wheel

Let's return to the mounting frame. We connect the two bars together using a spacer. It needs to be installed so that a wheel fits between the front ends of the bars (those that are sawn off from the inside). With a wheel width of 6 cm, the distance between the ends of the bars should be 9 cm. Based on these considerations, we determine the size of the spacer, file its ends and attach it to the bars with self-tapping screws.

To mount the wheel, we need a metal stud with a thread 150-200 mm long, 4 nuts and 4 washers. All with a diameter of 12-14 mm. At the ends of the bars we drill holes for this pin. Exactly in the middle of our wooden wheel we drill a hole that is slightly larger than the diameter of the pin.

In the same way, the body of a metal wheelbarrow is welded to its mounting frame. The basic working techniques are the same and do not depend on the material used.

We insert one end of the pin into the hole on one of the bars. We install a washer on the stud, then a nut, then a wheel, then another nut and washer. We thread the pin through the second beam. We secure the wheel on the outside of the bars with washers and nuts. The pin must be firmly secured to the bars, so we tighten the fastening with two wrenches.

All that remains is to assemble the finished product

We place a mounting frame with a wheel on the box turned upside down so that the wheel does not touch the box. Mark the position of the frame on the box with a pencil. We make two wedges the entire length of the box, 5 cm thick and 10 cm wide. We place them on the pencil lines and attach them to the surface of the box with self-tapping screws from the bottom of the product. We also attach the frame with the wheel to these wedges with self-tapping screws.

All that remains is to install a spacer that rigidly fastens the racks together. The wheelbarrow is ready, you can spray it with drying oil and use it for work

We make supports and brackets so that the wheelbarrow can be placed comfortably during loading and unloading operations. We select their length so that when installed on them, the box is parallel to the ground. A rigid connection of the racks is provided by a spacer bar attached as shown in the photo. All that remains is to cover the finished product with drying oil so that the car will serve you faithfully for many years.

A wheelbarrow made of wood serves for a long time to the delight of its owners, but even after the product fails, it does not clutter, but decorates the area as a creative flower garden

By the way, such a cart looks quite decorative and can decorate any area if it is no longer needed for work.

Option #2 – a wheelbarrow made of metal or a barrel

A universal wheelbarrow that can be used both for harvesting and for construction work must be strong. To transport cement, sand or soil, it is better to use a metal product. Making such a wheelbarrow yourself is also not difficult, but you will need skill in working with welding equipment.

An excellent option would be a cart welded from a sheet of metal 2 mm thick. Initially, the body is assembled from the sheet, after which the chassis and handles are welded to it. Depending on the expected load on the finished product, wheels from a motorcycle, moped, or even a bicycle can be used.

You can make the product cheaper if its box is made, for example, from an old iron barrel. It is better to start work by making a supporting structure in the form of the letter “A”. A light metal profile (square, pipe) is suitable for it. The bow part of the structure is equipped with a wheel, and its counter elements will be used as handles.

As a rule, such barrels are given to their owners “on occasion” and are very cheap, and a garden wheelbarrow made from this iron barrel will be light and very convenient

Half of the barrel, cut lengthwise, is fixed on the frame. Under the supporting frame you need to weld arcs or pipes, which will play the role of racks. They are needed for the wheelbarrow to gain the necessary stability during loading and unloading operations.

Now that you know how to make a garden wheelbarrow yourself, you don’t have to buy products from China in stores, which only last for a very short time.

How to make a garden wheelbarrow with your own hands? In this article we are going to get acquainted with several rather unexpected ideas and find out what materials and technical solutions can be used in our design.

Wheelbarrow "Diogenes". Made from an old barrel.

Buy or make

Dear reader, let's start with a question that may seem rhetorical. Is it worth planting a vegetable garden? Isn't it easier to purchase a ready-made solution?

Just for your reference, here is a brief excerpt from the price lists of several online stores offering their products in Russia. Retail prices in construction stores are, of course, higher, but not by an order of magnitude.

Obviously, a homemade car can only be cheaper if you don’t have to buy any materials or components. In all other cases, the work of producing it yourself will simply not be economically feasible.

For reference: the retail cost of one wheel for a wheelbarrow in the same online stores varies from 300 to 4800 rubles.

Lux pneumatic wheel with a diameter of 400 mm with a polyurethane tire. Cost - 4799 rubles.

However, let’s not forget about the joy of creativity.
Often people take on making something not out of necessity, but simply for the pleasure of trying their hand at a previously foreign field.

Ideas

Dear reader, has your enthusiasm faded? Well, then let's move on to studying other people's experience.

Frames and bodies

The body is galvanized, cut into place, attached to the frame with metal self-tapping screws and press washers.

The result is in front of you.

The body is an old galvanized trough for preparing the solution.
The frame is two arches curved on a pipe bender. They used 3/4 inch (20 mm) water pipe. At the point where the arcs connect, they are welded to each other.
The wheel axle is also held on by tacks. The trough is completely in a state of unstable equilibrium and is fixed with wire, which makes it possible not to lift it from the ground after the soil has been dumped.

Not the height of aesthetics; however, this product is fully functional.

Please note a few interesting points.

The edges of the body are carefully processed and give the impression of being cut not with an angle grinder, but with guillotine shears.
The seams are not held on by tacks, but are lovingly welded along their entire length.
Finally, the owner took the time to paint his creation; Moreover, the choice of colors, mind you, implies incredibly careful use of the tool.

Here the creator did not strive so hard for perfection: the bends were made by simply heating the pipe with a burner; The seams are processed much less carefully. However, the functionality did not suffer at all from this.

If you wish, it’s easy to find drawings of a do-it-yourself garden wheelbarrow on the Internet, made entirely of wood. Only the self-tapping screws, the axle and the linings for attaching it to the frame are made of steel.

By the way: when assembling it is better to use galvanized screws.
In addition, before screwing them in, do not be lazy to drill a hole with a smaller diameter.
The instructions are due to the fact that drilling greatly reduces the risk of splitting the board or timber.

This is another simple idea for creating a car body. Instead of hammering together a plank bottom, a box made from a board is upholstered with galvanization; All that remains is to screw a couple of bars on the sides to the finished body and connect them with an axle with one or two wheels.

Wheels

What can be used instead of purchased wheels for garden wheelbarrows, which are intimidating due to their price?

Wheels from an old baby stroller. Better - from a Soviet-style stroller with steel spokes. The author has a strong suspicion that these products had some alternative military use: their strength seems to allow them to successfully replace the tracks of a light tank.

Wheels from a bicycle - adult or children's. Of course, the large diameter will force them to be used only in pairs, with side mounting.

How to secure wheels to an axle? How to secure the axle itself without welding?

Wheelbarrows or carts used by gardeners and gardeners have a lightweight design and are not designed to transport loads that are too large or heavy. A do-it-yourself garden wheelbarrow can be made quite simply, even from unnecessary or improvised materials, which allows you to get a reliable and budget-friendly means of transportation.

Garden wheelbarrows: types of their advantages and disadvantages

By design, all garden wheelbarrows are a beveled metal body, equipped with a wheel or wheels, a handle and legs, which provide stability during loading and unloading.

Single wheel design

Single-wheeled equipment is intended for transporting fairly light loads, including crops, weeds and garden fertilizers.

The wheelbarrow is only suitable for use on garden paths and asphalt

Advantages and disadvantages: the model is quite affordable, easily negotiates corners and turns, but has optimal maneuverability only on flat and hard surfaces, and moving on the ground causes noticeable difficulties.

Two-wheel design

More load-bearing models, which are distinguished by better maneuverability and are currently the most popular among owners of summer cottages.

The wheelbarrow is not as maneuverable as a one-wheeled one, but it is more stable and reliable

Advantages and disadvantages: the model does not get stuck on rough terrain, has good maneuverability and does not require much effort, and is also quite stable during loading/unloading.

Three-wheel design

A three-wheeled garden wheelbarrow is very spacious and has a significant load-carrying capacity, but the production of such models is produced by a small number of manufacturers.

The design combines the advantages of one- and two-wheeled wheelbarrows, but its price is much higher

Advantages and disadvantages: the model is easy to use, extremely stable, does not require much force when moving, has good maneuverability, but the cost is higher than that of one- and two-wheeled analogues.

Trolley - four-wheeled wheelbarrow

Four-wheeled models are the so-called heavy artillery in the range of modern garden wheelbarrows. A special feature is the presence of a pair of axles, due to which the trough has maximum load-carrying capacity.

The only drawback of this product is its high cost compared to other models.

Advantages and disadvantages: the model has excellent stability, and the addition of a special tipping mechanism makes unloading much easier, but the price for such products is often very high.

Preparing to make a wheelbarrow

Of course, all of the above designs can easily be made by hand, but to obtain a durable, reliable and easy-to-use garden wheelbarrow, you need to carefully consider the choice of materials.

Which wheels to choose

The equipment of a garden wheelbarrow involves the use of plastic, cast, rubber, and pneumatic wheels with treads. The first type makes the structure light, but not too heavy-duty.

It is impossible to make a reliable car without good wheels.

One option is to purchase new wheels. The sale of such elements for wheelbarrows is now carried out by garden centers, construction markets and retail outlets. The best option is represented by solid polyurethane wheels and high-quality four-ply rubber tires.

This product is suitable for transporting light loads

The option of using wheels from bicycles and other equipment is quite acceptable. It must be remembered that cast wheels are more durable and are not able to deform even under a heavy load, and the rubber chamber filled with air has good shock absorption and a soft ride.

Body material

Factory-made structures most often have a body made of aluminum or steel. At the same time, the aluminum bowl is more durable, and the steel trough must have a zinc coating. When making a garden wheelbarrow with your own hands, a variety of materials can be used:

sheet metal must be galvanized or powder coated, which prevents the development of rust;
wood is a more affordable material in terms of price, but such a body will need to be aseptically treated and painted;
The plastic body is lightweight and not subject to corrosive changes, but is not resistant to mechanical damage.

The most budget option would be to use old structures in the form of half a barrel or a metal headboard for a bed. Some craftsmen make a wicker car body from willow twigs.

The body shape can be trapezoidal, with a beveled front part (this allows you to quickly and easily unload bulk contents), as well as traditional square (the cargo is placed in it more accurately).

What to make handles from

Most often, handles are made of metal with special lightweight anti-slip rubber pads. Any wooden structure can easily be equipped with a simple wooden handle, made by hand. Corrugated rubber or plastic attachments with special grooves for fingers are very convenient to use.

Corrugation on such a product must be mandatory

It must be remembered that the space between the mounted handles must be optimal for the most comfortable maneuvering and reducing the load on the hands or the musculoskeletal system. The spacing of the handles of the wheelbarrow should allow the body of a person to fit with a remaining total free distance of about a quarter of a meter.

Depending on the purpose, one transverse handle or a pair of longitudinal handles are fixed to garden wheelbarrows. Longer handles make carrying the load very comfortable and easy, but at the grip site it is necessary to provide a standard bend to prevent twisting of the wrists during operation. It should be noted that models with two handles need to be pushed, while wheelbarrows equipped with one handle can be pulled along as well as pushed.

What tools will you need?

The set of tools that you will need to use when constructing a garden wheelbarrow with your own hands directly depends on the materials of manufacture:

hammer;
tape measure, ruler and marker;
hacksaw for working with metal or wood;
screwdriver;
welding machine;
Bulgarian;
set of wrenches.

If you need to paint or treat with special compounds, it is important to prepare brushes of different sizes in advance.

Making a wheelbarrow with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

The advantages of making a garden wheelbarrow yourself are that the size and design of such a means of transporting goods can be individual, depending on the main purpose and needs.

Manufacturing a single-wheel steel structure

A sketch of a future car is an important part of the work

A one-wheeled wheelbarrow is the easiest to manufacture and most affordable option.

Stages of making a steel model:

Development of a preliminary sketch indicating the dimensions and configuration, location of handles, stops, wheelset and axle.
Cutting steel sheet and cutting with a grinder.
Making a bowl using a welding machine.
Manufacturing and welding of a support post from a metal angle or pipe 2.5 × 2.5 cm.
Wheel installation.

Handles and supports should be made of fairly thin metal tubes, which facilitate the design.

Made of wood

No less popular is the option of a wooden one-wheeled wheelbarrow.

The frame consists of two guides and a pair of cross bars

This design option is suitable for those who know how to work with wood.

The simplest model is performed in accordance with the following technology:

Making a supporting frame from a pair of guides and a pair of transverse bars, which are located at an angle of 22° to each other. In the front part of the frame there are grooves for the wheel axle. Metal plates are installed on the inside to increase the strength of the structure.
Without a metal plate, the front of the frame may be the weakest point in the entire structure.
The bottom part is assembled using a planed board measuring 2.0 x 8.0 x 47.5 cm. Screws are used as fasteners, which are fixed on the guide frames.
The required size of the bottom is formed after it is attached to the frame
The cutting line is marked, after which cuts are made on both sides at the desired angle with a hand-held circular saw.
This wheelbarrow is convenient for transportation and unloading
For the manufacture of the front and rear sides, planed boards with dimensions of 2.0x0.8 cm are used. For the side sides of the wheelbarrow, planed boards with dimensions of 2.0x10.0 cm are used. The strength of the sides is ensured by fixing special elements in the corners.
Ease of use and maneuverability of the product depends on compliance with the dimensions and angles between the elements
Wheelbarrow stops are made of wooden blocks, which can significantly improve the rigidity of the body part of the structure.
You don't have to buy a wheel for a wheelbarrow - you can make it yourself
A pair of bearings is installed on both sides inside the hub of a wooden wheel, after which the axle is installed, washers are put on, and clamping is carried out using blind nuts.
The service life of a wheelbarrow largely depends on the durability of the wood from which it is made.

The finished structure should be treated with special compounds that will protect the wood from negative external influences and extend the life of the garden cart.

Making a two-wheeled cart

The two-wheeled design is stable, does not roll, and also minimizes the load on a person’s arms and back.

Plastic is an excellent option for making a case, because it is more durable than wood and cheaper than metal.

DIY technology for making a garden wheelbarrow from an old barrel:

Cut a plastic or metal barrel in half.
Weld a rectangular frame from metal profiles 2.5x2.5 cm.
Cut out the footrest to mount the body.
Install and secure the wheels with nuts.
Weld a metal profile handle with a holder onto the back of the frame.

At the final stage, a handle is formed from several shock-absorbing bushings, which are arranged in one row.

Video: do-it-yourself two-wheeled design, master class

Making a three-wheeled car

Homemade three-wheeled carts are convenient and practical. The third wheel in such designs makes it easier to control the equipment and increases its load capacity. Unlike their wooden counterparts, metal carts are assembled from top to bottom.

The trolley is suitable for transporting heavy loads

Stages of making a three-wheeled cart with your own hands:

Selecting or welding a steel trough.
Checking the tightness of the container.
Welding the frame in accordance with the dimensions of the trough.
Fixation of the rear wheel pair and front guide wheel.
Welding one U-shaped handle or a pair of separate handles.

It is quite possible to use a children's bicycle as a wheel base.

Making a four-wheeled car

Four-wheeled structures are usually made of metal. This allows the wheelbarrow to withstand a load of up to 90–100 kg. Assembling such a model with your own hands involves using a mechanic’s tool kit.

Steps for making a four-wheeled garden cart with your own hands:

The reliability of such a car comes at the expense of maneuverability.

Carry out the necessary calculations and make a sketch.
Select a container, which can be an ordinary steel trough.
Weld a frame structure from rectangular metal pipes.
Weld a U-shaped handle to the frame.
Install the wheels at the bottom of the structure.

Garden wooden cart as a decorative element

Wooden garden wheelbarrows have recently almost completely lost their utilitarian, main purpose and moved into the category of elements for landscape decoration. In a body of this design a container decorative garden can be set up or flower pots with beautiful flowering plants can be installed.

This product will decorate the garden plot

The structures can be equipped with one, two or even four wheels. The latter option is more stable and spacious, which is why it is most often used in landscaping the local area. For manufacturing, it is recommended to use hard wood species - maple, oak, birch and elm.

The most exotic type of material that can be used to make a garden wheelbarrow with your own hands is durable and environmentally friendly willow twigs.

A beautiful option for garden decoration

This unusual and very beautiful “basket on wheels” can be used to place pots of flowers or green vitamin crops.

Video: do-it-yourself flower garden wheelbarrow

What determines the cost of products

The average price of garden wheelbarrows and carts of different models varies significantly depending on a whole set of factors, including:

load capacity;
body volume;
number and type of wheels;
material used in production.

It is necessary to take into account the fact that the cost of garden wheelbarrows varies not only depending on the technical characteristics and equipment, but also on the reputation of the company producing the brand. Therefore, if you have the materials and tools necessary for manufacturing the structure, it is advisable to do such work yourself.

When choosing the design of a garden wheelbarrow, it is important to take into account the main characteristics of such a device and its purpose. For frequent transportation of large and heavy loads, preference should be given to the manufacture of stable and more maneuverable models, and for the infrequent movement of the lightest materials, a simple, lightweight version of a wheelbarrow can cope quite well.

A garden wheelbarrow is a very useful household tool and it helps out in many jobs. Of course, it is mechanized only by human power, but not a single gardener or gardener on earth can do without it. Bring humus to the beds, take out the dug up potatoes - is there enough work on the ground with a wheelbarrow?

Household equipment for business

Practice shows that rural estate construction cannot be done without a wheelbarrow. The earth from the dug foundation should be stored at the edge of the site, rather than carried there in buckets.

Sand, gravel, cement in bags - all this needs to be transported from the car closer to the construction site. Driving a wheelbarrow is also not very easy, but it is much more convenient than carrying 50-kilogram bags on your shoulders.

A one-wheeled car for sale is not a big problem. But rural residents are accustomed to building many things that are useful on the farm. And often from scrap materials. So a DIY car will cost no more than a quarter of the factory cost.

And it will be more convenient, because the owner makes it for himself, and not for the average man. For such skilled peasants, below are our tips on what to use to build a wheelbarrow with your own hands.

Wheelbarrow and cart: similarities and differences

A cart and a wheelbarrow, at first glance, are almost the same thing. Both transport small loads and both by hand. With a slight difference, it's the same thing. A cart with one wheel is called a wheelbarrow; there are also two-wheeled cars.

The “kopeck piece” sinks less into sand and loose soil than on one wheel, it is easier to hold the levers with your hands, it does not fall on one side or the other. Although this negative factor turns into an advantage: bulk cargo can be unloaded on three sides.

Such household equipment can be used for construction and gardening. The difference is in the strength of the structure for transporting heavier loads. This cart is often mounted on metal wheels of small diameter

Step-by-step instructions for creating a wheelbarrow with your own hands

Start with a sketch. This is a drawing of the future product. Indicate all the dimensions on it, number the parts, and make a table below from the numbers and names of the material.

What will the car consist of:

the main part is the container or body. The body is made of millimeter steel. Weld the narrowest corner on top for structural strength.
The frame and wheel are selected based on the body parameters. The frame is a bent half-inch tube, it starts from the handles and ends at the narrowest point - at the wheel.
wheel. An axle with bearings and a wheel is welded into the U-shaped place; a ten-inch one or another, preferably an inflatable one, will do.
Design a lock for parking the wheelbarrow.

A U-shaped half-inch pipe bent from handle to handle and a body welded on them at the back will do. The latch must be of such a height that the wheelbarrow does not tip over on its own.

A few more words about wheels

The best pneumatic wheels:

they will allow you to transport more cargo;
the wheelbarrow will become faster and will pass over any terrain and on soft soil.

Choose pneumatics from the Slovenian company LIV Kolesa. The quality is guaranteed, the discs will not bend, no matter how much weight is placed on the wheelbarrow. And the bearings are of a closed type, sand will not get into them, and they do not need to be lubricated regularly. You will get a reinforced car.

Body made of... barrels

As an option, you can install a platform from a used 200-liter barrel on your wheelbarrow. But not from under bitumen, otherwise your cargo will turn into oil waste. Using a hand grinder, cut it lengthwise - according to height.

Strengthen the former barrel on the frame with the half-bottom closer to the “driver” of the car. Even damp bulk material can easily spill out of it, and the wheelbarrow does not need to be placed with the handles up; a slight tilt forward is sufficient.

Bed frame

The metal backs of a bed thrown out of a barn are suitable for making a wheelbarrow frame. Especially for a two-wheeler. Extend them to the handles by welding. You hang and strengthen everything else as described in detail above.

The wheelbarrow is not for cargo, but for the beauty of the garden

Its time will come when all the important things in the garden plot have been redone. Create all the parts from wood, and even the wheel. Few peoples in the world can boast of creating a wheel, but you can do it with your own hands.

What you will need:

timber 4x4 cm up to one and a half meters, round the places for handles;
plywood;
a piece of pipe for the wheel axle;
the body is made of thin boards.

The most difficult thing is the wheel. It is prefabricated and consists of a rim, spokes and an axle. Draw a circle on the plywood, outlining something round with a diameter of at least 30 cm. Divide the circle into eight segments. Cut the ends of the bars at 67 degrees using a school protractor.

Line them up one after another and see how they fit together. Connect with cuts at the ends and drive in wedges. Place a wooden circle with a diameter of 8-10 cm in the center. Knitting needles also made of wood will come from it; glue them to the inner diameter and rim.

Collect everything. Find a place to park the wheelbarrow, load it with pumpkin, eggplant, and cabbage, not for props. If you wish, you can take a photo of the garden wheelbarrow as a souvenir.

Photo of a homemade garden wheelbarrow

An ordinary garden cart is not only moved with your own hands, but also made - not only for reasons of saving on purchases at a hardware store. There are a lot of tasks on earth that require regular or occasional transportation of goods; a purchased wheelbarrow cannot cope with every type of auxiliary rigging work.

Garden cart - an indispensable assistant in a country house

In the gardening industry, a garden cart, two-wheeled or four-wheeled, makes it easier to carry out a wide variety of work. Removal of garbage and household waste, withered leaves and mown grass, movement of building materials, firewood and coal - the range of use of wheeled small-scale mechanization is more than wide. When landscaping the area with turf, when concreting the porch with your own hands, when laying out flower beds and greenhouses, arranging park paths, etc. an ordinary wheelbarrow increases the speed of work several times.

Of course, the easiest way is to buy a wheeled assistant in a store. Then you don’t even have to think about how to make a garden cart with your own hands that is reliable and spacious. But the choice of purchased wheelbarrows and trolleys is often limited to a single model, which was developed during the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal - and since then has continued to be produced according to the well-known principle “The best is the enemy of the good.”. When making it yourself, the size and load-carrying capacity of the wheelbarrow is determined by the master himself, as is its maneuverability, because you can install wheels of different sizes.

In addition, in a lived-in country house or a dacha with a garden plot there will always be a lot of conditionally ownerless materials - boards, bars, iron fittings and corners, etc. In this way, you can save on the purchase of initial parts - a DIY garden wheelbarrow will be cheap in terms of costs, although it will require time and effort.

Do-it-yourself garden wheelbarrow made of wood

A garden cart is the easiest to make from wood, because... This process does not require the use of complex equipment such as welding machines or a metal cutting saw. Wood is processed with standard tools - but keep in mind that the durability, strength and load-carrying capacity of such a cart will be noticeably inferior to its metal “sister”.

Do-it-yourself garden wheelbarrow made of wood - step-by-step diagram

Step 1: frame - the basis of reliability

The frame for a wooden cart is knocked together from thick boards, in the form of a square or rectangle. The size of the bars for the frame is at least 70x70 mm, otherwise such a wheelbarrow will only be able to transport hay and leaves. The frame from the beams is assembled “overlapping”, screws are driven into the corners, the frame structure can be strengthened with metal corners and additional ceilings. If there are antiseptic compounds on the farm, all wood used is treated with them in advance - then our homemade wheelbarrow will resist rot and dampness longer.

Step 2: running gear

Rails for ball bearings are screwed to the bottom of the frame - one or two, depending on the number of wheels. It is better to make a wooden cart two-wheeled, providing supports for horizontal installation. If you have a ready-made axle on which you can put wheels from an old go-kart or moped, you won’t need a block with bearings.

A home-made wheelbarrow made of wood on one wheel will be unstable - such work requires high carpentry skills.

Having secured the wheels, the “skeleton” of the future cart needs to be rolled around the site - it is better to correct flaws in the wheel fasteners at an early stage. A wheelbarrow that is inconvenient to move will have to be used as an element of garden design or pushed deeper into the barn, so that the reminder of the ineffective use of time and effort does not spoil our mood with its appearance.

Step 3: making the handle

The trolley handle bears a large load when moving. It is advisable to make it out of metal, even when the wheelbarrow itself is made of wood. A handlebar from an old scooter or just a long steel stick with a rubber crossbar can be used as a metal handle. It is best to attach the handle to a hinge, with a lock. This design will allow the mounting unit to be reliable and fold during storage - which means that a garden wheelbarrow with an articulated handle will take up less space, and the handle itself will not break due to someone’s careless movement.

Step 4: body

On a durable frame with reliable wheels, you can install arbitrary-shaped sides made of boards or plywood - you get a classic garden cart, assembled with your own hands. Actually, the cargo container itself is quite feasible in a removable version - for example, in the form of an old plastic bath for transporting liquids or bulk cargo. Or a used trough, which is inserted into the spacer between the bars stuffed onto the frame. The good thing about a wooden wheelbarrow is that it provides for fastening various containers for transporting goods; this is not possible with an iron cart.

DIY garden cart made of metal

But metal has other advantages - it does not rot or crack, can withstand heavy weight and lasts for decades - if high-quality metal is chosen, all parts are well fitted and welded to each other. The garden cart is four-wheeled and large-sized, for transporting weights up to 100 kg or more, made only of metal - no tree can withstand such a load.

DIY metal garden cart - step-by-step diagram

Step 1: container first

Yes, yes, unlike its wooden counterpart, the metal cart is assembled from top to bottom. That is, the dimensions of a steel trough or other container determine the dimensions of the frame - but not vice versa. It is advisable to immediately check the tightness of our container, then with its help you can transport liquid or pasty loads without the risk of leaks to your own garden plot.

A good option would be to install pneumatic (that is, pumped up) wheels on our metal cart. Firstly, this will increase its carrying capacity to 60-80 kg. Secondly, a wheelbarrow with pneumatic wheels will significantly increase its cross-country ability. Thirdly, the handle can be used to control the wheel brakes - moving the cart along inclined planes will become much easier, without the risk of tipping over or spilling the load.