You are quite familiar with the contemporary wheelbarrow: it’s a stoop, then grunt, then lift, then push machine. This week I’ll tell you all about what a wheelbarrow shouldbe like.
Let’s take a look at the strollers that are in use today. The 120-pound mother pushes her little one along with minimal effort. Thanks to the handlebar that is at a comfortable waist level, she doesn’t need to stoop. There is also absolutely no need for her to lift, as there are no wheelbarrow-like handles at her knee level. At her feet are two wheels. At the front of the stroller are two swiveling wheels.
After shopping, into the space under she places her 20-pound bag of flour, a two-week supply of pasta, a bag of potatoes, a six-pack of liquid refreshment, five cans of assorted vegetables and a jug of milk, off she goes.
There is no way I would use one of today’s one-wheeled wheelbarrows to haul 150-pound loads of slabs of rock when I’m building my 70-foot-long stone wall, or 50-pound bags of topsoil for Juliet’s gardening projects, or the five cords of cut and split firewoodI’ve acquired this year.
The modified wheelbarrow shown in this week’s illustration was given to me over a dozen years ago by the late June Mody, the mother of Ingleside’s Lynda Godin. It was bought c. 1970, making it over half a century old. I had an axle welded onto the rear supports. To it were attached two hefty wheels. At the front, a swivel wheel was added. An elevated crossbar was installed onto the two lifting handles.
The brand name I’d give to the wheelbarrow I’ve developed was going to be ‘The Wolochatiuk’, but for obvious reasons will be marketed as ‘The Nick’.
