Wheelbarrow

A wheelbarrow ( in Switzerland also Karette or Garette, in Austria and wheelbarrow ) is a tool for transporting bulk materials, and other loads by a person. Karrette also called a schmalspuriges vehicle of mountain troops.

History

Ancient Greece

Wheelbarrows were invented in ancient Greece. Two Bauinventurlisten from Eleusis of 408-407 and 407-406 BC lead " a box for a einrädiges vehicle ( hyperteria monokyklou )" on. Da ' dikyklos ' and ' tetrakyklos ' in ancient Greece is nothing but a ' zweirädiges vehicle ' and ' vierrädiges vehicle ' called, and since the box einrädigen vehicle appears in the list between a box for a vierrädiges vehicle on the one hand and its four wheels on the other hand must be meant by the vehicle einrädigen a wheelbarrow, which was necessarily used and balanced by one person. However, there are no further references to the use of wheelbarrows in ancient Greece.

China

In Imperial China two-wheeled wheelbarrows were used to transport injured in the 2nd century, these were invented by Chuko Liang ( 181-234 ). The displacement of the wheel under the truck in the center of gravity also seems to have long been common in China, where relatively large wheels were used and the load was attached to the left and right of the wheel. There is therefore no depression, but there were two boards with a wheel in between.

Middle Ages

The wheelbarrow appeared 1170-1250 in medieval Europe. In contrast to Chinese wheelbarrows, centrally lay their wheel below the conveying surface, had wheelbarrows in the Middle Ages throughout the wheel forward or almost forward. Ancient figures suggest that the European wheelbarrow may have developed from the carrier, wherein the front support has been replaced by the wheel. This would also explain the well and a completely different design to the Chinese wheelbarrow.

The study of the early history of the wheelbarrow is made difficult by the lack of common terminology. The English historian of science MJT Lewis has found four mentions of wheelbarrows 1172-1222 in English and French sources. There were, however, used in three sources each other names. The art historian Andrea Matthies dates the first recorded mention of the wheelbarrow on a contract of sale of some wheelbarrows for a work of the King of England in Dover 1222. The first representation ( Vitae Offarum ) of Matthew of Paris to 1250.Die appears in an English manuscript often expressed view that a wheelbarrow in a stained glass window in the cathedral of Chartres is short after 1200 to see ( in 1220 ), according to Lewis, " a legend. There is no such figure, the most similar is a handcart "

By the 13th century had become the wheelbarrow in construction, enforced in mining and agriculture. After the number of surviving documents and illustrations to judge the wheelbarrow remained relatively rare until the 15th century. Their use seems to be limited to England, France and the Netherlands.

Modern Times

Wheelbarrows in Europe until the late 19th century, usually made ​​of wood, but already in 1822 there were in England is complete iron wheelbarrows. A load cart, go to the horses in the carrier frame, might have been the focus of a model for the displacement of the wheels below (or at least closer to ). Around since the 1950s, there are wheelbarrows with pneumatic tires and metal trays in one piece.

When working with the wheelbarrow, it is useful to store the load mainly on the wheel ( vollzuschaufeln ) to relieve the user. When working on rough, muddy terrain, it may be useful to relieve the wheel. In this case the load should be placed closer to the support brackets. Alternatively, one may reduce the air pressure in the tire, in order to get more contact area for the tire. For transportation over longer distances, however, a hand truck is better.

Values ​​for a typical wheelbarrow

Wheelbarrows today have a framework of essentially a single piece of thin-walled steel pipe. The diameter of the tube is located in versions for young children at 15 mm, or 25 mm and rises even with heavy versions hardly more than 30 mm in order to be together Grifftüllen includes still acceptable from the hands can. Comfortable and very viable are highly oval tubes with about 20 × 30 mm external dimensions. The pipe runs in a narrow arc forward around the wheel and, through holes or bottom welded tabs by by inserted screw and lock nut which is about 15 cm long hollow axis of the wheel on. The tube legs run up to the handle ends in a straight run up to about 60 cm apart, a kink allows the tub a deep position, another in the opposite direction that the handles handily run almost horizontally. One to two welded cross straps support the tub there screwed downward and forward a support bracket in the area of the wheel. Two Abstellbögen under the main tube - alternatively bent out of this yourself - be in the range of the trough trailing edge. The wheel has a metal or nowadays usually a plastic rim, a kinked hose with auto valve and a tire with about 10 cm wide and 30 cm in diameter. Wheels with puncture-proof tires of heavy PU foam as a replacement part. The chassis is at least painted, galvanized but better protected against corrosion. The tub is rarely made ​​of plastic, but mostly from deep-drawn sheet metal and is on the edge where the sheet retains its strength, all around by a chime seam to the outside, which serves as a handle groove at the same time, stiffened. The tub runs forward broad and relatively shallow an angle over the wheel to allow good pour forward. With momentum and practice doing the wheelbarrow is very much set up and rests it on a lift angle of 45 ° on the running front of the wheel tubular bracket. Precisely this makes it also good, thereby to rotate the pan to the side and emptied there to clean to get the infrastructure which may consists of only 20-25 cm narrow wooden plank.

Large objects are moved lying on top of the tub, cheap may be a second person assisting hand the balance of the high center of gravity. Large boulders can dent the pan slightly, bricks are eingeschlichtet, ideal bulk materials are gravel, sand, soil and concrete. For specific lighter such as hay or straw, there are up to 200 liter wheelbarrow. The transport of fluid grout requires a bit of diligence, but water alone spills almost inevitably trip over and is therefore faster or worn down with a pair of buckets.

Motorised

For several years, wheelbarrows are sporadically available with electric drive, climb the steeper ramps without momentum Get and strong body of force. This is accompanied often go a parking brake, steering wheels instead of jack stands, carts itself is still directed by passing on the bars, but loses at ease and simplicity.

Wheelbarrow as sports equipment

• In the Anglo-Saxon one ( empty ) wheelbarrow is used as a device for performing tricks ( wheelbarrow freestyle ).
• There is a gym, and skill wheelbarrow. In this case, one partner holds the legs stretched by the other at the ankles. The detainee is now running on his hands, which must only support about half of his body weight. The game is often played as a speed competition between different wheelbarrows.
• In Saxon Bischofswerda it hosts the World Cup in rail bracket race ( wheelbarrow race ) during the shooting Bocker days. Accordingly, the place itself is jokingly referred to as " sliding block ".

Various designs

Two-wheeled dump bodies, usually with a waterproof welded trough whose content can be from 100 to 250 liters, also called Japanese or tilting Japanese. This also motorized models are available that can be converted due to payload and driving force for other purposes such as clearing snow or sweeping.