Plastic Wheelbarrows - Are they any good?

[sparkythecat]

My first wheelbarrow bought some 25years ago was made of folded steel and was fairly heavy. It sustained many years of abuse before being crushed under a reversing delivery lorry. I've since had a couple of pressed steel ones, that soon got knocked out of shape and rusted through and am now looking for another new replacement.
There now seem to be a lot of plastic bodied barrows on the market, but are they really any good for any sort of site work and how durable are they?

[dickymint]

Been using a couple for about 3 months on site. Seem ok but will they last? Much easier to keep clean though. I like them.

[rovermorris999]

I've got one. It was bought in the early 80's, kept outside and is still going ok. The only downside is it has a solid tyre so not so good with heavy stuff over uneven ground. The plastic body looks like it will outlive the frame and wheel.

[aberdeeneuan]

I looked at plastic and metal ones, ended up getting a metal one from a builders merchant rather than the sheds as they were a bit more solid for not a lot more cash.

[sparkythecat]

aberdeeneuan said:

I looked at plastic and metal ones, ended up getting a metal one from a builders merchant rather than the sheds as they were a bit more solid for not a lot more cash.

Both plastic wheelbarrows and pressed steel ones can be had for around £25. My question is whether the plastic ones are any better?.

[b2hbm]

I've had both. The metal one rusted away over the years so I bought a plastic one. That was easier to clean but when using it to carry logs up to the house in winter, it cracked, probably a couple of years old at that point. A combination of load plus sub-zero temperatures but unlike a metal one it wasn't repairable.

It was fine for lighter stuff but if you're moving heavy rocks about then a metal one will be more robust, and of course metal will be fine in winter.

[rovermorris999]

It depends on the quality. The plastic one I have has lived outside for over 25 years. It would be a lot better with a pneumatic tyre though.

[b2hbm]

rovermorris999 said:

It depends on the quality. The plastic one I have has lived outside for over 25 years. It would be a lot better with a pneumatic tyre though.

A fair point. Mine was a B&Q £40 jobbie, it looked identical to the garden center ones but we were getting a B&Q delivery so they got the order. To be fair it was fine until I chucked a log in it (not a big one, only brick-sized) and the plastic obviously suffers from brittle fracture in the cold.

I'm not so sure about your wish for a pneumatic tyre though - this one had at least 2 punctures mended over it's 4-5yr life. Ironically I'd thought I'd look for a solid tyre replacement this summer !

[rovermorris999]

The solid tyre makes it much harder work over rough ground with a load on but as you say, 25 years on the same wheel rather than punctures. The make of mine is 'Fort' and was made in Holland. Probably gone bust now if they lasted so long.