Finally done dealing with flat wheelbarrow tires for good

I ran into the same headache with my old Jackson wheelbarrow a couple of summers ago. It seemed like every time I needed to move a load of river rock, I spent twenty minutes looking for the compressor beacuse the bead had unseated again. I seriously considered the plywood method you used, but I was worried about the wood swelling up during our humid July stretches here in Ohio. Instead of making one, I picked up a 14.5-inch Marathon flat-free assembly. It’s basially a solid polyurethane foam tire. While it doesn't have the bounce of air, it handles the weight of wet bags of concrete without flattening out. Your plywood build sounds much more heavy-duty for sharp gravel, though.

One thing I noticed with solid setups is how much more you feel the vibrations trough the handles. I ended up wrapping my grips with some spare bicycle handlebar tape to save my wrists. If that plywood wheel starts feeling a bit stiff on the hands, some extra padding on the handles makes a world of difference for those long afternoons of hauling.

I tried the solid tire route a few years back, but I went with one of those Marathon flat-free assemblies from the local hardware store instead of building one. While it defintely solved the puncture issue, I found that the lack of "give" relly hammered my wrists when I was moving heavy loads of pavers across the uneven concrete sections of my driveway. The vibration was alot more intense than I anticipated, especally compared to the old pneumatic setup. After about six months of that, I acutally switched back to a standard tube tire but added a heavy-duty liner and about 16 ounces of Berryman Seal-All. It’s been holding up thru two seasons of thorny brush clearing and sharp gravel work. It still has that cushioning effect wich saves my joints, but the sealant handles the small leaks before I even notice them. It’s a middle ground that works better for my specific setup since I do a lot of hauling on hard surfaces.

I'd keep an eye on those plywood edges if you're turnin' sharp on the concrete. I tried a DIY wood wheel once and it started splintering pretty bad after a month of pivotin' on my asphalt drive. Might wanna slap a strip of old garden hose or some heavy-duty rubber around the 'tread' to keep it from fallin' apart. It'll also quiet down that clankin' noise you mentioned when you're haulin' stuff back and forth across the driveway.

Reminds me of how we used to do it before those foam tires were in every catalog. I used to drill a few holes in my old pneumatics and pump 'em full of expanding insulation foam. It was a messy job, but it kept things firm for a good long while.

That plywood rig is smart, but don't skimp on the grease. I built a similar cart once and found that without a heavy coat of axle grease, the friction from a heavy load of gravel whould practically smoke the hub. Keep it slick or it'll start squealing like a stuck pig every time you cross the drive.

That plywood wheel is such a killer idea, I love the ingenuity!! I’m just getting started on my own driveway renovation and I'm definitly stealing this for my old cart. No more flats for me!

Hey, since we’re talking about moving stuff across the drive, has anyone here ever experimented with those heated driveway systems for the winter? I’m wondering if they’re acutally worth the massive cost or if they just end up cracking the slab after a few seasons of heavy use.