How to fix a wheelbarrows handles is probably one of the tasks that you will need to do at some stage on your farm. In our disposable world, good ‘barrows are often discarded when one or both of their wooden handles rots and snaps. It really is not difficult to replace them with just some simple tools.
Rotted handles being removed from our farm wheelbarrow.
Our wheelbarrow has had an exciting life in Colorado and now in Maine. One of the very first repairs we did was replace the tire from a pneumatic (pump up) tire to a solid rubber tire. This was a simple purchase from our local hardware store – but saved us a million hours of tire repair. The main culprit for flat tires for us in Colorado was the horrible ‘goat head’ thorny seed that punctured every tire on every piece of equipment.
After a few years in the moisture in Maine, the thin wooden handles finally succumbed to rot and broke. We decided to replace and upgrade using a set of new handles we bought at the local hardware store (like these). These were slightly larger dimension, but as they had no holes predrilled, they were perfect for us to use.
Slightly larger dimestions, the new handles will be much stronger.
How to fix a wheelbarrows handles
The first task was to remove all the old fittings and handles carefully setting aside the hardware (nuts, washers and bolts) to reuse. Fortunately for us, all the existing hardware was in good condition and could be reused. We did have to buy just two longer bolts as the new handles were slightly larger and the old bolts were too short.
Marking the location of the holes using the old handle as a template.
The second step is to line up the new handles with the old and mark the location of all the holes that need to be drilled. This is as simple is inserting a pencil into the old holes to mark the new locations.
Making the pencil marks for holes easier to see before drilling.
Then you need to drill the holes using a size drill that will let the bolts slide freely through – but not too large that then can move from side to side
Drilling the holes
Once all the holes are drilled you need to refit the handles using the saved bolts. And you are back in business!
Almost complete!
After a few days of use, go back and tighten up all the bolts as some will have become loose.
We hope this is helpful for those who find themselves with a wheelbarrow that needs some repairs 🙂
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