BASIC WHEELBARROW MAINTENANCE

STEP 1: REMOVE THE WHEELBARROW RUST WITH A DEGREASER

Before you begin cleaning your wheelbarrow, it’s important you get rid of all the surface rust that’s accumulated over time. Removing rust is a vital part of wheelbarrow maintenance. This can easily be done with the help of a degreaser. A solvent-based spray degreaser helps to quickly remove stubborn soiling such as oil, grease, dirt, and grime without leaving any residue. What’s more, it’s helpful for removing rust effectively.

For the tub of the wheelbarrow itself, you may have to use a wire brush or low grit sandpaper to rub off all the rust once it has been loosened. Once you’ve dealt with the tub itself, you can move on to other components of the wheelbarrow.

STEP 2: PRIMING AND PAINTING

The next step is priming and painting. After you’re done with all the sanding and grinding, your wheelbarrow is ready for a makeover. Before you begin, is best to get the bare metal coated with rust sealant primer. Once the wheelbarrow is primed, you can now go about the paint job.

STEP 3: CLEANING, MAINTAINING & FIXING THE WHEELS & AXIS

You’re getting closer to knowing how to clean and carry out full maintenance of wheelbarrows so what’s next? Well, the wheels of a wheelbarrow often contain a lot of rust. This may be because these are driven over rough grounds, debris, thorns, and so much more. In some cases, the wheels may need replacing which can be quite costly.

It is vitally important to maintain the wheel and the axle of your wheelbarrow. If both components fail, then your wheelbarrow will stop rolling – not doing its job properly. In order to keep your axle working effectively, all you need to do is give it a good squirt of an excellent lubricant. We recommend using a multi-use spray lubricant for lubricating your wheelbarrow. Using a maintenance spray will also prevent the axle and wheelbarrow from rusting, and also help to repel dirt.

If you want to prolong the life of your wheelbarrow’s wheels, then you should have them pumped with expanding foam instead of simple air. By doing so, you can make them potentially indestructible. The cost of expanding foam may only be a little more than having them pumped with air. We recommend cleaning your wheelbarrow on a regular basis to avoid replacing the wheels.

STEP 4: SMOOTHING WHEELBARROW HANDLES

The handles are very often the most overlooked part of wheelbarrow maintenance, with the wheel and barrow traditionally being the prime focus for any related updates to your cart.

If you’ve noticed your wheelbarrow’s handles are getting rough, then get your sandpaper ready to give them a new lease of life and make them much easier on your hands! Alternatively, you can also occasionally run them down with linseed or any other type of oil, making sure that the handles are dry before storing.

STEP 5: STORING YOUR WHEELBARROW

Lastly, it’s important to pay attention to where you store your wheelbarrow. After it’s been given a thoroughly good clean, you should make sure it’s stored in a dry area. Even if you think you can’t dry up your wheelbarrow before storing it, this shouldn’t be a problem.

All you need to do is make sure that the wheelbarrow is left standing against a wall instead of sitting. By doing so, you will have allowed it to prevent rust more effectively while also drying faster.

See, learning how to clean wheelbarrows wasn’t that tough. Just make sure you give it a good clean after every other usage, or at least on a weekly basis.