Using a "bigfoot" (large dia wheel) dolly/handtruck

... Does anyone have experience with this type of a dolly ? Harbor Freight frequently has these on sale for about $40. Will this dolly with the larger dia wheels go up steps easier. I would still end up splitting and widening the bigfoot dolly since it also is only 22 inches wide.

We have four of these. My biggest issue is the tires go flat often. Second issue is they get lost constantly. We need four just to keep one put away. otherwise they are great for moving stuff.

To go up stairs, you need two operators. The bottom guy is the strong one, he lifts. The top guy pulls back balances and holds the gain. Then repeat. Don't get your tire so big that it won't just sit on a step.

Karl

I have a similar one, nothing wrong with them, tires need to be pumped often. When I looked, I found the harbor Freight one to be wimpy and instead bought a stronger one (USA made) from McMaster-Carr. The price difference was not much.

I've got one, and while it's a pain when the tires are flat, it's trivial to pump them back up. It is embarrasing to show up with one flat tire!

And the inflated tires make a world of difference in moving over mud. I first truly appreciated this during a rainy spring in British Columbia :-).

I got mine like ten years ago and it is still going strong.

Isn't that like the Yogi Berra-ism "nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded"? If it's getting lost constantly, that means it's the one that everybody uses!

Tim.

On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 05:38:42 -0800 (PST), the infamous snipped-for-privacy@c3net.net scrawled the following:

I own the 10-incher, too, and adore it. The one time I used the larger one, it was even easier to work. You won't even know when you ride up over a curb or small steps.

The 13" wheels are on sale for $10 each now, and 13.5-inchers are $13. search

Go for it.

-- Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught hell for. -- Earl Warren

i have the one with 10" wheels, and yes, they tend to go flat frequently. however, they ride over the desert sand pretty well and goes over small rocks without noticing them. don't know how they are for standard stairs, but they do go up short curbs well.

i did bend the bottom of it moving a 300 lb boulder, so don't take their load maximum very seriously.

regards, charlie cave creek, az

You are talking about a "hand truck". A "dolly" is a platform with casters.

Anyone try putting Slime in the tires?

Wes

I have one of those cheap wagons with similar wheels. Suppose to be good for 1000 lbs or something, snort! Anyway, tightening up the valve cores did wonders to slow down the leakage. Only have to air them up a couple times per year now.

I put some slime in my 20 year old walk behind snowblower tires. Tubeless and age cracked. I'm hoping it helps. So far, leaks down fast but I haven't actually made a pass down the 200 foot driveway. That should coat them well if nothing more.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

made a pass

Why in h**l do they use tubeless tires on snow blowers, wheelbarrows etc.? After a few years, rust penetrates the bead area and the only remedy is an inner tube which then lasts until the outer casing rots off. Both my snow blower (1985) and wheelbarrow (older) still have the original tires with inner tubes installed. It is not like these are high speed, heat sensitive uses, at least not in my case! Gerry :-)} London, Canada

On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:00:10 -0500, the infamous Gerald Miller scrawled the following:

made a pass

Does everyone here FEEEL for Gerry? How about a group "Awwwwww!"?

Let's see, a new tube costs $4USD. A new wheel, bearings, tire, and tube assembly costs $5 or $10USD. What to do? What to do?

Our HF is your Princess, right? Seek and ye might find, sir Ger.

-- Never lose sight of this important truth, that no one can be truly great until he has gained a knowledge of himself, a knowledge which can only be acquired by occasional retirement. -- Johann Georg von Zimmermann

actually made a pass

I do have a spare tire for my wheelbarrow from Princess Auto - cost $2 about 4 years ago, haven't needed to install it yet. OTOH, Tires for the snow blower will cost me $35 each. As to changing to a less expensive size - you wanna come take the old wheels off the axle? Bring your cutting torch cause they are permanently rusted in place! Gerry :-)} London, Canada

I got tired of forgetting to air up the tires before using the hand truck so I bought replacement 10" tires/wheels from HF when they had them on sale for $3.99 - they hold air **much** longer that the tires that came with the hand truck (Home Depot I think).

On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:25:13 -0500, the infamous Gerald Miller scrawled the following:

actually made a pass

"Good shew." he said, in his best Ed Sullivan voice.

Sounds like a self-inflicted wound due to lack of maintenance to me, sir. Shameful!

P.S: What's a "snow blower"?

-- Never lose sight of this important truth, that no one can be truly great until he has gained a knowledge of himself, a knowledge which can only be acquired by occasional retirement. -- Johann Georg von Zimmermann

The wheelbarrow is easy, my wide profile snowblower tires look like they spot welded the halves together after inserting on either side of the tire. I can't buy the tire from searz, have to buy tires and rim. Humm.

Wes

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:50:23 -0500, the infamous Wes scrawled the following:

You said the "I just let the magic smoke out!" word, Wes; Searz.

Go buy something worth _fixing_, eh? Sheesh! Better yet, build one yourself/rebuild the axle.

-- If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. -- Thomas A. Edison

I just bought a tire & rim for my wheelbarrow at Harbor Freight for $20.

replying to Wes, Alan Lashway wrote: yeah it didn't work

I notice the thread is from 2008, so regarding the flats on the Harbor Freight tires, there seems to be no need to tell you about my success using Slime Tire sealant to keep air in them.