How to Replace Your Wheelbarrow Handles

Wheelbarrow handles need to be replaced from time to time since they are normally made of wood which is vulnerable to rotting. Below are the materials and the steps on how to replace your wheelbarrow handles.

Step 1 - Remove the Old Wheelbarrow Handles

Wheelbarrow handles are attached to the wheelbarrow bucket by a couple of nuts and bolts located at the undercarriage of the wheelbarrow bucket. The wheel handle is sandwiched between the bucket and the wheel assembly.

Using a socket or a crescent wrench, remove the old wheelbarrow handles and set them aside for recycling or disposal. Set aside the wheel assembly.

Step 2 - Adjust the Table Saw

Using a table saw is necessary to make a straight cut and equally cut the piece of standard 2x4 into two pieces. Adjust the distance of the of the blade to the rip fence by 1.5 inches.

Step 3 - Cut the Wood

Wearing a pair of safety glasses and working gloves, recheck your table saw setting and turn on the table saw. Run the 2x4 wood plank slowly into the blade of the table saw using the table saw fence as a guide to make a straight cut. The cut 2x4 will serve as your new handles.

Step 4 - Align the Handles

Use the old wheelbarrow handles as a guide to align the new handles into the undercarriage of the wheelbarrow. Stack the two new wheelbarrow handles together with the old wheelbarrow handles and clamp them tightly together. Determine if the size of your new wheelbarrow handles are the same as that of the old wheelbarrow handle. If the new wheelbarrow handles are longer than the old wheelbarrow handles you may need to cut the new handles to the proper length.

Raise the clamped down wheelbarrow handles together and place each end on top of a wooden stool of the same height.

Step 5 - Drill the Holes

Using the old handles as a guide, find the two preexisting holes in the old handles and drill a new hole right through the two new handles. Use a drill bit the same size as the holes in the old handles. Remove the clamp after drilling.

Step 6 - Align the New Handles

Turn the wheelbarrow upside down and insert each new handle with its predrilled holes aligned into the bolts of the wheelbarrow. The pre-drilled holes’ location should be perfectly aligned with the bolts.

Step 7 - Reattach the Wheel Assembly

With the new handles in alignment with the barrow bolts, reattach the wheel assembly by aligning its legs into the bolt of the barrow and tighten the nuts using a crescent wrench. The bolts of the barrow should now hold the new handles as well as the legs of the wheel assembly.

Step 8 - Finish the Handles

With a fine-grit sandpaper, sand the newly installed handles of the wheelbarrow to avoid injury due to wood splinters. You can slightly round the square edges of the new handles by using a medium grit sandpaper.