Are you tired of pulling your back out just by lifting a particularly heavy load with your wheelbarrow? Or, have you ever mixed up a batch of concrete, only to fight against spilling it every time you wheel your barrow over rough terrain? Is your janky, old wheelbarrow constantly threatening to dump your valuable tools all over the ground on the way from the truck to the work site? Alex Lunt, owner of Lunt Construction in Tallahassee, Florida, introduces a solution: the BeastBarrow. The BeastBarrow features a second inline wheel attachment for the standard wheelbarrow, designed to lighten the workload and add stability over uneven terrain.
Reinventing the Wheelbarrow
Targeting contractors, brick masons, landscapers, and DIYers, the BeastBarrow claims to offer a simple-to-use, durable solution to wheelbarrowing frustrations. It attaches to any wheelbarrow, adding stability through a swiveling, inline wheel system.
When parked, the BeastBarrow’s wheel sits between the front wheel and the wheelbarrow legs. When lifted, the second wheel swings back and locks into place. All of the weight rests on the two wheels. This allows heavy loads to be pushed rather than lifted. The BeastBarrow alleges to reduce user fatigue, as well as strain on the lower back. And at first glance, it certainly looks like it should.
The swivel wheel allows the user to move across uneven terrain. As you roll over, say, a pile of dirt, both wheels grip the surface, resulting in a more stable wheelbarrowing experience. If I could draw a really obvious parallel, the BeastBarrow is to a wheelbarrow what a bicycle is to a unicycle.
Where Can I Find The BeastBarrow?
As of right now, the BeastBarrow is still in development. Although Lunt has been using his product for years on site, it is still only a working prototype. The team has launched a campaign on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding website, in order to fund the manufacturing and design costs. The hope is that, through crowdfunding, the BeastBarrow will eventually be available to the consumer for a reasonable price.
To learn more about the BeastBarrow, the team, or the Kickstarter campaign, click here.
What Do We Think?
The BeastBarrow looks like a pretty innovative addition to the standard wheelbarrow. There have been other second-wheel wheelbarrow designs available to consumers, but this is the first one that features a swiveling second wheel. The product looks stable, and anything that helps me avoid wrenching my back out of alignment is a great thing.
Eventually, I wouldn’t mind seeing an edition of this product that is an all-inclusive wheelbarrow. But, I do like that this product is versatile. I can attach it to any wheelbarrow or cart that suits my needs. As long as the BeastBarrow remains reasonably priced, it could make for a useful addition to the job site.
All in all, this looks like it could be a fantastic product. The BeastBarrow team has been getting some good publicity and has been working the trade show circuit. Hopefully, funding won’t be a problem, and we’ll continue to keep an eye out for future developments.
