Pushing heavy loads in a wheelbarrow may be easier than carrying them, but it can certainly still be a plenty difficult task. The eBarrow Kit was designed with that fact in mind, as it electrifies existing wheelbarrows.
We first heard about the eBarrow last August, when inventor/engineer Moe Power – yes, that's his real name – turned to Kickstarter for funding. Fast-forward 15 months, and the kit is now commercially available for US$499.
The setup consists of three main parts. There's a 250W-hub-motorized wheel that replaces the wheelbarrow's existing wheel; a battery/electronics module which is hard-wired to the wheel; and a wheelbarrow-handle-mounted thumb throttle which is hard-wired to the battery module.
According to Power, the whole shebang can be user-installed with hand tools in only about four minutes. It's reportedly compatible with all wheelbarrows sold in the US, as it uses the same four mounting bolts that they do for holding the wheel in place. That wheel is clad in a custom 14-inch lugged tire made of solid polyurethane, so flats won't be an issue.
Using the system is as simple as pressing the power button, then pushing the throttle. The motor delivers over 35 Nm (26 lb ft) of torque, pulling heavy loads across flat ground and up hills. One charge of the 24V/10-Ah lithium-ion battery is claimed to be good for approximately one week of daily use, depending on factors such as load weight and terrain.
An LED display on the battery module shows the current charge level. That module is made of impact-resistant ABS plastic, although it's also protected from frontal impacts by an integrated aluminum crash plate. It's additionally IP67 water-resistant, meaning it can withstand being briefly submerged to a depth of up to 1 meter (3.3 ft).
You can buy an eBarrow Kit of your own via the product website. The system is demonstrated in the following video.
Source: eBarrow
