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The western variant does not necessarily save the driver only half the weight, this depends on how the wheelbarrow is loaded. In the standard arrangement, with

by syrrim 8y ago

The western variant does not necessarily save the driver only half the weight, this depends on how the wheelbarrow is loaded. In the standard arrangement, with handles extending out towards the driver, and the wheelbarrow tipping forwards forcing most of the weight to the front, I could see 3/4 of the weight being offloaded to the wheel. While it still loses to the chinese variant, the trade off is that the "barrow" portion of the wheelbarrow can carry loose items, including dirt or even water, whereas the chinese design requires items to be in bags, which are then tied down. Also, anyone who has ever driven a well loaded wheelbarrow knows that they have a considerable danger of tipping, and I think this would be accentuated in the chinese design. Placing most of the weight near the axle between the wheel and the ground means that any slight tendency towards one side (say by an imbalance while loading, or a bump in the road) is more easily corrected for in the western design. I wonder if we might liken this to the distinction between the chinese preference for energy saving and the british preference for labour saving, as recorded during the industrial revolution. A chinese wheelbarrow will require much more time to load, and will require more care on behalf of the driver to prevent it tipping, but will require less energy of them. The western variant can be loaded quickly (perhaps with a shovel), but requires the driver to bear some portion of the weight, and thereby use more energy.

jaclaz 8y ago
It is a completely different "intended usage", however. The "western" version is intended to move materials over extremely short paths (for long distance carriages are traditionally used), the Chinese is to carry materials over long distances (and as mentioned in the article over winding and possibly non-paved roads). You can loosely compare the "loading" with a modern quarry/mine truck vs. a container truck, besides the different nature of the goods transported the difference is between short and long haul that more than compensates the increased loading time.
samatman 8y ago
From the article: "Later, the Chinese also used western-style wheelbarrows alongside their own design." These are effectively unrelated technologies, as only one is suitable for transporting goods between settlements.
contingencies 8y ago
the "barrow" portion of the wheelbarrow can carry loose items, including dirt or even water Here I believe you are confounding a hollow body with central wheel placement, these are two disparate and potentially mutually compatible features. anyone who has ever driven a well loaded wheelbarrow knows that they have a considerable danger of tipping, and I think this would be accentuated in the chinese design If intended for heavy loads they tend to have stands emerging from the outer sides/corners (these are visible in many of the article's images), just the same as the modern ones. Also, because the weight is better balanced in the Chinese central-wheel model you can arguably use a fatter wheel (since you are taking less load and therefore have an easier time controlling the thing) which means increased stability and increased strength and longevity. Also, reduced affinity for 'sinking' in muddy or sandy conditions. Placing most of the weight near the axle between the wheel and the ground One observation is that the Chinese design (central placement of larger wheel) makes this possible with a higher center of gravity (and therefore easier to guide, while avoiding undesirable interactions of the load with plants/water/animals/etc.). A concern in wet weather, overgrown paths, etc. A chinese wheelbarrow will require much more time to load I believe this is a misconception based upon the view of the modern western wheelbarrow which is designed both as a vessel and a vehicle. Coming from an ancient Chinese peasant's perspective, the wheelbarrow would be an all-weather replacement for pack animals, and therefore the likelihood is that goods (for example agricultural harvests) would first be placed in to an appropriate container and then slung over the wheelbarrow in paired or otherwise balanced loads. The slinging would not require any real time investment, probably less than an animal. It means that you can bring the wheelbarrow down a winding path in mountainous fields, take your rattan or similar basket, load your harvest, and then dump it on the wheelbarrow. You might load 4, 6, 8 or 10 such baskets before moving the wheelbarrow. The above assumptions are based on my own observations observing actual agricultural work in remoter parts of China and Southeast Asia over the last 20 years. Strangely, this whole discussion reminds me of the outrageously expensive industry of modern baby strollers, but also the modern stand-on electric monowheel style scooters, which could be said to be essentially a powered version of the simplistic form of the Chinese wheelbarrow.

by syrrim 8y ago

jaclaz 8y ago

It is a completely different "intended usage", however. The "western" version is intended to move materials over extremely short paths (for long distance carriages are traditionally used), the Chinese is to carry materials over long distances (and as mentioned in the article over winding and possibly non-paved roads). You can loosely compare the "loading" with a modern quarry/mine truck vs. a container truck, besides the different nature of the goods transported the difference is between short and long haul that more than compensates the increased loading time.

samatman 8y ago

From the article: "Later, the Chinese also used western-style wheelbarrows alongside their own design." These are effectively unrelated technologies, as only one is suitable for transporting goods between settlements.

contingencies 8y ago

the "barrow" portion of the wheelbarrow can carry loose items, including dirt or even water Here I believe you are confounding a hollow body with central wheel placement, these are two disparate and potentially mutually compatible features. anyone who has ever driven a well loaded wheelbarrow knows that they have a considerable danger of tipping, and I think this would be accentuated in the chinese design If intended for heavy loads they tend to have stands emerging from the outer sides/corners (these are visible in many of the article's images), just the same as the modern ones. Also, because the weight is better balanced in the Chinese central-wheel model you can arguably use a fatter wheel (since you are taking less load and therefore have an easier time controlling the thing) which means increased stability and increased strength and longevity. Also, reduced affinity for 'sinking' in muddy or sandy conditions. Placing most of the weight near the axle between the wheel and the ground One observation is that the Chinese design (central placement of larger wheel) makes this possible with a higher center of gravity (and therefore easier to guide, while avoiding undesirable interactions of the load with plants/water/animals/etc.). A concern in wet weather, overgrown paths, etc. A chinese wheelbarrow will require much more time to load I believe this is a misconception based upon the view of the modern western wheelbarrow which is designed both as a vessel and a vehicle. Coming from an ancient Chinese peasant's perspective, the wheelbarrow would be an all-weather replacement for pack animals, and therefore the likelihood is that goods (for example agricultural harvests) would first be placed in to an appropriate container and then slung over the wheelbarrow in paired or otherwise balanced loads. The slinging would not require any real time investment, probably less than an animal. It means that you can bring the wheelbarrow down a winding path in mountainous fields, take your rattan or similar basket, load your harvest, and then dump it on the wheelbarrow. You might load 4, 6, 8 or 10 such baskets before moving the wheelbarrow. The above assumptions are based on my own observations observing actual agricultural work in remoter parts of China and Southeast Asia over the last 20 years. Strangely, this whole discussion reminds me of the outrageously expensive industry of modern baby strollers, but also the modern stand-on electric monowheel style scooters, which could be said to be essentially a powered version of the simplistic form of the Chinese wheelbarrow.