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how it's this better than two wheeled cart, which is much more stable? this has benefit only on very narrow paths somewhere in mountains/forest, but otherwise c

how it's this better than two wheeled cart, which is much more stable? this has benefit only on very narrow paths somewhere in mountains/forest, but otherwise carts are superior, you don't need to balance them, so I can see why this never took off outside China since there is obviously better solution to this problem

sonnyblarney 8y ago
There is no comparison between the 'Western' and 'Eastern' variants. The article is in a way very misleading. 'Wheelbarrow' in 'The West' is generally a local tool, used to move things like dirt and what not 50 feet to somewhere else. What the Chinese have there is a '1 wheeled cart' for transportation, which in the west would have '2 wheels' or even '4 wheels'. And yes, one would be right to question why on earthy they wouldn't add another wheel or two. Maybe resources?
- oftenwrong 8y ago
  The article says: "Compared to a two-wheeled cart or a four-wheeled wagon, a wheelbarrow was much cheaper to build because wheel construction was a labour-intensive job."
- chimpunk 8y ago
  According to Richard Bulliet's History of the World lectures (available online), four-wheeled wagons are globally less common than wheelbarrows or two-wheeled carts because: (a) extra wheels add considerable weight and friction (b) wagons have a larger turn radius (See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon_wheel_(transportation)#Terminology_and_design https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon_wheel_(transportation)#T...) TFA answers the question "why a wheelbarrow and not a two-wheeled cart": "Compared to a two-wheeled cart or a four-wheeled wagon, a wheelbarrow was much cheaper to build because wheel construction was a labour-intensive job. Although the wheelbarrow required a road, a very narrow path (about as wide as the wheel) sufficed, and it could be bumpy."
- CydeWeys 8y ago
  It's true that the eastern and western wheelbarrows were different, but the Chinese also used "western"-style wheelbarrows for moving bulk materials short distances on construction sites, whereas we had no equivalent of their wheelbarrow for longer distance travel. Sounds like they won there. As for adding more wheels, why? You're just adding more weight. Keep in mind that these need to be pushable by a single person. A single large wheel is the best design for handling rough terrain and optimizing maneuverability, while still being pushable by one person. By the time you've added multiple wheels you're talking about a larger type of vehicle that needs better roads and draft animals to pull it.
upofadown 8y ago
Narrower paths are significantly cheaper to build and maintain. The article has some images of the narrow paths used. A single track vehicle is more usable on bad roads of any width. Such vehicles only need to dodge the potholes and dropoffs that would cause extra energy use and might be entirely impassible to a multi-track vehicle. This sort of effect is seen with bicycles in urban areas. A single narrow broken kerb can create a new bicycle route where there was none before. This superiority of single track vehicles is sometimes used intentionally as a filter to allow the passage of bicycles and prevent the passage of cars. In my city there are raised medians on some bicycle routes with a pair of narrow cuts (for 2 way bike traffic) to allow the passage of the intended traffic across a road without creating another route usable by cars and trucks.
- Markoff 8y ago
  yeah but allows less load because it's more difficult to keep balance than with two wheels cart
  - glenneroo 8y ago
    Maybe initially, but like any skill, practice makes perfect. Considering the distances traveled and loads carried (up to 6 people!), I would guess the average Chinese wheelbarrower learns rather quickly how to not drop goods/people. It would be interesting to know how often accidents happen with the Chinese vs the European versions though. My experience says that European/US wheelbarrows are just as, if not more easily tipped when fully loaded. I've seen it happen often enough and I've had it happen to me. Regarding maximum load, the article states: > In other words, when the load is 100 kg, the operator of a European wheelbarrow carries a load of 50 kg while the operator of a Chinese wheelbarrow carries nothing. He (or she) only has to push or pull, and steer.
    - Markoff 8y ago
      except i was talking about two wheeled cart, not European wheelbarrow regarding load and one wheeled will be never as stable as two wheeled no matter what are your skills, you need to balance it in all directions while two wheeled need to be balanced only in two directions

sonnyblarney 8y ago

There is no comparison between the 'Western' and 'Eastern' variants. The article is in a way very misleading. 'Wheelbarrow' in 'The West' is generally a local tool, used to move things like dirt and what not 50 feet to somewhere else. What the Chinese have there is a '1 wheeled cart' for transportation, which in the west would have '2 wheels' or even '4 wheels'. And yes, one would be right to question why on earthy they wouldn't add another wheel or two. Maybe resources?

oftenwrong 8y ago
The article says: "Compared to a two-wheeled cart or a four-wheeled wagon, a wheelbarrow was much cheaper to build because wheel construction was a labour-intensive job."
chimpunk 8y ago
According to Richard Bulliet's History of the World lectures (available online), four-wheeled wagons are globally less common than wheelbarrows or two-wheeled carts because: (a) extra wheels add considerable weight and friction (b) wagons have a larger turn radius (See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon_wheel_(transportation)#Terminology_and_design https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon_wheel_(transportation)#T...) TFA answers the question "why a wheelbarrow and not a two-wheeled cart": "Compared to a two-wheeled cart or a four-wheeled wagon, a wheelbarrow was much cheaper to build because wheel construction was a labour-intensive job. Although the wheelbarrow required a road, a very narrow path (about as wide as the wheel) sufficed, and it could be bumpy."
CydeWeys 8y ago
It's true that the eastern and western wheelbarrows were different, but the Chinese also used "western"-style wheelbarrows for moving bulk materials short distances on construction sites, whereas we had no equivalent of their wheelbarrow for longer distance travel. Sounds like they won there. As for adding more wheels, why? You're just adding more weight. Keep in mind that these need to be pushable by a single person. A single large wheel is the best design for handling rough terrain and optimizing maneuverability, while still being pushable by one person. By the time you've added multiple wheels you're talking about a larger type of vehicle that needs better roads and draft animals to pull it.

upofadown 8y ago

Narrower paths are significantly cheaper to build and maintain. The article has some images of the narrow paths used. A single track vehicle is more usable on bad roads of any width. Such vehicles only need to dodge the potholes and dropoffs that would cause extra energy use and might be entirely impassible to a multi-track vehicle. This sort of effect is seen with bicycles in urban areas. A single narrow broken kerb can create a new bicycle route where there was none before. This superiority of single track vehicles is sometimes used intentionally as a filter to allow the passage of bicycles and prevent the passage of cars. In my city there are raised medians on some bicycle routes with a pair of narrow cuts (for 2 way bike traffic) to allow the passage of the intended traffic across a road without creating another route usable by cars and trucks.

Markoff 8y ago
yeah but allows less load because it's more difficult to keep balance than with two wheels cart
- glenneroo 8y ago
  Maybe initially, but like any skill, practice makes perfect. Considering the distances traveled and loads carried (up to 6 people!), I would guess the average Chinese wheelbarrower learns rather quickly how to not drop goods/people. It would be interesting to know how often accidents happen with the Chinese vs the European versions though. My experience says that European/US wheelbarrows are just as, if not more easily tipped when fully loaded. I've seen it happen often enough and I've had it happen to me. Regarding maximum load, the article states: > In other words, when the load is 100 kg, the operator of a European wheelbarrow carries a load of 50 kg while the operator of a Chinese wheelbarrow carries nothing. He (or she) only has to push or pull, and steer.
  - Markoff 8y ago
    except i was talking about two wheeled cart, not European wheelbarrow regarding load and one wheeled will be never as stable as two wheeled no matter what are your skills, you need to balance it in all directions while two wheeled need to be balanced only in two directions