GB2096547A - Manually operable load-carrying vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The vehicle, such as a wheelbarrow, comprises a hollow synthetic plastics ground wheel 1 of openable construction which is large relative to the size of the whole vehicle and to an operator 2 thereof. The interior of the hollow wheel 1 has a hopper 4, arranged to carry a load 9, fixedly or turnably suspended from a non-rotary axle 3 of the wheel 1 and a pair of shafts 5 connected to the axle 3 can be held by the operator 2. The wheel 1 may have the shape of a thick equatorial slice or may be spherical. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Manually operable load-carrying vehicles This invention relates to manually operable load carrying vehicles and particularly, but not exclusively, to such vehicles of the kind which are known traditionally as wheelbarrows.

Extensive theoretical and experimental work has shown that, to be as cost-effective as possible in terms of the energy employed in operation and the capital outlay for a typical wheelbarrow, that barrow should be designed so that, when pushing it forwardly over substantially horizontal ground, the thrust/push should be applied horizontally or upwardly at an inclination of no more than a very few degrees to the horizontal with a view to avoiding any tendency for the wheel of the barrow to exhibit a "ploughing" effect which effect is, of course, wasteful of energy. The diameter of the wheel of the barrow should be large in relation to the overall size of the barrow since a large wheel will move over rough or soft ground relatively easily and can be caused by its operator to mount steps, kerbs and the like without difficulty thus faciliating ease of use by the operator.When the barrow is carrying a load, the centre of gravity of the barrow plus that load should be contained in, or be as close as possible to, a vertical plane which contains the axis of rotation of the barrow wheel. This ensures as near perfect balance as possible for the barrow with all, or nearly all, of the load supported from the ground surface by the wheel thus relieving the operator of all, or almost all, of the load-supporting function so that his/her energy can be devoted substantially entirely to propelling the barrow. The centre of gravity of the wheelbarrow alone, i.e. when carrying no load, should be as far as possible below the level of the axis of rotation of the wheel since this facilitates the stability of the barrow and also the manoeuvrability thereof.The frictional drag which is attributable to rotation of the wheel should be as low as possible, this being ensured by the provision of appropriate bearings and the maintenance of those bearings in a fully lubricated condition. It is desirable, although not essential for some purposes, that the wheelbarrow should be capable of negotiating doorways of the normal width of substantially 737 millimetres. In order to render the wheelbarrow relatively low in original cost and as maintenance-free as possible, it should be formed from the minimum possible number of robust and long-lasting components. In this connection, the load-carrying hopper or container of the barrow should be capable of being thoroughly cleaned easily.For example, there should be no protruding rivet or bolt heads or the like so that material such as manure can be hosed out of the hopper or container without leaving adhering residues. It should be possible for the barrow to be loaded and unloaded with an optimum expenditure of human effort and the whole barrow should be sufficiently robust to ensure that it wilt not easily be irreparably harmed by the sort of abuse or misuse to which wheelbarrows are frequently exposed, for example, the mixing of mortar or concrete in the hopper or container of the barrow or it being left idle for a long period whilst fully exposed to inclement weather conditions or to some specific aggressive industrial environment.

Unfortunately, none of the wheelbarrows that are commercially available have all, or even most, of the desirable features that have been discussed above and it is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome, or at least very significantly to mitigate, disadvantages of known wheelbarrows and other manually operable load-carrying vehicles by providing a manually operable load-carrying vehicle which comprises at least one ground wheel whose diameter is large relative to the overall size of the vehicle and comparable with the stature of any operator thereof, said wheel being of an openable hollow formation and enclosing a load-carrying hopper or container which is suspended internally of the wheel from means that defines the intended axis of rotation of the latter, the vehicle also comprising propulsion means arranged to be held by an operator of the vehicle for pushing or pulling the same over the aground.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional side elevation of a manually operable load-carrying vehicle in accordance with the invention in the form of a wheelbarrow, Figure2 is a diagrammatic and sectional plan view of the wheelbarrow of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a similar view to that of Figure 1 but illustrates an alternative embodiment of a vehicle in accordance with the invention, Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the vehicle of Figure 3, and Figures 5a, 5b and 5c are diagrammatic sectional side elevations illustrating three successive stages during the discharge of material from the hopper or container of a wheelbarrow constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, the illustrated wheelbarrow comprises a single ground wheel 1 having a diameter of substantially 1500 millimetres which, as can be seen in Figure 1 of the drawings, is large relative to the overall size of the wheelbarrow and that of a typical operator 2 who is shown in "matchstick" cutline at the left-hand side of Figure 1. It can be seen in Figure 2 of the drawings that the wheel 1 has the configuration of a thick equatorial slice, the actual thickness in the example that is diagrammatically illustrated being substantially 680 millimetres. The wheel 1 is of hollow formation and comprises two semicircular (in side elevation) halves which remain fixed together by spring clips when the wheelbarrow is in use.

Neither the two halves of the wheel 1 nor the spring clips are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. One of the two halves is rotatable about a central axle 3 and will normally remain connected to that axle 3 even when the co-operating half is detached therefrom to obtain access to the hollow interior of the whole wheel 1. It is preferred that the two halves of the wheel 1 should be moulded or otherwise formed from a material which is wholly or principally a synthetic plastics material. A glass fibre reinforced plastics material may advantageously be employed but the material which is chosen for the wheel 1 may be varied having regard to the particular use for which the wheelbarrow is intended.The chosen material is preferably opaque and is preferably given some colour other than white, the only reason for avoiding a white coloration being that white articles soon become dirty and this detracts from their appearance and thus their saleability.

The axle 3 may conveniently be a steel tube having a diameter of 22 millimetres and is provided, adjacent its opposite ends, with corresponding ball bearings which allow the wheel 1 to rotate as freely as possible around the axle. The ball bearings (not shown in the drawings) are preferably of the permanently lubricated type requiring no periodic lubrication or other maintenance. It is possible, as an alternative, to avoid the need for periodic bearing lubrication by providing the wheel 1 with a nylon hub and co-operating nylon or other synthetic plastics bearings.

The axle 3 defines the intended axis of rotation of the wheel 1 and has a hopper or container 4 rigidly suspended therefrom internally of the wheel 1. The hopper or container 4 of the example that is being described has a maximum capacity of substantially 0.4 cubic metres and is moulded or otherwise formed as a single seamless unit from a synthetic plastics material which may conveniently be the same material as that of the surrounding wheel 1.

Once again, however, the material from which the hopper or container 4 is formed is not of great importance and may be varied having regard to the particular use for which the wheelbarrow is principally required. It will be seen from Figure 2 of the drawings that the hopper or container 4 is shaped to match the internal configuration of the wheel 1 and, in the example that is being described, it has a maximum width in a direction parallel to the axle 3 of substantially 650 millimetres.

The opposite ends of the axle 3 are rigidly con nected, outside the wheel 1, to propulsion means in the form of corresponding shafts 5. The shafts 5 are preferably formed, like the axle 3, from steel tube having a diameter of 22 millimetres and it will be seen in Figure 2 of the drawings that the parallel shafts 5 are perpendicularly interconnected, at a location spaced only a short distance from the wheel 1, by a cross member 6 to give the propulsion means adequate rigidity. The cross member 6 may be of similar formation to the two shafts 5. The free ends of the two shafts 5 are provided with corresponding hand grips (not shown), the hand grips being substantially 40 millimetres in thickness and being formed from a thermally insulating synthetic plastics material.The illustrated wheelbarrow has an overall width of substantially 730 millimetres and a length in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the axle 3 of substantially 1950 millimetres, assuming that the barrow is standing on horizontal ground with the shafts 5 substantially horizontally disposed.

The distance from the axle 3 to the free end of one of the shafts 5 is substantially 1200 millimetres.

Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings illustrate an alternative manually operable load-carrying vehicle in accordance with the invention which vehicle is again in the form of a wheelbarrow, this embodiment being intended more particularly, but not exclusively, for general domestic use and having a smaller capacity hopper or container 7 but somewhat enhanced manoeuvrability as compared with the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2. Parts of the wheelbarrow of Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings that are similar, or identical, to parts that have already been described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings are indicated in Figures 3 and 4 by the same references as are employed in Figures 1 and 2.

The principal difference in construction is that the wheelbarrow of Figures 3 and 4 has a hollow spherical wheel 8 whose diameter is substantially 680 millimetres so that it is again large in size relative to the overall size of the wheelbarrow and comparable with the stature of the typical operator 2.

The diameter of the spherical wheel 8 is chosen to enable the distance between the two shafts 5 again to be substantially 730 millimetres so that the barrow can negotiate a standard width doorway.

However, the wheel 8 could be larger if passage through doorways is not considered to be necessary and the shafts 5 could be shaped, towards their free ends, to prevent those ends from being too far apart when an increased size of the wheel 8 is provided.

Once again, the wheel 8 is formed in two halves, which are substantially hemispherical in this case, and it is preferred that they should be releasabiy securable to one another by co-operating screwthreads, at least one clip (not shown) being furnished to lock the two halves together and thus prevent accidental unscrewing when the barrow is in use. As in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, one of the two halves of the wheel 8 normally remains rotatably connected to the axle 3 via the bearings at, or adjacent to, the opposite ends of that axle whilst the other half of the wheel 8 can be unscrewed to facilitate easy access to the hollow interior of the wheel.

The hopper or container 7 is of substantially hemispherical configuration and is shaped to fit internally of the wheel 8 with adequate clearance, the diameter of the hemispherical hopper or container 7 being substantially 650 millimetres in the embodiment which is being described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. It is noted that, for any chosen load capacity, a minimum quantity of material for the construction of the wheelbarrow is arrived at by using a hemispherical construction for the hopper or container and a corresponding spherical construction for the wheel 8 with a self-evident reduction in weight and economy of material. In this embodiment, the ends of the two shafts 5 which are closest to the wheel 8 are inclined downwardly (see Figure 3) for connection to the opposite ends of the axle 3 to ensure that the operator 2 will still be able readily to apply thrust to the shafts 5 in a horizontal or substantially horizontal direction.

Figure 5 of the drawings illustrates three stages in the discharge of material from the hopper or container 4 or 7. The hopper or container 4 or 7 is shown holding a load of dry particulate material such as, purely for example, gravel 9. When the gravel 9 is to be unloaded onto flat horizontal ground, the free ends of the two shafts 5 are turned downwardly about the axis defined by the axle 3 until they rest on the ground surface as shown in Figure 5a ensuring that the removable half of the complete wheel 1 or 8 is then uppermost and thus out of contact with the ground. Said half of the wheel 1 or 8 is then unclipped or unscrewed and temporarily removed leaving only that half which is normally permanently rotatable about the axle 3, said remaining half being indicated by the reference la or 8a in Figures Sb and Sc of the drawings.A wedge 10 that facilitates loading and unloading is normally, when not in use, clipped to the cross member 6 of the propulsion means and, after removing the releasable half of the wheel 1 or 8, the remaining half la or 8a is pushed forwards (using the shafts 5) into substantially the position thereof that is shown in Figures Sb, inserting the wedge 10 between the ground surface and the curved exterior surface of the half wheel la or 8a so as to maintain the position of that half wheel which is shown in Figure Sb. Obviously, the "wedged" position of the half wheel la or 8a must be chosen correctly relative to the unloading site for the gravel 9 or other material and, assuming this has been done, all that is necessary to unload most of the gravel 9 is to turn the shafts 5 upwardly in the direction indicated by arrows in Figures 5b and Sc about the axis defined by the axle 3 whereupon the gravel 9 will pour out of the similarly tilted hopper or container 4 or 7 under the action of gravity as shown in Figure 5c. It will be appreciated that lateral tipping at this time is prevented by the grip of the operator 2 upon the shafts 5 and that, when the barrow is disposed as shown in Figure 5a, lateral tipping is prevented by the fact that the free ends of the two shafts 5 and the location of the contact of the wheel 1 or 8 with the ground surface are disposed at three points which are at the corners of an isosceles triangle as seen in plan view.It may, of course, be necessary to complete emptying of the hopper or container 4 or 7 by hand or by the use of an appropriately shaped tool such as a specifically constructed shovel having a curvature matching that of the hopper or container 4 or 7. It is possible to incorporate a rack or pannier above the axis of rotation of the wheel 1 or 8, thus positioning said rack or pannier in an otherwise empty void.

Although this is advantageous from the point of view of the rack or pannier and any tools, such as specifically shaped shovels and the like, that may be contained in said rack or pannier, it will be appreci atedthatthe provision of such a rack or pannier and of anything which it might contain will raise the level of the centre of gravity of the empty wheelbarrow, as compared with a construction in which rack or pannier and any contents is absent, and will thus reduce the lateral stability of the wheelbarrow.

Nevertheless, an acceptable compromise can be established by employing a lightweight rack or pannier and a lightweight tool or tools so that the lateral stability of the wheelbarrow is reduced to only a small extent.

A single-wheeled vehicle in accordance with the invention, such as one of the wheelbarrows that have been described, has significantly greater stability than does a wheelbarrow of conventional design and this advantage is particularly marked when use is envisaged by a partially handicapped operator.

Purely for example, it is possible for an operator having only one arm to deal adequately with one of the wheelbarrows that have been described by standing between the two shafts 5 and grasping the cross member 6 with his/her single hand. The hoppers or containers 4 and 7 have been described as normally being fixed relative to the axle 3 and, for most solid or semi-solid loads, this is the most convenient arrangement. However, it is not essential and the wheelbarrows that have been described above may be modified by making their hoppers or containers 4 or 7 releasably securable to the axle 3 and shafts 5 so that, when the fastenings are released, the hopper or container 4 or 7 concerned will be suspended turnably from the axle 3.The load carried by the barrow would then tend automatically to remain in the lowest possible position beneath the axle 3 which is clearly advantageous when upward and/or downward inclines have to be negotiated.

Rapid accelerations and retardations of any wheelbarrow or like vehicle by its operator are wasteful of the energy of that operator and, in the present case, when the hopper or container 4 or 7 is to carry a liquid load and is to be freely suspended from the axle 3 during travel, it is particularly important to avoid rapid accelerations and retardations if swinging of the hopper or container 4 or 7 about the axle 3, with consequent slopping and internal spillage of the liquid load, is to be reduced to a minimum. It is also self-evident that, with liquid loads, over-filling of the hopper or container 4 or 7 markedly increased the danger of internal spillage.

Although the wheels 1 and 8 and hoppers 4 and 7 have been described above as advantageously being formed from strong synthetic plastics materials, for example by heavy duty moulding, the synthetic plastics materials being opaque, there can be circumstances in which the use of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic plastics materials is to be preferred so that the contents of the hopper or container 4 or 7 will remain substantially completely visible to the operator 2 during the use of the wheelbarrow. The manual transportation of liquid loads, as discussed above, is an example of the circumstances in which at least some degree of visibility of the load by the operator 2 is desirable during the use of the wheelbarrow. Provided that the synthetic plastics or other material from which the wheel 1 or 8 is formed is of sufficient strength, it is not essential for it to be of a completely closed (when travelling) construction. Particularly in the case of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the substantially flat opposite sides of the wheel 1 may comprise a plurality of radially extending integrally moulded or otherwise formed spokes alternating with openings through which the load 9 will be at least intermittently, if not continuously, visible. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that spokes tend to pick up dirt, weeds and so on and that a closed construction of the wheel 1 or 8 protects the contents of the hopper or container 4 or 7, during transport, from the ingress of contaminants and from wind, rain and possibly harmful industrial environments.A closed construction substantially completely prevents any loss of the load during transport since, provided the two halves of the wheel 1 or 8 are adequately sealed together, any spillage inside the wheel from the hopper 4 or 7 is not lost and can be recovered when the wheel is opened at the delivery point.

When a wheelbarrow constructed in accordance with the invention is intended to be heavily loaded, it may be desirable to provide those parts of the wheel 1 or 8 which would otherwise make contact with the ground with an inexpensive cushioned track or tyre.

This tyre could have individual treads in the form of short lengths (for example, up to about 300 millimetres in length by about 100 millimetres in circumferential width) of pneumatically inflated tube or flexible solidified foam tube, each tube being fixed to its neighbour on the respective half of the wheel 1 or 8 and being held by tensioning stays to the centre of that half. Clearly, the tensioning stays would have to be arranged so as not to interfere with the quick releasability and re-engagement of one half of the wheel with its companion and the wheels 1 or 8 of embodiments intended to be heavily loaded would advantageously incorporate locating ridges to receive the individual tube-form threads. As an alternative, it might be possible to use worn and discarded tyres from the large wheels of agricultural and other tractors, by appropriate modification of those tyres.

Although the invention has so far been described in relation to manually operable load-carrying vehiclews which have only a single wheel, it is noted that it is, in fact, possible for a vehicle in accordance with the invention to have two or even more ground wheels. The envisaged circumstances of use of the vehicle will principally dictate its construction but, purely for example, a vehicle of this kind in accordance with the invention could have one wheel similar to one of the described wheels 1 or 8 and two much smaller stabilising wheels, the three wheels being at the three corners of an isosceles triangle as seen in plan view.Although, clearly, the amount of material that can be moved by a single operator 2 is limited, even over very smooth horizontal surfaces, it might be possible for a vehicle in accordance with the invention to comprise more than one wheel similar or identical to one of the described wheels 1 or8. Wheelbarrows are almost always pushed in front of the operator 2 but this is clearly not essential and, particularly when a vehicle in accordance with the invention is not in the form of a single-wheeled wheelbarrow, the propulsion means may equally well be arranged for the operator 2 to be foremost with substantially the whole of the vehicle pulled behind him or her.

CLAIMS (Filed 1.4.82.) 1. A manually operable load-carrying vehicle which comprises at least one ground wheel whose diameter is large relative to the overall size of the vehicle and comparable with the stature of any operator thereof, said wheel being of an openable hollow formation and enclosing a load-carrying hopper or container which is suspended internally of the wheel from means that defines the intended axis of rotation of the latter, the vehicle also comprising propulsion means arranged to be held by an operator of the vehicle for pushing or pulling the same over the ground.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each large ground wheel has the configuration of an equatorial slice.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the or each large ground wheel has an axial thickness of substantially 680 millimetres and a diameter of substantially 1500 millimetres.

4. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the or each large ground wheel comprises two substantially semicircular (in side elevation) halves which are separably fixed together.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein spring clips are employed to fix the two halves of the or each large ground wheel separably to one another.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each large ground wheel has a substantially spherical configuration.

7. Avehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the or each large ground wheel has a diameter of substantially 680 millimetres.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the or each large ground wheel comprises two substantially hemispherical halves which are separably fixed together.

9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein co-operating screw-threads are employed to fix the two halves of the or each large ground wheel separably to one another.

10. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each load carrying hopper or container matches the curvature of the interior of the large ground wheel or corresponding large ground wheel and is supended from an axle of that wheel.

11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the or each hopper or container is fixedly secured to the non-rotary axle or corresponding non-rotary axle.

12. A vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the or each hopper or container is turnably suspended on the non-rotary axle or corresponding non-rotary axle, means being provided to enable the or each container to be temporarily securable to the axle or corresponding axle when required.

13. Avehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a rack or pannier is provided internally of the large ground wheel, or internally of at least one ofthe large ground wheels, in a position over and above the intended axis of rotation of that wheel.

14. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the propulsion means comprises a pair of shafts that extend substantially parallel to one another throughout at least parts of their lengths, the shafts being constructed and arranged to be gripped manually, being connected to the means that defines

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (20)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. visible. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that spokes tend to pick up dirt, weeds and so on and that a closed construction of the wheel 1 or 8 protects the contents of the hopper or container 4 or 7, during transport, from the ingress of contaminants and from wind, rain and possibly harmful industrial environments. A closed construction substantially completely prevents any loss of the load during transport since, provided the two halves of the wheel 1 or 8 are adequately sealed together, any spillage inside the wheel from the hopper 4 or 7 is not lost and can be recovered when the wheel is opened at the delivery point. When a wheelbarrow constructed in accordance with the invention is intended to be heavily loaded, it may be desirable to provide those parts of the wheel 1 or 8 which would otherwise make contact with the ground with an inexpensive cushioned track or tyre. This tyre could have individual treads in the form of short lengths (for example, up to about 300 millimetres in length by about 100 millimetres in circumferential width) of pneumatically inflated tube or flexible solidified foam tube, each tube being fixed to its neighbour on the respective half of the wheel 1 or 8 and being held by tensioning stays to the centre of that half. Clearly, the tensioning stays would have to be arranged so as not to interfere with the quick releasability and re-engagement of one half of the wheel with its companion and the wheels

1 or 8 of embodiments intended to be heavily loaded would advantageously incorporate locating ridges to receive the individual tube-form threads. As an alternative, it might be possible to use worn and discarded tyres from the large wheels of agricultural and other tractors, by appropriate modification of those tyres.

Although the invention has so far been described in relation to manually operable load-carrying vehiclews which have only a single wheel, it is noted that it is, in fact, possible for a vehicle in accordance with the invention to have two or even more ground wheels. The envisaged circumstances of use of the vehicle will principally dictate its construction but, purely for example, a vehicle of this kind in accordance with the invention could have one wheel similar to one of the described wheels 1 or 8 and two much smaller stabilising wheels, the three wheels being at the three corners of an isosceles triangle as seen in plan view.Although, clearly, the amount of material that can be moved by a single operator 2 is limited, even over very smooth horizontal surfaces, it might be possible for a vehicle in accordance with the invention to comprise more than one wheel similar or identical to one of the described wheels 1 or8. Wheelbarrows are almost always pushed in front of the operator 2 but this is clearly not essential and, particularly when a vehicle in accordance with the invention is not in the form of a single-wheeled wheelbarrow, the propulsion means may equally well be arranged for the operator 2 to be foremost with substantially the whole of the vehicle pulled behind him or her.

CLAIMS (Filed 1.4.82.) 1. A manually operable load-carrying vehicle which comprises at least one ground wheel whose diameter is large relative to the overall size of the vehicle and comparable with the stature of any operator thereof, said wheel being of an openable hollow formation and enclosing a load-carrying hopper or container which is suspended internally of the wheel from means that defines the intended axis of rotation of the latter, the vehicle also comprising propulsion means arranged to be held by an operator of the vehicle for pushing or pulling the same over the ground.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each large ground wheel has the configuration of an equatorial slice.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the or each large ground wheel has an axial thickness of substantially 680 millimetres and a diameter of substantially 1500 millimetres.

4. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the or each large ground wheel comprises two substantially semicircular (in side elevation) halves which are separably fixed together.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein spring clips are employed to fix the two halves of the or each large ground wheel separably to one another.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each large ground wheel has a substantially spherical configuration.

7. Avehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the or each large ground wheel has a diameter of substantially 680 millimetres.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the or each large ground wheel comprises two substantially hemispherical halves which are separably fixed together.

9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein co-operating screw-threads are employed to fix the two halves of the or each large ground wheel separably to one another.

10. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each load carrying hopper or container matches the curvature of the interior of the large ground wheel or corresponding large ground wheel and is supended from an axle of that wheel.

11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the or each hopper or container is fixedly secured to the non-rotary axle or corresponding non-rotary axle.

12. A vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the or each hopper or container is turnably suspended on the non-rotary axle or corresponding non-rotary axle, means being provided to enable the or each container to be temporarily securable to the axle or corresponding axle when required.

13. Avehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a rack or pannier is provided internally of the large ground wheel, or internally of at least one ofthe large ground wheels, in a position over and above the intended axis of rotation of that wheel.

14. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the propulsion means comprises a pair of shafts that extend substantially parallel to one another throughout at least parts of their lengths, the shafts being constructed and arranged to be gripped manually, being connected to the means that defines

the axis of rotation of the or each large ground wheel, and being rigidly interconnected for strengthening purposes.

15. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14 when read as appendant to either claim 3 or claim 7, wherein the substantially parallel shafts, or substantially parallel portions thereof, are spaced apart from one another by substantially 730 millimetres.

16. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each large ground wheel thereof and the or each hopper or container is formed from a synthetic plastics material.

17. A vehicle as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least some of the synthetic plastics parts are transparent or semi-transparent.

18. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each large ground wheel is constructed and arranged to carry externally a groundengaging cushioned track ortyre.

19. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle comprises only a single large ground wheel and corresponding hopper or container and is constructed and arranged for use as a wheelbarrow.

20. A wheelbarrow substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 5 or Figures 3,4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.