Our old wheelbarrow just went to the big yard center in the sky.
So, what to get now?
Let's say that you wanted to spend about $120. Do you buy the two-wheel wheelbarrow from Ace or the one-wheel wheelbarrow for Lowe's? The kicker: The one from Lowe's has a flat-free tire.
Either way I'd spring for the one with the steel tub and not the plastic one. (Which I didn't realize until I jabbed my shovel into the dirt and broke my stupid plastic wheelbarrow).
Do you ever need to side tip like the Lowe's one can? If not, I'd opt for the stability of the 2 wheel version.
2 wheels is good for stability with heavy loads, but with 1 wheel you only have to have 1 piece of wood to make an effective ramp for getting over obstacles :)
I've been running a flat-free tire on my ancient and battered wheelbarrow for about 5 years now. I'm sold on the idea - no discovering a flat when you want to use it. The tire makes a soft creaking sound when loaded, but other than that, it's just a tire.
Two wheel all the way. If and when the tires wear out or get destroyed, replace with flat free.
I switched my business to "two wheels" a few years back and I'm never going back to one wheel. The wife loves it compared to the older one wheel technology. She can handle it so much better.
Some of mine are plastic, some steel tubs. I haven't had an issue with plastic, have mixed hundreds of bags of concrete in mine. Obviously you can't throw big chucks of broken concrete into a plastic one.
I have "two" wheel-barrows, and I've switched them both to flat-free tires and I'll never go back. I need to do the same to my hand dolly.
As mentioned above, I like the stability of the "two-wheeled" barrows, but like the side-tipping ability of the one-wheel.
I really like my single flat-free tire, but it was orange
I like things that last and just work, so I'd get the flat free tire. The Kobalt option also has steel handles, compared to wooden handles on the Ace product.
I had to excavate under my cabin to install forced air heat ducts and insulate the floor joists. Half of it was sitting 8" high on 1 concrete block and the other half sloped down the hill to a 2.5' opening sitting on 3 concrete piers. I started with a child's wagon with side boards and worked my way towards the shallow end using a tile spade to dig in the concrete like dirt until I had enough room to use a wheelbarrow that I attached a 3/4" threaded rod to the back skids and slid 2 more tires onto (three wheels before they invented the double front tire ones). It worked great and my young sons must have removed several dump trucks worth of dirt out of there.
Eventually, the tires all rotted and went flat. I installed innertubes but they didn't last one year so I converted it back to a 1 wheeled barrow. Snow will build up onto a non-air tire and I would never own one. 
FWIW, our neighbor has the two-wheel Ace model and loves it. Plus, free delivery. :)
We don't do a lot of side dumping. The flat-free option is attractive, though.
But, yeah, it's a debate for the ages.
Why back when I was young, wheelbarrows didn't cost $120.
In reply to Stampie :
Sames.
David S. Wallens said:FWIW, our neighbor has the two-wheel Ace model and loves it.
How often do you need one? Borrow neighbors?
My pneumatic one stb I bought a solid one.
1 wheel because I drive a stick and stand when I pee.
If the terrain is flat, double wheels are nice. In Colorado it seems like even in the plains the drainage requires you to side hill too often to make one work well.
I like metal handles and flat free also!
I'm so old, the one I grew up with had a guaranteed flat free spoked steel wheel...
I also just did a fairly major backyard job that would have been impossible with a two wheeled one due to narrow, limited access.
preach (dudeist priest) said:My pneumatic one stb I bought a solid one.
1 wheel because I drive a stick and stand when I pee.
Thank you, sir! I was gonna say that no proper wheelbarrow has two wheels. Glorified garden cart, maybe. Wheelbarrow=One Wheel. Otherwise, they'd be called Wheelsbarrows.
Streetwiseguy said:
I also just did a fairly major backyard job that would have been impossible with a two wheeled one due to narrow, limited access.
I've heard this before and I don't get it. If I can fit the barrow part through, I can fit the wheels through. If I can throw a plank down to get into or out of a hole/truck bed, I can throw a second down.
I know I've refilled enough one wheel wheelbarrows that decided to spill everywhere, even when parked, that I'll stick to my two wheeled options.
Okay, it's more than $120, but after years of limping a wooden-handled, strap-axle-locator-ed wheelbarrow along, I can't tell you how nice this one is to use. Yes, I checked that it's available where you are (-ish; I guessed at Ormond Beach, but at least I know it's not a pacific northwest thing). I'd never have thought that the joy of using a good tool could extend to wheelbarrows.
I'm convinced a two-wheel wheelbarrow would be inconvenient too much of the time on uneven ground, and I think the cush of pneumatics helps when the ground isn't super-smooth (and better flotation when it's soft).
1988RedT2 said:preach (dudeist priest) said:My pneumatic one stb I bought a solid one.
1 wheel because I drive a stick and stand when I pee.
Thank you, sir! I was gonna say that no proper wheelbarrow has two wheels. Glorified garden cart, maybe. Wheelbarrow=One Wheel. Otherwise, they'd be called Wheelsbarrows.
It's not a "wheelsbarrow"...
In reply to Jesse Ransom :
That one does look deluxe. Not sure I'd get that much out of it. Mainly this is for moving mulch around the yard. If we had a farm, yeah, that makes sense. It does look nice, though...
If you were carting around loads of concrete I'd say go for the two wheel version, but wheelbarrow full of mulch isn't that heavy so a single wheel version shouldn't be an issue.
And our previous wheelbarrow.
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