Handbarrows

I recently spotted the handbarrow seen in the attached photo on the ceiling of the store portion of the Germantown, WI Cracker Barrel.

I've never used a handbarrow (I think this is the only one I've ever seen "in the flesh"), but I understand that they predated the invention of the wheel barrow (which requires a smooth-ish track, trail or road).  John Fitchen mentions handbarrows in connection with moving materials in the scaffolding of Gothic cathedrals, which was a felicitous conjunction of events, since I had bought Fitchen's "The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals" at the downtown location of Powell's bookstore in Portland just a few days prior to seeing this example. (This book was accompanied by John Jeavon's "How to Grow More...", a book on aisled barns (nearly a coffee table book, but a bit heavy on text for that, even if the art quality black and white photos are stunning), an American Heritage magazine paper bound promotional copy of Eric Sloane's barn book, Christopher Alexander's "A Pattern Language" and another titled "The Old Way of Seeing" which is thematically similar to APL, if less detailed and rigorous; I barely dodged bringing home a copy of "The Frame Houses of Massachusetts Bay" - Powell's is dangerous!)

Having searched these forums unsuccessfully for a thread on handbarrows, I thought I'd start a post.  It surely seems like something which should have been discussed here already, but I searched to no avail.  In fact, the information available online, no matter what the quarter, is somewhat scanty.

Does anyone here have experience with a handbarrow?  Is this somewhat like a timber carrier - it allows one to share the misery?  Under what conditions was it "successfully" implemented (defined however you choose, but please explain)?  Unsuccessfully?  Some illustrations show a very flat structure; the one in the picture has substantial curvature.  Presumably this contouring would "cradle" a load better than a flatter handbarrow.  What did you haul, and was the handbarrow flat or curved?

Thanks in advance for any practical insights into the use or construction of handbarrows.

Kevin

I hadn't heard of a hand barrow before. I wondered if they were used like a travois? Or a sled? Nope. I found the following... from here.

Thanks for sharing something new to me!

Traditionally used to haul loads such as salt cod, cheese and guano.

The Middle English word barwe means handbarrow, litter or stretcher, the last two being similar in construction to the handbarrow, only with the "cargo" being a person.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handbarrow

Here are a few more images I had found of various flavors of handbarrow (also, hand barrow or hand-barrow):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handbarrow#/media/File:Alkmaar,_cheese_market-1.jpg

which shows shoulder straps to the handles.  I can imagine, like mover's straps (the "Forearm Forklift" of television advertisement fame), this would permit better mechanical advantage and less chance of back injury for very heavy loads.

An alternate approach to get a heavy load (perhaps manure for the kitchen garden) somewhat off the ground is this Edwardian handbarrow with integral legs (and side boards!):
https://a.1stdibscdn.com/edwardian-hand-barrow-by-william-woods-and-sons-for-sale/1121189/f_140649321553068080755/14064932_master.jpg


Though I can't spot  it just now, I seem to recall having seen a handbarrow on sawhorses (rather than the integrated legs) for loading.  Depending on circumstances, that could be a helpful approach as well to facilitate picking up a heavy load.

The Dutch version in the first link would permit placing the hand barrow directly on the ground, so that a heavy object could be rolled, slid or slithered onto it.  Perhaps yokes, as would be used with a pair of buckets, could reduce the misery of the shoulder straps for the porters.  Adjustable length suspension ropes, with some convenient blocking, might permit successive "picks" to get the load a bit higher off the ground to clear asperities and obstructions.

This historical photo (described as 1900-1935) shows Portuguese boys loading cork on a flat handbarrow:
https://omeka.emich.edu/files/original/7988/010_MJ_74_023_copy.jpg

(Why this photo is in a collection at Eastern Michigan University, I don't know.)

This modern wheel barrow is stylistically very similar to the handbarrow I spotted in Germantown:
https://joinerandson.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/IMG_2569-scaled.jpg



But, as I said, there is not a whole lot online regarding handbarrow use and construction.  Perhaps I should try to search for the French term in Joylynn's link...

Kevin