Help! Any experiences of the Bafang wheelbarrow motor?

chris667

Pedelecer
Apr 7, 2009
164
108
I am really pleased with my Whoosh rear hub on my eBike. Living up a very steep path as I do I would struggle to carry the bike but walk mode and a ramp by my stairs makes it easy.

I have been using a wheelbarrow to cart heavy things up and down until now, and I have seen Bafang wheelbarrow hub motors like this:


Anyone built one up?
 

matthewslack

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 26, 2021
1,631
1,207
No, but likely to be very good. The hub is in such a small diameter wheel it will have great hill climbing ability compared to the same motor in a bike wheel.

....although with shipping costs in that listing making it rather expensive I wonder if there is a UK source!
 
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chris667

Pedelecer
Apr 7, 2009
164
108
Yes. I think I'm taking a punt. I will put it off for a couple of days - if anyone has a link that will save a bit of money, I'd appreciate it!
 

matthewslack

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 26, 2021
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Grin have done the legwork, they like it, which would be good enough for me! Having watched the video, I can think of several people who could find this useful. Might have to get one myself!



...that link is filtered to videos. Didn't realise it would show just as 'Google search', which sounds a bit condescending. Not intended that way.

Did not find a UK supplier yet.
 

matthewslack

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 26, 2021
1,631
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You'd need to mount the solar panel on tall struts or it would be difficult loading the barrow. ;)
.
I'm thinking of friends in hilly parts of Wales who live on a few acres at an average gradient of 1 in 5 or so!

(And who might be a little older than me!)
 
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slowcoach

Pedelecer
Dec 11, 2020
174
115
Sounds as though it would be ideal for my brother who wheels his barrow about half a mile to his allotment. I suggested to him, if he fitted a couple of wheels to the barrow legs, he could sit in it and drive himself there.
 
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AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
1,183
517
Sounds as though it would be ideal for my brother who wheels his barrow about half a mile to his allotment. I suggested to him, if he fitted a couple of wheels to the barrow legs, he could sit in it and drive himself there.
Or invest in a pair of roller skates.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,206
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more fkn nob heads to crash in to :p
 

slowcoach

Pedelecer
Dec 11, 2020
174
115
Reminds me of the time when I was still at work. I was in a workshop running around like mad trying to keep 6 machine tools set up and running. My boss came round on one occasion and asked if there was any way I could speed up what I was doing. I told him to get me some roller skates so I could travel faster between machines. Strange thing is, he never complained again.
 
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,206
6,319
you should try working at some half assed juice factory with old crap everything with a bottle label heat machine with tracks all over for the bottles that then went to a filling machine from a milk factory then up a cleaning spray conveyer and to the box packer of doom and date time printer cos unless you ran round to fix it b4 it screwed up it would all end up on the floor.

4ppl was on night shift and 10 was on day shift yet night shift ran non stop because we ran around like sprint runners.

50697

and make sure the cap hopper dont run out on the way back and smash out the bottle that is not lined up and pissing it down the drain or it will jam it all up and have to take it all apart and make sure every cap was fully tightened cos the machine was crap :p

50698
 

chris667

Pedelecer
Apr 7, 2009
164
108
OK. I'm pulling the trigger on one of these.

I have a 48v battery on my bike, so my original plan was to use that rather than have extra batteries.

But Bafang seem to only make a 36v hub.

What would you do? There are lots of cheaper wheels that are 48v kits like this one:


Or should I think about a second battery? If weight isn't an issue, I could have lead-acid which could come out much cheaper and less faff to keep charged - I don't need a lot of range, There's just a short killer hill to get things up.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,135
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West Sx RH
One suspects as a pedelec forum , turbo wheelbarrow hubs motors don't come much in to the thinking.
 

stonker

Just Joined
May 6, 2023
1
0
OK. I'm pulling the trigger on one of these.

I have a 48v battery on my bike, so my original plan was to use that rather than have extra batteries.

But Bafang seem to only make a 36v hub.

What would you do? There are lots of cheaper wheels that are 48v kits like this one:


Or should I think about a second battery? If weight isn't an issue, I could have lead-acid which could come out much cheaper and less faff to keep charged - I don't need a lot of range, There's just a short killer hill to get things up.
I'd like an electric wheelbarrow too and have been eyeing one of these up (which is how Google brought me here). I'm thinking it should be possible to use batteries from DIY power tools (e.g. Makita, Dewalt, whatever).

* They come in 18v so a pair of them is 36v
* They are widely available
* I already use them for my other power tools
* I already have chargers for them
* I can buy holders to plug the batteries into so its not a mess.
* I can hotswap the batteries as and when I need.

If you look at Makitas electric wheelbarrow it only uses a single 18v battery at a time, I know it has slots for 2 batteries but there is a switch to switch between them. I have used one and it is ok but needs a bit more grunt. The two batteries working at once and the bafeng motor should get it done.