The Loadrunner kit is designed to fit wheelbarrows with square profile straight handles and fits the majority of those on the market without issue, or at most by drilling a new hole. Wheelbarrows with bent steel tube frame handles are generally not compatible with the kit unless you do more substantial modifications.
One of the best things about the Grin LoadRunner Electric Wheelbarrow Conversion Kit is that you don't need to buy a purpose-built electric wheelbarrow. Instead, the LoadRunner is designed to convert many conventional wheelbarrows into powerful electric hauling machines.
This is a huge benefit because wheelbarrows break when used heavily (For example, wheelbarrow use in the construction or landscaping industries).
If your wheelbarrow cracks and gets worn out, you will want to put your electric motor on a new wheelbarrow. Grin kits make it easy to move your electric motor over to a new wheelbarrow. Grin kits have a 3 year warranty and will outlast many wheelbarrows!
What kind of wheelbarrow should you convert to a Grin Electric Wheelbarrow?
The short answer is: look for a conventional wheelbarrow with two straight, square-profile handles. The handles can be either wood or metal.
Grin designed the LoadRunner to fit the majority of traditional straight-handled wheelbarrows on the market. On the wheelbarrows we've tested, the motor mounting bracket is a direct drop-in fit roughly 80% of the time. On some other models, installation may simply require drilling an additional mounting hole. Watch this installation video for the full installation:
The Most Important Thing: Look at the Handles
When determining whether a wheelbarrow can be converted, don't worry too much about whether it has a plastic or steel tray. Start by looking at the handles and frame.
The ideal wheelbarrow has:
- Two separate, straight handles
- Square or rectangular-profile handle rails
- A conventional single wheel mounted between the handles
- Enough open space underneath the tray for the LoadRunner components (This is the case for most wheelbarrows.)
The handles themselves can be wooden or metal. The LoadRunner's throttle mounts are designed so that they can be screwed into either wood or metal handles.
What you want to avoid are wheelbarrows built around a curved or bent tubular-steel frame. These wheelbarrows are not compatible without more substantial modifications.
So, if you're standing in the wheelbarrow aisle at your local hardware store, take a look underneath the tray. If you see two traditional straight handle rails running from the grips toward the front wheel, you're probably looking at the right style of wheelbarrow.
Here's an example of a straight handled wheelbarrow:
Wooden Handles or Metal Handles? Both Work.
There's no need to specifically seek out a wooden-handled wheelbarrow.
LoadRunner can be installed on straight handled wheelbarrows with either wooden or metal handles. What matters much more is that the handles have the traditional straight, square-profile design rather than being part of a curved tubular frame.
Wooden handles are extremely common and make for a straightforward conversion. Metal handles can be a great option too, particularly on contractor-grade wheelbarrows designed for heavier-duty use.
Steel Handle Bars are OK!
Steel handles are great as they are not prone to degrading over time the same way as wooden handles and provide a great bonding surface for the cable raceways. We include self drilling metal screws to simplify the installation of the throttle mounts so that you don't need to use a separate drill for making the hole.
You can see an installation on steel handles in our installation video!
Plastic Tray or Steel Tray?
Either can work.
The LoadRunner conversion is mounted to the wheelbarrow's frame and handle structure, so the bucket or tray itself does not need to be made from a particular material. Compatible wheelbarrows are available with both plastic trays and steel trays.
That said, we generally like plastic trays for a lot of LoadRunner applications.
Plastic trays don't rust and are a popular choice for landscaping, gardening, property maintenance and general hauling. If you're buying a new wheelbarrow specifically to convert, a sturdy contractor-grade poly wheelbarrow with straight square handles is a great place to start.
For construction sites, rock, gravel and other demanding applications, a heavy-duty steel-tray wheelbarrow can also make an excellent LoadRunner platform.
Choose a Wheelbarrow That Matches the Loads You Want to Carry
This is an important point.
The LoadRunner motor is extremely capable. Grin has demonstrated the drive hauling loads in the 300–400 lb range, and the GW1 drive can produce up to 160 Nm of peak torque.
However, adding a LoadRunner does not increase the structural load rating of the wheelbarrow itself.
If your wheelbarrow manufacturer rates the wheelbarrow for 190 lb, for example, you should continue following that manufacturer's load rating after converting it.
If your goal is moving heavier construction materials, soil, gravel or other dense loads, start with a heavier-duty wheelbarrow designed for those loads.
How Do I Install The Motor?
The installation itself is relatively simple. Grin's LoadRunner installation demonstration uses a conventional straight-handled wheelbarrow, and a typical installation takes under 15 minutes using ordinary tools such as a wrench and drill.
The original wheel is removed, the LoadRunner motor and mounting bracket take its place, the electronics plate mounts underneath the tray between the handles and legs, and the throttle controls are installed at the handles.
Check out this video for the full installation tutorial:
Need Full Product Specs?
We've got full product specs available on our Wheelbarrow Motor Dimensional Diagram here. In that diagram you can see all of the dimensions for the motor and bracket.
You can also see more files on the specifications of the motor on each product page.
Our Quick Wheelbarrow Compatibility Checklist
Before buying a wheelbarrow for your LoadRunner, look for:
✓ Straight handles
The handles should run in a conventional straight line along the bottom of the wheelbarrow.
✓ Square or rectangular handle profile
This is the traditional wheelbarrow construction the LoadRunner was designed around.
✓ Wood or metal is fine
Both handle materials can work with the LoadRunner.
✓ Conventional wheel mounting
The LoadRunner motor comes pre-installed in mounting brackets designed to replace the original wheel assembly. The motor comes pre-mounted in metal brackets with mounting slots 60mm apart that should align with the existing 1/4" or 5/16" bolt holes of your original wheel bracket. It's a drop-in fit for about 80% of the wheelbarrows we've tested, while some may require drilling an additional hole at the correct spacing.
✓ Choose an appropriate tray
Plastic/poly is a great general-purpose choice, while steel can be useful for especially demanding applications.
✗ Avoid bent tubular frames
Wheelbarrows constructed around a continuous curved or bent steel tube frame generally require much more modification and aren't the style we recommend for an easy LoadRunner conversion.
Already Own a Wheelbarrow? There's a Good Chance You Can Use It
You may not need to buy anything.
If you already have a traditional wheelbarrow sitting in your garage, shed, landscaping trailer or workshop, take a look at the handles.
If they're two separate, straight square-profile rails, there's a good chance you've already got a solid LoadRunner candidate. Grin designed the system specifically to make conversions straightforward and transferable between wheelbarrows.
Not Sure if Yours Will Fit? Send Us a Picture.
Still not sure?
Send the Grin team a photo of your wheelbarrow—particularly the handles, front wheel mounting area and underside of the tray—and we can help determine whether it's a good candidate for a LoadRunner conversion.
The good news is that you don't need a special wheelbarrow.
Straight handles. Square profile. Wood or metal. Plastic or steel tray.
That's the basic recipe.
Then bolt on the LoadRunner and turn an ordinary wheelbarrow into a powered hauling machine.
