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I would like to replace the wooden handles on a steel 6 cubic foot wheelbarrow. There are 4 bolts that run thru the bottom of the pan into the handles. They have bolts with slightly domed tops and secured with half inch nuts. The threads are somewhat rusty. When I try to remove the bolts the whole units just turns. The top of the bolt just spins in the hole. I’m considering super glueing the bolts in place but that just doesn’t seem right. How do I remove the bolts? If I can get them out, do I replace with more wood handles or look for fiberglass?
Hi Richard, I would apply penetrating oil to the nuts and then using a chisel clear out a small area by each bolt top. Clamp vise grips tightly to the tops of the bolts and use a “johnson bar” to increase leverage on turning the nuts. If you can’t remove the nuts that way I would remove some more wood by the head of the bolts and hacksaw them off. Once removed I would use new hardware and fiberglass handles.
Don’t know if this is still a problem, but I’ve tried to illustrate a way to remove the bolts. My suggestion is that you drill into the top of the bolts to remove the tops. Maybe by using a smaller drill to start with. … but if you are replacing the handlebars, then why not remove all of the wood to be able to get a firm grip on the bolts, and either succed with unscrewing the nuts or hacksawing the bolts(?)
