Best Hub Motor for Wheelbarrow (Mtn bike Trailbuilding)

[dcoy]

Hello. This is my first post here. I build trails for Mountain Biking and have been trying to source a good motorized traditional style wheelbarrow. There are several available in Europe and Asia but few good options in North America. At this point I intend on purchasing a conversion kit. There are some conversion kits I have found on Alibaba and eBay but I really don't know exactly what kind of setup would make sense. I want a good quality (obviously) brand that has good torque. Only need speeds up to 3mph. This is an example of something I found that MIGHT? be an option https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-14-5-E...v36v-300w-350w-500w-All-Terrain-/202765836533

Anyone have either an already known quantity that they can refer me to or some basic parameters I should look for (how many watts? battery type? volts? brands? etc.))

We will use this to move heavy rocks through the narrow points on the trail where two wheel barrows or tread/track won't fit/go. It would only be run for an hour or less each use typically.

 

[Feliz]

Master builder Thomas Jaszewski should be able to help you!

 

[dcoy]

And where do I find this person? Thanks

 

[OrTrek]

dcoy, locally, have you talked to Jeff at Corvallis Electric Bikes?

 

[dcoy]

No. But I'm guessing from you mentioning it that that would be a good idea. I did talk to a few other bike shops who sell electric bikes and to their resident Hub motor experts. I'm trying to get a sense of if there's some magical solution that everyone or someone already knows about and if not what kind of motor would work best for a wheelbarrow application as its a little bit distinct from the needs of a bicycle. I will reach out to Jeff

 

[harryS]

You would hope the wheel barrel guy would be smart enough to have chosen his parts properly. It has to be set up for slow speed.

Ebike controllers with throttles are looking for voltage between 1.2 and 4 Volts to operate. I tried one of my e-bikes, and turning the throttle to where the geared motor just started to move, it runs 2-3 mph. If I were to spec a motor, I'd chose one with 12:1 gearing (typical is 4:1) to reduce the speed further. I'd also use 24V for slower speed, Most important, I'd limit the throttle voltage so it couldn't go faster than 3 mph.