The Story of Clyde...

The Clyde wheelbarrow stand is a product born out of frustration, due in no small part by my continual moving of the family wheelbarrow around the shed. Wherever it was put, someone would move it because it was in their way which only caused a problem for the next person.

Solution??

Throw the wheelbarrow outside ‘out of sight out of mind’. The only problem with this was after 6 months of lawn clippings mixed with rain and the leaves to camouflage it had pretty much destroyed my modest investment in the wheelbarrow.

After purchasing a new wheelbarrow and not seeing any storage solutions on the market I applied good old kiwi ingenuity. With some recycled wood and an old oil filter clamp, I proceeded to fashion the CLYDE ‘Mark I’. There is little resemblance to today's version however the functionality is unchanged. In fact I still use the original ‘mark 1’ in my own garage today.

Over the next couple of years many people commented on my invention, which we all laughed about and paid lip service to. After a while I thought there must be something in this and decided to develop it further into the Clyde ‘Mark II’. I decided to take it to the next step and approached a product developer with my idea.

After considerable discussions, testing and alterations the ‘Mark III’ was finally commissioned for prototype. Extensive research and trials were undertaken to ensure the product we designed fitted all types of wheelbarrows and was easy and safe to use.

The ergonomics of mounting an actual wheelbarrow was thoroughly examined to ensure no loading was placed on the person using this device.

While development continued the patent progressed through to the final phase, at which stage I filed a final specification. Examinations were completed and subsequently approved. It is now in its 3-month disclosure period.

Once the patent was accepted we started planing the launch. Initially we decided on September (Fathers Day) however this was reviewed when an opportunity to exhibit at the 2006 Fieldays came about.

What next?? Direct sales will be our initial focus, at trade shows and via our website. Initial investigations into selling through retailers have started. And of course we have plans to develop similar types of products and expand into the export market.