The bearings on my 6-year old wheelbarrow broke. You can’t replace them. You can’t buy a replacement wheel with the same size axle.
A South African guy named Geoff told me about buying a replacement wheel, then taking it to this guy who fabricated an axle to make it work on his wheelbarrow. So I went to buy the wheel, then after some discussion with the muchacho at the ferreteria (hardware store), decided it might be prudent to discuss it with Mr. Fixit, Luis, before purchasing it.
Luis said he could make a solution out of plastic that would solve the problem for a long time. Come back at the end of the day. So I did, to find custom-fabricated plastic bearings (they would be a T in cross-section, with perfectly fitting rubber grommets.
“Put a little grease on it when you put it back together,” he said, “and you’ll have no problem.”
And the cost? 200 pesos, around $7 US.
Where does he live?
He’s in Solymar. Right from Giannattasio on Pérez Butler (where ANCAP is on the left), first right before the church, two blocks go left. His shop is on the left, next to an A-frame opposite the pallet factory. You could get there more directly form the IB.