It’s almost as if the classic wheelbarrow has been around for decades. The best wheelbarrow can be one of the most versatile purchases you make for your garden. It features a simple metal storage area, 2 wheels and 2 grip handles. Perfect for working around the garden, it helps you carry heavy or large things such as brigs, tools, sand, grass seed, wood, etc. The versatility of the wheelbarrow remains unmatched today.
While you can always consider other machinery to help you carry heavy materials, the wheelbarrow is often simpler, easier to store, cheaper, and easier to handle. But not all wheelbarrows are the same as some come with different designs and they can be made from different materials. This article aims to look at various types of wheelbarrows, what they are best for, and compare them in detail. You’ll also find out what makes a wheelbarrow a worthy purchase at the end of this post.
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Best Frame Material
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Best Tire
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Best Steering
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3.5
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3.5
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3.5
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£129.99
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£98.47
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£99.99
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12/17/2022 12:47 am GMT
VonHaus Wheelbarrow Garden Cart
This compact wheelbarrow is made with a modern design that allows you to easily move goods around your yard. It features 2 oversized wheels so that it’s easy to move even on uneven terrain. The long handlebar helps as well. Made with a padded handlebar, this wheelbarrow offers one of the best solutions for those who need to carry objects of various weight and with a maximum size comparable to a plaster bag.
Made with a plastic tray and a durable steel frame, the wheelbarrow is a bit easier to handle than others. It stands out with its durable construction and one of the best pneumatic tire designs so that you can use it on grass, gravel, and easily on paved surfaces.
With a length of 125cm, this isn’t even the longest option on our list. If you have limited storage space, you can easily consider it yourself. Our tip is to store it vertically, especially in a garden shed where space is somewhat limited.
With a capacity of 78L, it can be used for various gardening tasks. You can consider it when creating a new garden space or when simply doing light maintenance work around your home.
- Made with pneumatic tires
- Based on a steel frame
- 78L capacity
- No puncture-proof tires
Walsall Wheelbarrows Shire Plastic Green Wheelbarrow
This UK-made wheelbarrow is one that impresses with its lightweight profile. Made with a steel frame and a propylene loading area, it maintains a lightweight profile that makes your life easier no matter how large your garden is. This plastic material is hard and it can be used for liquids as well as for hard objects such as rocks or bricks.
The 30mm tubular steel frame adds durability to the wheelbarrow. With proper support in key areas, it ensures you don’t break it when carrying heavy objects. Its plastic part is also available in various colours. Military green is the default colour. But it’s also available in pink and lilac which makes it an excellent choice for women who love gardening as well.
A large puncture-proof tire is added to the front. Made with a single wheel, it easily reaches areas that would be difficult to reach with a 2-wheel setup. At the same time, you need to learn how to balance it with its 1 wheel design. Since it comes with resistance to punctures, this wheelbarrow is one that can be considered for all surfaces around the house.
- Available in different colours
- 90L capacity
- Made with a puncture-proof tire
- Assembly is required
VonHaus 75L Garden Tipping Cart
This tipping cart is a good alternative to the traditional wheelbarrow. It can be among the most successful purchases for your garden as it stands out with its tipping design. You can easily transport grass seeds, sand or decorative rocks in its 75L plastic tub. With a cradle design, this can be one of the most interesting tipping carts you use.
Just think about the other advantages it gives you over similar wheelbarrows. For example, it comes with directional wheels that help you easily steer it around the garden. It also represents one of the leaderboard options for ease of transportation. With its oversized 10in wheels, this is the type of tipping cart that can be used for heavy lifting.
You also need to consider the garden cart with ball bearings also comes with a maximum load capacity of 250kg. This makes it a valuable choice for those who need to carry that extra weight which would otherwise prove impossible on other wheelbarrows.
- Made with directional front steering
- Backed by a 2-year warranty
- Made with a large plastic tub
- It can’t be stored vertically
Arboria Garden Wheel Barrow
This simple aluminium wheelbarrow is one of the most durable in its class. Without reinventing the classic design of a wheelbarrow, it manages to offer a complete solution for enhanced durability at a very low price. It’s our main recommendation when you’re after a tool wheelbarrow that is very affordable but still reliable.
There’s one oversized wheel on this wheelbarrow which is resistant to punctures. It comes with an 80L capacity which also makes it one of the largest in its class. This allows it to offer consistent carrying capacity.
Of course, being so affordable also means you don’t get the same luxuries you’d be offered from other options. For example, the handles aren’t padded. There are no pneumatic wheels either. It’s just a bare wheelbarrow which works.
- Made from durable metal
- Highly affordable
- Designed with an 80L capacity
- Not available in other colours
Oypla Heavy Duty Plastic Two Wheeled 70L Yard Garden Wheelbarrow
If you’re willing to spend just a bit more, you can move up to a 2-wheel setup with better handlebars. This wheelbarrow comes with dual-wheel large pneumatic tires. They are a bit better at reducing the muscle power needed to move heavy loads around. If you have to push the wheelbarrow on sand or stone, these wheels feel superior to any other 1-wheel setup.
The padded handlebar is a blessing as well. Similar in design to those used on trolleys, it offers consistent pushing power and for some, a better hand grip angle than the classic 2-handle wheelbarrow.
With a plastic tub of 70L, it isn’t the smallest wheelbarrow on our list either. It represents a top option for those who like to carry all types of garden goods. However, since it’s plastic-made, it might not be the best solution to throw rocks and bricks in. You might still carry such hard heavy items, but you’d need to lay them inside the wheelbarrow by hand.
- Made with 2 large wheels
- Designed with a padded handlebar
- Free UK delivery
- Not the thickest plastic tub
Gr8 Garden Heavy Duty Wheelbarrow
Made from durable galvanised steel, this is just the type of wheelbarrow to consider when it comes to the overall durability. With a tub that measures 80cm and a total length of 130cm, this is the longest wheelbarrow on our list. We recommend it for large items as well as for heavy items. Since it’s made out of metal, the wheelbarrow is also highly recommended for hard objects such as stones.
A fully pneumatic tyre holds the tub and helps move the wheelbarrow. This means it can dampen some shocks when pushed on uneven surfaces. You might even be interested in seeing it as a completely new wheelbarrow to replace your old one as it uses a classic design.
- Made with a large tub
- Durable galvanized steel
- 80kg weight capacity
- No padded handles
Simpaoutdoor Galvanized Wheelbarrow
If you like the previous wheelbarrow for its materials but not its size, we also recommend the smaller Simpautdoor Wheelbarrow. With a 65L capacity, it can be one of the leading solutions for enhanced practicality. Sure, it doesn’t carry as many items as others, but it’s also lighter and easier to manoeuvre. At a certain age, you might not even be looking for the largest wheelbarrow.
Suitable for collecting leaves, carrying goods, or other gardening tasks, it also comes with a free grabbler set. You can use it to collect leaves or sand and it can be a good accessory to store in case you need a helping tool to load your wheelbarrow a bit faster.
- Compact and practical
- Suitable for garden debris
- Lightweight construction
- Low 65kg weight capacity
How to choose the best wheelbarrow
Choosing a wheelbarrow isn’t rocket science. You can go with any of the options above without the fear of missing out. However, not all wheelbarrows are the same. You’ve already seen how they come with different materials, weights, and different load capacity. Even their transportation wheels seem different and it’s important to look at which of these features are most important to you and your daily tasks around the garden in the following buying guide.
Check tub capacity
The wheelbarrow’s storage area is typically called a tub. The tub holds various items or garden waste. You can choose different size tubs for your garden. Some are made to carry the largest items while others are made for light gardening work with small carrying tubs.
Which one is right for you? If you like to get involved in gardening and heavy lifting, a large wheelbarrow is right for you. But if you don’t like to carry large loads or if you simply prefer to do a bit of light gardening work with a few flowers, you might only need a small wheelbarrow tub.
The depth of the tub might also be important. If you’re unsure about the depth you need for your gardening work and garden tools, we still recommend getting a deep tub wheelbarrow such as those above to prevent your transported items from falling out.
Look at the wheelbarrow’s weight
The weight of the wheelbarrow is also important. It represents one of the most important aspects that tend to be overlooked when making a purchase. But what weight is a light wheelbarrow and what is a heavy wheelbarrow?
We consider lightweight designs wheelbarrows with a weight between 9 and 11kg. Heavy alternatives include wheelbarrows with a weight between 18 and 21kg. These are the most important figures to remember if extra weight is an issue for you. This can be a matter of personal preference. But it can certainly be a matter of health as well. Not everybody can carry large wheelbarrows plus their loads. If you’re known to have back problems, you’d be wise to choose a lightweight wheelbarrow such as one of those reviewed above.
The total weight of the wheelbarrow increase with load. This means you often need to carry even heavier loads. Of course, you don’t carry all of the load yourself as you get help from the wheels for some of this weight. But when you fill your wheelbarrow with stones, you might think otherwise.
Check its weight capacity
The weight capacity of the wheelbarrow is also important. It signals its category the best. You need to look at maximum large capacity if you want your wheelbarrow to last for years. Maximum load is calculated based on the materials chosen by the manufacturer.
If you load too much weight, you can ruin the wheelbarrow’s tub or its wheel. Heavy loads can also break polypropylene tubs easily. To avoid such situations, you are simply recommended to choose a product that comes with high weight capacity if you need to carry heavy loads.
Some of the heaviest garden items you might carry include wood, stone, bricks, and metal. As a result, you need an estimation of the types of items you plan to carry. This is what’s going to make your life easier. When you aren’t dealing with such items, the maximum load isn’t a characteristic of maximum priority for you.
Consider various wheels
Which wheels work best on your wheelbarrow? This is the question you need to answer yourself. If you lack the muscle power to balance 1 wheel setups, you might need to choose a 2-wheels alternative. Simple physics tells us the more wheels a wheelbarrow has, the easier it is on your hands to balance it. It doesn’t mean that a wheelbarrow with multiple wheels is easier to push or pull, it just means you won’t have to struggle as much to balance the tub just to keep moving. Puncture proof wheels tend to las the longest.
We’ve seen setups with different types of wheels above. 1-wheel wheelbarrows are the affordable classic option that reaches further than any other. But it also requires a lot of muscle strength. 2-wheel wheelbarrows are a bit more stable. They take much of the load off your hands. But they also can’t be reliable on some narrow path such as a 1-wheel alternative. 4-wheel wheelbarrows or carts are the best for maximum stability, heavy loads, and large loads. These are made to carry heavy objects. But they aren’t as fast or as practical as their 1-wheel alternatives.
Handles are also important
Did you have any idea people place so much emphasis on wheelbarrow handles? There are thousands of online forums discussing wheelbarrow handles and it’s an indication of just important they are. For most people, they represent a small topic. But for those using wheelbarrows frequently under heavy load, it’s crucial to find the comfortable or the ergonomic handles.
Padded handles are now a reality on wheelbarrows. This is why it can be important to look at the handles as to what they can offer when used frequently. Padding is comfortable and it puts less pressure on your hands. But it’s still rare, at least on the most affordable wheelbarrows. But some of the best wheelbarrows now come with a long handlebar with padding.
Tipping design
A wheelbarrow needs to be made with a tipping design for versatility. You might transport sand and instead of simply shovelling it out of the transportation tub, you can simply tip it forward for instant results. A tipping wheelbarrow also helps with transporting items such as tools.
For example, you can transport gardening scissors or secateurs with the handle on the tip of the tub and with the blades towards the bottom of the wheelbarrow tub leaning against the tip so that you always have them in your proximity when working on your beautiful garden.
Consider materials
Plastic and metal are the 2 main materials used in wheelbarrows. Most of them are made with some type of metal frame. But the tub is either made from plastic or metal. These materials have their pros and cons.
Plastic tubs are lighter and perfect for fast wheelbarrows and large gardens where you have to cover the distance a bit quicker. But they aren’t as supportive as metal wheelbarrows. It’s crucial to look at the type of materials that work best for your gardening needs. If you need to carry hard items such as construction material, you’re better off with an all-metal wheelbarrow.
Even a DIY wheelbarrow needs to be made with durable rust-proof materials as a durable yard rover that covers the entire garden. Different wheelbarrows need strong materials which can carry cubic feet of items even on uneven ground, which is not the case surprisingly for the standard wheelbarrow which may not be rust resistant. But plastic wheelbarrows and steel wheelbarrows such as the WorxAerocart are good wheelbarrows that are made to last.
Final words
Only the best wheelbarrows on Amazon can be used for years. The problem today is many wheelbarrows are made with low-quality materials and they don’t last too much. But the wheelbarrows recommended above went through quality checks and product testing which recommends them for long-term use.
As long as you abide by the maximum load capacity, you will enjoy the wheelbarrow for years to come. With galvanized steel, you can rest assure these recommended wheelbarrows last for years as they are made to prevent rusting and to work effortlessly. Even their wheels are puncture proof so that you can continue working as often as needed in your garden.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a wheelbarrow used for?
Wheelbarrows are used for gardening. They are made to carry all types of items and different loads. They are also popular in building work where they carry different construction materials.
How much weight can you carry in a wheelbarrow?
The maximum weight of wheelbarrows is between 60kg and 250kg. All of the recommended wheelbarrows above have different weight capacity which makes them perfect for all types of users and gardening needs.
Is a wheelbarrow a first-class lever?
A wheelbarrow can be a first-class lever or a second class lever. A first-class lever has the load (tub) in front or the back of the wheel (fulcrum). A second class lever has the load (tub) between the wheel and the handles (effort zone).