There are many types of carts and wagons that you can use to move things around your property, but there is a lot of confusion about what the best option is. Wheelbarrows and garden carts both have advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to know how each one works before making a purchase. This blog post will provide an overview of wheelbarrows vs. garden carts so you can make an informed decision for your needs!
Wheelbarrow and garden cart – What is pulled?
When choosing the “perfect” wheelbarrow or cart for use around the house, be honest and ask in general… What is being pulled, how will it be used, and who will use it? This will help narrow down the overall design, load capacity, material construction, price, and size.
For example, will this tool be used primarily to move leaves in the fall or will it be wheelbarrow for concrete?
Will muscle be needed to function, or will it be pulled behind a lawnmower or ATV? Is a bucket with wheels required or is unloading required?
A utility cart can be a very simple canvas used to move raked leaves from one place to another, or a high-tech gas-powered motorized wheelbarrow for heavy loads.
Operation
When considering the operation of a garden cart or wheelbarrow, several factors must be considered.
If heavy materials such as large landscape rocks weighing several hundred pounds are to be moved, a sturdy metal 4-wheel garden cart makes a lot of sense, but if maneuvering in tight spaces is also a factor, a heavy wheelbarrow is a ticket.
If the load is more akin to moving the compost pile, spreading mulch, moving leaves, or transporting smaller rocks around your property, this is more the description of transportation than a fiberglass, sturdy plastic wheelbarrow, or two-wheeled cart ideal choice.
If you have light requirements, such as moving leaves for mulching leaves and small branches where an industrial cart or wheelbarrow is too much, opt for a 2-wheeled design made from one of the durable molded plastics on the market. You’ll find them with a variety of names: Yard Cart or Lawn Cart.
Also consider weight if transportation is an issue or you need to lift over holes, steps, or uneven terrain. Will a wheelbarrow with one or two wheels meet your needs better than a wheelbarrow or cart with two or four wheels?
Space requirements
Unless you have a foldable or lightweight model that can hang, you also need to consider the space these garden tools take up. They are bulky, but they save you time and your back. Consider where the cart or wheelbarrow will be stored. Weather elements can affect the type of material from which it must be made.
Planting and garden maintenance involve more than just planting seedlings in the ground and occasionally removing weeds. It involves some physical labor and sometimes sore muscles.
Moving bags of fertilizer, mulch, compost, potted plants, weeds, heavy garden ornaments, decorative stones, and moving elaborate plants can quickly strain your back. This makes a garden cart, lawn tractor, or wheelbarrow an essential item for working on your patio and a tool for the garden shed.
A wheelbarrow or garden cart plays a big role as basic gardening equipment for any gardener. Numerous gardening tasks will not be as easy without the help of a wheelbarrow or garden cart.
Today, you can choose from a wide variety of wheelbarrows and gardening vehicles. There is also a large number of advances in the outline and some tools that are used to build this patio/nursery equipment.
Wheelbarrow vs Garden Cart
While wheelbarrows and garden carts essentially do the same job, they each have their advantages and disadvantages.
Design and utility
- Wheelbarrows consist of sloping sides and 1 to 2 front wheels. They stroll behind the wheelbarrow, making it easy to control and move. This garden tool is convenient for landfills, manure, soil, weed, or stone.
- On the other hand, garden trucks keep the level ground and straight sides. You need to pull garden trucks with two or more large wheels. They appear more stable than wheelbarrows and for the most part can withstand larger loads such as moving large pots, rocks, etc. However, they can appear more difficult to move on surfaces that are not smooth.
- Heavy-duty trucks seem to be suitable for heavy loads and arduous jobs, such as rocks, woodpiles, and such concrete garden debris. Some smaller patio or kid trucks are especially helpful and have proven useful for moving equipment and plant pads.
- The smaller trucks in the garden area regularly accompany a top cover so they can work double duty as a seat.
- Wheelbarrows are generally made of a steel frame with metal, poly, or other durable plastic material as the bucket and come with air-filled tires or metal wheels. Wheelbarrows also have two handles, garden trucks, and a single connecting bar, similar to a stroller handle.
- Thin metal makes up cheap trucks, but sturdier trucks are made of a combination of hard plastic or plywood and metal for outdoor use. Trucks sometimes contain four straight sides. However, numerous trucks feature an opening in the back. Trucks rarely show sloped front sides, although they sometimes look bent like wheelbarrows.
Easy mobility
Users can easily draw and push garden carts. However, moving it is a difficult task, especially on narrow paths and in small spaces.
- If you need to push a truck on a straight road, no problems will occur. Pivoting a patio truck, however, can be tedious.
- A wheelbarrow is much easier to turn by correlation because it contains only a single wheel to turn and pivot.
- Turning an unfilled wheelbarrow is less difficult than turning a stacked wheelbarrow, as you should accurately adjust the pile weight when turning.
- Wheelbarrows are a more practical choice when dealing with tight, confined spaces, as you can easily tilt them from side to side to move through tight spaces.
Personal preference of a good wheelbarrow
The above articles should help you with your wheelbarrow or cart purchase decision, but I want to leave you with my purchase preference.
My preference has always been a 1 wheel model, 6 cubic foot steel wheelbarrow frame with a durable molded poly bucket for most jobs I need.
The poly bucket or tray does not rust, is easy to clean, and is durable. It handles and transports a wide range of durable materials.
The large pneumatic wheelbarrow wheel rolls smoothly remain stable during filling and are easy to empty. Apart from the pneumatic tires, they make a nice seat to take a break from when needed.