Which Wheelbarrow Should You Buy?

Wheelbarrows!  Why so many options?  Why can’t it be simple?

One wheel?

Two wheels?

Plastic tub?   Metal tub?

Is a two wheeled garden cart better?

Wheelbarrow Logic from Mike McGroarty.

Here’s my take on wheelbarrows, from a guy that has made his living for the better part of 40 years using wheelbarrows.

In my very opinionated, opinion there’s really only one brand of wheelbarrow on the market.  Jackson.  The Jackson wheelbarrow is by far the choice of contractors everywhere, and no, the Jackson Wheelbarrow company is not paying me for this endorsement.  It’s just that I’ve used and or owned them all and they’ve all disappointed me, all except the Jackson.

Many of the others are imitations that are poorly designed.

I’ll never buy a two wheel wheelbarrow and this is why:

1.  Can’t push it up a 2 by 12 ramp if I need to get into a bed, into the back of a truck, over a ditch etc.  When I am working I often use a 2 by 12 as a ramp to get up into a raised planting bed, or if I have to dump debris into the back of a trailer.  Being able to wheelbarrow up a ramp is a valuable attribute that only a single wheel wheelbarrow can do.

2.  Two wheels is just more resistance on the ground.  Pushing a wheelbarrow is difficult enough, I surely don’t want another ounce of resistance as I do so.

3.  Pushing a wheelbarrow is like flying a plane.  As soon as you add a second wheel you are no longer flying or gliding around the corners.  When you have two wheels you literally have to circle the wheelbarrow to make turn.  Think about that.  You have to walk in a wide circle to make a turn.

4.  Over the years I’ve probably spread over 5,000 yards of mulch.  With one wheel you can squeeze between two shrubs and not touch either one of them.  You’ll never do that with a wheelbarrow that has two wheels.

Plastic wheelbarrows are great for mulch, but they really, really stink for soil or sand.  When you pick up a heavy load in a plastic wheelbarrow the barrel will flex just a little bit and you will tweak your back as you try to catch the wheelbarrow from tipping.  I promise you this happens with all plastic wheelbarrows.  I’ve owned a few, hated them all.

Those really nice looking, rugged looking wheelbarrows with the big wide front tire?  I bought two of them.  Seriously a terrible mistake.  I should have bought two Jackson and I should have known better!

1.  They flex just as I described.

2.  That big fat tire cannot be inflated to the point of being hard.  No matter what, it’s still spongy, which is like pushing a wheelbarrow up hill all day long.  When using a wheelbarrow the tire must be inflated to the point of being really hard, if it’s not the resistance is increased dramatically.

3.  First time we used those fancy shmancy plastic wheelbarrows one of them broke!  We loaded it with topsoil, tried to move it and the handle snapped right off!  Brand new, $140 wheelbarrow.  It’s still laying on it’s side with a broken handle.  Unbelievable!

Oh, and this video.  You should watch this video.

Questions or comments?  Post them below.