Expert Picks: 4 Best Wheelbarrows for Your Barn

Customer Review: “Does exactly as advertised. Nice inexpensive 2 wheel wheelbarrow. Easy to put together and is sturdy and rolls easily. Lightweight when empty.”

Customer Review: “The parts were well packaged, clear instructions, with good quality hardware. Nice wheels and tires with integrated bearings that roll smooth and quiet. One negative – the four bolts that secure the wheelbarrow bin to the frame protrude above the bin’s surface. The protruding bolt heads will catch material in the bin.This wheelbarrow’s total weight is a few pounds heavier than all others in its class. This probably reflects the slightly heavier construction of this wheelbarrow compared to others that look like it. Hopefully, it will be more durable than other lighter wheelbarrows.Be sure to follow instructions to initially assemble parts loosely before attachment of the bin, then tighten everything.”

Customer Review: “This cart has proven to be a great backyard tool for me. Super easy to maneuver and pretty light, but still rugged and capable, it has been a real treat to use. So far, I’ve not found anything to complain about with this cart. The big wheels make it steady and easy to move around the yard, and it holds a fair amount of weight without complaint. The assembly was a little tricky to pull off by myself, so if you have someone around to help hold a bolt or two, that would be ideal. Otherwise, I’m glad I got this cart.”

Customer Review: “Received this yesterday, assembled it in the evening. That took about 45 minutes (had to round up a helper to install the 4 bolts through the bottom of the tray through the separate axel and support bar). All parts were present (including washers!), nothing was missing, and the only thing left over in the box was a self stick logo (obviously optional :-). No factory holes were out of place that I noticed. Even the tires were properly inflated and holding air.From prior reviews, I conclude that either 1. Polar Trailer has greatly improved their quality control and instructions, or 2. I got lucky, or 3. My handyman skills easily dealt with what may have been obstacles to others, or 4. Perhaps some of each.One tip at the beginning of the instructions I think is very important – do not tighten any screws or bolts until after the entire wheelbarrow is assembled, which I took to heart. This I think helped especially when attaching the two bent pipes which form the handles and legs. I think without the slack provided by loose bolts elsewhere it would have been difficult to get the upper bolts installed through the tub, these pipes, and the auxiliary plastic support blocks. As it was, they went in easily. The hardest part of the assembly (other than rounding up my helper, needed for all of five minutes!) was sliding the upper handle loop onto the lower pipes – and even that was no big deal – it just needed a little persuasion from a rubber mallet. All in all, I would rate the assembly as between better than average to moderately difficult. The latter end of the range would apply not because of physical difficulty, but perhaps to those not familiar with hardware names and abbreviations. For such folks I can see that the instructions would be hard to read and understand. There are illustrated parts diagrams which help, but instead of direct labels in easily interpreted English, each component is identified with a code, which must in turn be cross referenced in a parts table, which table uses descriptions a bit heavy with abbreviations and hardware jargon. Would this be worth a star de-rating? Not for me, but your millage may vary.The only improvement I will pursue soon is changing the supplied spring clips (retaining each wheel) with cotter pins. As another reviewer observed, I can see how it would be easy to lose a clip – the clips have weak spring action so are not very secure. But this is a minor issue, easily corrected.In use, it works excellent for my purposes. Not very wide overall (under 30”), it readily fits between rows in my garden and orchard. Wheels are tucked under and near the center of gravity so very little force is needed to lift and roll. Wide tires don\’t sink into soft soil. Loop handle is elevated high enough I don\’t have to bend down to reach it. For me, dumping is no problem.If I were a contractor mixing cement in the tub, I might find the extra “indents” and contours (which apparently help stiffen the plastic tub) inconvenient. And someone prone to toss large logs or rocks from a distance might not find this plastic tub durable. But if I were someone with heavy duty concrete and/or earth/rock/log moving needs, I would probably be younger and would go for a traditional steel tub – like my last wheelbarrow which lasted 40 years but which was admittedly heavy and I found increasingly awkward to handle, so even if it hadn\’t finally rusted out I am glad to have found this to replace it. This puppy is just right for my needs now – lighter, more stable, easier to move, yet with a volume capacity that from experience works very well for me.Of course, I don’t expect the same longevity as my last wheelbarrow. For my garden use, I do expect the tub will outlast the rear handle and frame. I\’d bet with outside storage (within a mile of salt water) it will be no more than 10 years or so before the latter is rusted through. Hope I\’m wrong, but even if right I can probably slow down the process with some spray paint as needed, or otherwise live with it.Definitely would recommend.”

Customer Review: “Easy, really easy to assemble, you do need a pair or pliers or better a small Crescent wrench, you also need your handy little pocket knife to cut through some packing and the plastic cover over the parts card. Supplied with it comes an Allen wrench, for basic assembly. Use the Crescent only to finish tighten assorted bolts and nuts. Assembled very quickly, probably under 15 minutes – but I did not time it. I do think the cotter pins holding the wheels on the axle were a little light, but I don’t intend on using this for terrible heavy work either. So they may be OK. I don’t think it would stand up to lots of heavy haul, but I bought it for leaves and such.”

Customer Review: “I’ve read reviews about this cart being toy size, I disagree. I moved 27 cubic yards of mulch this spring using this cart. It is of the right size to slip in between the shrubbery and dump the mulch where it was needed, no need to shovel off the cart. The large wheels made it easy to maneuver it over dips in the yard, stone pathways, etc. You need to keep in mind that it isn’t made of steel and is not intended to mix concrete or haul a load of bricks or other heavy-duty jobs, but it still can do many jobs and is definitely not a toy. Assembly is a bit tricky. The instructions state to not tighten anything until everything is in place and screws have been started before tightening everything down. I followed this and I would say that rule is almost mandatory.”

Customer Review: “I bought this wheel barrow (just before the snows came) because I was having more and more trouble using the standard steel wheel barrow. As a senior with progressive arthritis, hand weakness and a leg injury I could barely move a barrow full of cordwood. This garden barrow makes it POSSIBLE for me to do this particular chore with ease and in one quarter the time. It is lightweight but very sturdy. I can take it into my back porch to keep it out of the bad weather up here. It is easy to push even in the snowy path. I thought that I would need to hire someone to these chores but now feel so much more confident. What used to take me over an hour to complete now takes me 20 minutes and I’m not exhausted or frozen from being in the winter cold for a long time. It will serve me well ALL year round. It was easy to assemble. I’m so happy I found it.”

Customer Review: “The media could not be loaded. Doing a home project and needed something to haul dirt. Couldn’t be big due to space limitations during the project and storage after the project. It also had to be easily handled by my wife. After comparing prices and sizes this seem to fit.I had to have all the dirt I dug up and moved, hauled away. The person had to charge me by the weight to dispose if it. I hauled over 6 tons of dirt with that little wheel barrel. The person who took away the dirt was amazed that I moved all that dirt from one side of the house to the other with that little wheel barrel. He would not have guessed it would have survived the work load.Not only did I move all that dirt I also used it to carry more than 400 stepping pavers and 200 (40 lbs) bags of sand from my truck to the backyard.Wish I had gotten the thing sooner.One caution to bring up. It is common to step forward when dumping a wheel barrel. Well the screws on the legs point inward and have no protective coverings. Meaning, when you step forward, it is easy to cut into your leg if not careful (when working all day in the sun, careful starts to drift away towards the end).Either wear thick jeans or find a thread cap to prevent injury and needing a tetanus shot.Over all, I’m quite surprised and pleased how well little guy worked out.To be honest though, my project needed a much larger wheel barrel for efficiency but space limitations pushed me this way.I would not recommend this for big projects like I did, unless you are in similar situations; however, for small projects and simple gardening, this is a durable little guy that i think you would be pleased with.Side note, I’m 5’11”, so using this was a bit tedious for me. It is not really designed for tall people. Most ladies should be fine with it.Again, good and durable for small projects”