When shopping for the best wheelbarrows you should consider points listed in our buying guide as well as the models we will present in our home and garden wheelbarrow reviews.

The shape of a wheelbarrow allows it to tip forward for loading and unloading while the wheelbarrow will remain balanced.

A wheelbarrow is a practical gardening tool which can be used for hauling loads of supplies or dirt, mulch from your dethatcher, sand and other materials around your property, garden or any area where access is possible.

The wheelbarrow is designed to distribute the weight of its load between the wheel and the person pushing it. This enables convenient transport of heavier and bulkier loads using less strength and with more maneuverability.

A wheelbarrow is a small hand-operated vehicle, with one or more wheels, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles at the rear end.

Buying guide

There are a lot of types of wheelbarrows on the market. You should choose a wheelbarrow which is easy to use, has sturdy construction, and is appropriate for the type of gardening or other work you intend to do.

Wheelbarrows come in homeowner and contractor grades. Most home gardening and yard work can be done using a homeowner wheelbarrow. Contractor grades, on the other hand, are used for more demanding work. They are bigger, have more support in the tray and can take bulkier and heavier loads.

Here are the features you should consider when shopping for the best wheelbarrow for your needs.





Materials

Most wheelbarrow trays are now made of either steel or plastic. Steel construction is common and can handle loads of varying weight. The material is liable to rust though, so take care to store your steel wheelbarrow where rain or moisture can’t get to them. Metal trays are sturdier, but can be loud during loading and unloading, and often make the wheelbarrow heavier to maneuver.

Plastic, which is easier to handle, is for light gardening. Though it won’t rust, plastic can crack under the weight of heavy loads or as a result of extreme low temperatures. Plastic trays are also quieter than steel.

There are a few foldable canvas models on the market too, and while these designs are handy for those of you with little storage space, they are not reliable enough for more demanding garden work so we decided not to include them in our detailed wheelbarrow reviews.





Capacity

Buy a wheelbarrow with the right load capacity for your needs. Consider how much dirt, mulch, sand and other materials will be hauled. Most standard wheelbarrows have a capacity of 200-300 lbs. The larger trays have a greater capacity for their loads and can hold more weight.





Handles



Traditional straight handles provide the most maneuverability and the easiest tilting, flipping, and dumping. They do require more hand strength.

Closed handles and single-bar grips are ergonomically superior and make pushing and pulling easier. While a single bar can be used comfortably by people of any size, the traditional two-handled design is more difficult to manage by smaller people, those with narrow shoulders or less strength.

Wheels



The traditional wheelbarrow has only one wheel positioned front-and-center. This tripod design makes the wheelbarrow easy to maneuver and dump, but it requires greater strength to control.

Two wheels up front give you greater stability which will be helpful with heavy or awkwardly balanced loads. The only slight disadvantages are that you will lose a certain degree of maneuverability and that these models do not work as well on hills as one-wheel wheelbarrows.

Four wheels will allow carrying as much as 600 lbs of weight, again with less maneuverability than one-wheel wheelbarrows.

Tire materials

Pneumatic wheelbarrow tires have an inner tube which you pump up just like bike or car tires. That air inside works as a shock absorber and gives the wheelbarrow a smoother ride. It also makes it easier to manage. However, like all tires with inner tubes, a pneumatic wheelbarrow tire can pop due to rough terrain and sharp objects. Also, you will need to keep an eye on the tire’s air pressure.

Non-pneumatic tires are solid rubber. They can’t pop or go flat on you, but they won’t ride as smoothly. There is also a compromise in the form of a semi-pneumatic tire—a rubber tire with air pockets built in. This in-between type offers some shock absorption and doesn’t require inflation.

When shopping, think about your terrain and what sort of tasks you will be using the wheelbarrow for, consider the features we described and read our garden and yard best wheelbarrow reviews.