Best wheelbarrow: Tidy the garden or do some DIY
Clear away garden waste in ease and comfort with these great wheelbarrows
Whether you’re doing an afternoon’s work in the backyard or just some DIY around the house, a good wheelbarrow is an essential tool for transporting bulky waste materials from A to B. You might think that picking one would be as straightforward as deciding on the size, but the best wheelbarrows will have specific features that set them apart from your bog-standard ones. In fact, there are quite a few key issues you need to consider if you want to end up with a wheelbarrow that’s right for you.
There are plenty of options on the market, in a range of sizes, shapes and materials, so no matter what your needs you’re bound to find something that ticks all the right boxes.
We’ve put together a handy guide below to make finding the best wheelbarrow a breeze. But if you already have an idea of what you’re looking for, you’ll find our hand-picked rundown of the best products currently on the market below this.
Best wheelbarrow: At a glance
- Best big capacity wheelbarrow | 200L Wheelbarrow
- Best all-purpose wheelbarrow | Walsall Wheelbarrows Easiload Barrow
- Best wheelbarrow for gardening | Picador Pink Plastic Wheelbarrow
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How to choose the best wheelbarrow for you
What size should I get?
It may be tempting to go for the biggest wheelbarrow you can afford, but the largest barrows tend to be heavy and cumbersome to wheel around, and they’re not cheap either. For most people, the standard 85L capacity is plenty, even if you have a large garden. If your garden is a bit more compact, or if you’re just looking to clear out your vegetable patch, a smaller size should be fine.
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What should I consider when buying a wheelbarrow?
The first thing to think about is the material. Plastic wheelbarrows are affordable, light and easy to manoeuvre, which makes them ideal for garden waste. They’re not as durable as their steel-panned cousins, however; if you need to cart heavy building materials around, it’s worth paying a little extra for a metal tray. Some steel wheelbarrows have galvanised coatings for protection against rust. And if you’re planning to wheel across stony, jagged ground, it’s well worth keeping an eye out for puncture-proof wheels.
If your wheelbarrow isn’t fitted with heavy puncture-proof wheels, then there’s a good chance that, before long, you’ll need a replacement. Replacement wheels such as this one, are widely available. Changing a wheelbarrow tyre is simple. In most cases, it will involve laying the wheelbarrow upside down and unscrewing a few bolts to release the axle from the bracket, before sliding the axel into the new wheel and screwing it back onto the frame.
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The best wheelbarrows you can buy in 2023
1. Walsall Wheelbarrows Easiload Barrow: The best all-purpose wheelbarrow
Price: £60 | Buy now from Argos
This robust and reliable wheelbarrow has a steel tubular frame, a decent 85L capacity (for loads up to 150kg) and comfortable rubber hand grips that make it a breeze to move heavy materials across a site or garden. It’s easy to assemble, and easy to dismantle again for convenient storage and transport
It’s offered with a choice of puncture-proof or pneumatic wheels; we recommend the puncture-proof option, for total peace of mind. If you’re working with a small garden or vegetable patch then something smaller and lighter might be more convenient, but this is a fantastic all-rounder.
Key specs – Capacity: 85l/150kg; Wheels: One; Material: Steel; Puncture-proof wheel: Yes; Assembled: No
2. Picador Pink Plastic Wheelbarrow: The best wheelbarrow for gardening
Price: £60 | Buy now from Amazon
Once you get over the initial shock of how pink this wheelbarrow is, you’ll find that it’s a perfect choice for a bit of light gardening. It’s lightweight and easy to move around the garden when you’re pruning, tidying flowerbeds or pulling up weeds.
That said, there’s plenty of space in its 85l capacity plastic pan, meaning you won’t need to worry about constantly filling up and emptying the wheelbarrow.
Key specs – Capacity: 85l; Wheels: One; Material: Plastic; Puncture-proof wheel: No; Assembled: No
3. Deuba Garden Tipping Cart: The best wheelbarrow for heavy outdoor lifting
Price: £99 | Buy now from Amazon
Technically this isn’t a wheelbarrow, but it serves the same purpose and it’s perfect for heavier jobs, with four pneumatic wheels and a nifty tipping function. You can pull it around manually, or attach it to the back of a vehicle for heavier cargo; no more struggling back and forth with a single wheelbarrow.
The big 75l capacity makes it perfect for transporting big loads of plants, compost, gravel and more. It’s not quite as easy to manoeuvre around tight corners as a traditional barrow, and if you stack this wheelbarrow too high, you might run the risk of destabilising it. If you have a particularly narrow garden this may not be the barrow for you.
Key specs – Capacity: 75l/150kg; Wheels: Four; Material: Plastic; Puncture-proof wheel: No; Assembled: Yes
4. Ward 55l Plastic Wheelbarrow: The best cheap wheelbarrow for lighter loads
Price: £20 | Buy now from Argos
This wheelbarrow resembles a pull-along basket you might find in the supermarket. It’s made completely out of plastic so it’s super lightweight and simple to shift around the garden using the built-in handle. That means it’s great if you suffer from back pain and struggle to lift a barrow in front of you. It’s got a thin, wide roller wheel at the rear that can be filled with water for extra stability.
Note, however, that this wheelbarrow should be reserved for light loads only. If you put full loads of soil in it, it’ll bend the back and the handle could break. But for light domestic gardening like weeding and repotting, it’s ideal.
Key specs – Capacity: 55l; Wheels: One; Material: Polypropylene; Puncture-proof wheel: N/A; Assembled: Yes
5. Wheelbarrow 200l with Puncture-Proof Wheels: The best big capacity barrow
Price: £165| Buy now from Amazon
While it’s more expensive than the average wheelbarrow, this one’s a great investment if you regularly find yourself having to shift about large loads of mud. In particular, it’s great for mucking out horses and clearing out old dirt because of its huge 200l capacity – that’s over double what most of the other wheelbarrows on this list can carry. It’s also super sturdy and well built, to make sure it can withstand these mammoth loads.
The two wheels at the front mean it’s easier to balance the heavy loads, and they’re puncture-proof, which is a necessity for big projects. Remember though, because it’s got a massive capacity, this wheelbarrow is huge. Pair that with the limited manoeuvrability that comes with having two wheels and it should be quite clear that this isn’t a good choice for small gardens or those with narrow gates.
Key specs – Capacity: 200l; Wheels: Two; Material: Plastic and galvanised steel; Puncture-proof wheel: Yes; Assembled: Yes
6. Drapers Tools Mobile Tipper Cart, 75L: The best wheelbarrow for transporting garden debris
Price: £157 | Buy now from Drapers Tools
Similar to the Dueba Tipping Cart is this heavy-duty option from Drapers Tools, which can carry loads of up to 200kg. The cart itself is made from a sturdy plastic, while the frame and the handle are reinforced steel (and also features a comfortable foam grip).
Admittedly, it’s pretty fiddly to put together as the cart’s shape means much of the assembly takes place on an angle. And the instructions are tricky to follow, so it took one of us about an hour. That said, the bolts are packaged and labelled in the order required, which does help the process.
Once built, it’s easy to manoeuvre around the garden or allotment thanks to its smooth-pull handle and pneumatic wheels. The turning circle is nice and tight, and the tipping motion is a joy – perfect for moving full bags of soil or stacks of logs around your garden, or for tipping debris directly onto the compost heap.
Key specs – Capacity: 75l/200kg; Wheels: Four; Material: Plastic and steel; Puncture-proof wheel: No; Assembled: No
7. Vonhaus Mesh Garden Trolley Cart: The best multi-functional wheelbarrow
Price: £170 | Buy now from VonHaus
We love the versatility of this Vonhaus Garden Trolley. Constructed from a black steel mesh on all four sides and the base, it’s strong enough to transport loads up to a whopping 500kg when in motion. The 31cm depth is substantial too, and it comes with a removable heavy-duty plastic liner that’s fully waterproof and excellent for moving loose sand, gravel and soil.
The instruction manual is clear and easy to follow, and it took us less than an hour to assemble. The seriously chunky pneumatic wheels mean bumpy or muddy garden surfaces are a breeze.
If you’re using this trolley for activities outside the garden – festivals, beach trips, or camping all spring to mind – the mesh panels can be used for clipping on carabiners or tying things down. You can also unhook the locking handles to fold down the side panels partway, or simply pull out the R-pins to create an open-ended cart for even easier loading and unloading.
Key specs – Capacity: 600kg max, 500kg in-motion; Wheels: Four; Material: Steel mesh frame, plastic interior liner; Puncture-proof wheel: No; Assembled: No
