Wheelbarrow or cart?

Tabby_cat

Happy New Year. 

Has anyone here, any experience of, a 2 wheeled wheelbarrow? What are the disadvantages?

A bit of background.  I'm a 5 foot nothing female who struggles with a standard wheelbarrow. Being short, I have to constantly hold the full weight of the wheelbarrow, up in the air. Instead of having my arms straight, I have to bend my arms to hold the handles up, which I can only do for a short time. I'm strong but, like most females, no great upper body strength. Previously our allotment shop was next to my allotment site but it's now been moved about a 5 minute walk away. I'm finding getting bags of compost and manure in a normal wheelbarrow a real pain in the biceps and I'm looking into alternatives.

That's when I spotted an advert for a 2 wheeled wheelbarrow. They are quite expensive, so I'm reluctant to buy one without comments from real people, rather than just relaying on the advertising blurb. The one I'm looking at has a single, U-shaped handle, instead of 2 individual handles, so, I should be able to hold it up in the air if needs be. The alternative would be a 4 wheeled,  pull along, garden cart which would be less expensive. Does anyone have any comments on those? 

The route I need to use these on, is a track with speed humps and pot holes, which is fairly level and no particular incline, in case this makes a difference to your comments or recommendations. 

Many thanks in advance.

amanda1024

A four wheeled cart would probably be most suitable, because then you don’t have to lift it at all. Obviously check it’s narrow enough to take it where you want it. Also that the wheels are big enough to get over the bumps in the track easily. I find the main advantage of a single wheel wheelbarrow is it can go through narrower gaps by tilting etc. and it’s slightly easier to get up steps; it seems like both two and four wheels would be similar in that respect.

Brie

My mom, 5'1" (so towering over you ) was in her late 60s when she decided she hated wheelbarrows of any type and opted for a wagon instead.  It was, quite simply, a child's wagon but one of good sturdy construction.  

Like this:
TUFF TERRAIN LIKE RADIO FLYER WAGON VINTAGE STYLE CART CHILDRENS TOYS GARDEN | eBay

Martin_the_Unjust

Four wheeled wagon is definitely easier to move than a wheelbarrow, but it’s not as manoeuvrable.

Farway

I agree with a four-wheeler for the same  reasons as Amanda, plus if needed you can just stop, and it will remain right there. You can get more weight / bulk into a four wheeler, assuming you can pull it, of course.

My daughter uses a four-wheeler in the garden for “things”, but it is level ground / grass

Misslayed

I bought one of these in the midl of Lidl, many years ago, it's fabulous! Strong, easy to manipulate round tight corners, no lifting required at all. We're on our second now, wouldn't go back. 

alicef

Hello 

I'm 5' 2".  We use both a 4 wheel trolley & single wheel, wheel barrow - the former for carting heavy pots; wood; crates etc. around; the latter for weeding/mulches/bark chippings etc.   If you opt for a 4 wheel only I would think it would have to have some form of tipping functionality.  I haven't used a 2 wheel.

ArbitraryRandom

I can't find it for the life of me, but a while ago (before I gave in and decided to get a gardener in once a month) I was shopping around and found a 2 wheel barrow that you *pushed down* on the handles to move rather than lifted up... 

 Similar to the shopping basket design posted by Misslayed, wasn't cheap @~£100, but a traditional wheelbarrow shape so I expect larger capacity and easier to tip out? Plus you pushed rather than pulled, so maybe easier to steer around plants/rocks?

QrizB

Possibly overkill, but my elderly patents have a three-wheeled electric whelbarrow like this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285480789915

We've got a four-wheeled cart. I used it when my kids were small to pull them around the local common.

Until one morning following a trip to the common when I woke up with awful pains in my arm. I'd managed to trap a nerve while pulling the cart! It took six months to sort itself out.

So I wouldn't recommend a pull-along cart for bags of compost and manure.

twopenny

At 5'2 I like the look of the Caddy.
I need to negotiate a badger tunnel pipe, narrow side return and garden on a slope.

I've got a barrow, bit awkward but I manage - also have a large bag that fits onto a wheeled frame but I don't think those are available now.

Gardening stuff is early in the shops this year. Have a look around including independent diy shops.

Tabby_cat

Many thanks for all your comments. 

@Misslayed I'm not convinced that caddy is what I need. I watched a fellow allotmenteer struggle with one over the uneven grass that's along the access track on the allotment. There's quiet a large ridge of grass between the 2 (gravelled) car tyre tracks, and the wheels on the caddy were spaced such that he could only have one in the car track, and the other was struggling over the grass. Maybe his had smaller wheels, because he ended up dragging it along, scraping the grass away. Also the ones at Lidl must be stronger than the ones I've seen in B+Q which I don't think would survive the punishment I'd give it. 

@QrizB Nice idea, but I'm not quite ready for that. 

I think I'll might go with something like this: https://www.robertdyas.co.uk/outsunny-75-litre-large-heavy-duty-garden-cart-green It's got a tipper action for when I want to tip out the woodchip that the council helpfully provide. 

For information this is the 2 wheeled wheelbarrow I've been contemplating. It's 4 x the price of the cart and I'm not sure how maneuverable it would be. 
https://www.henchman.co.uk/wheelbarrow-barrow-trailer-range/henchman-heavy-duty-135l-wheelbarrow/ 
I think it would be a nice idea, but it's not worth the extra cost. 

Thanks again for your input.