For the Family Handyman, Dump Your Wheelbarrow

There’s one unavoidable fact in gardening and landscaping: No matter how modest your task, at some point you’ll need to move large amounts of heavy stuff. Maybe you’re that rare person with the time and patience to move a pile of rocks from the driveway to the backyard stone by stone. Props. But what do you do with a one-ton load of topsoil?

The point is, if you’re going to tackle any kind of landscaping or gardening project, you’ll need a wheelbarrow to move heavy loads more efficiently. And for that, we highly recommend the Gorilla Carts Poly Garden Dump Cart.

Gorilla Carts Poly Garden Dump Cart is FHM Approved

Rather than wobble over the contours and around the obstacles of your yard with a single-wheel wheelbarrow, the poly garden dump cart from Gorilla Carts lets you navigate those tricky spaces with ease. With four wheels for balance and a simple steering system, it’s easy to use over hill or dale. It also holds a lot of weight and features a quick-release dump system.

What Is the Gorilla Carts Poly Garden Dump Cart?

Based out of Minnesota, Gorilla Carts makes a range of garden carts. This one is from their line of quick-release dump carts. It’s available in 4- and 7-cu. ft. models. We used the 4-cu. ft. version for this review.

The business end features a 35-in. x 22-in. x 8-in. durable poly bed that holds up to 600 pounds. (The 7-cu.-ft. version can handle twice that.) It sits on a steel frame that rides high on four, 10-in. pneumatic tires, offering plenty of clearance.

The long handle and front wheels connect in a zero-turn steering system. A quick-release handle lets you dump the entire cart in one simple motion. Assembled, it weighs about 37 pounds.

How We Tested It

We put it to work for the Family Handyman backyard build project. We started off using it to haul dirt we dug out of a 6-in. deep trench, then to carry and dump pea gravel into that trench. We also moved large, heavy round stones we used for building gabions.

Performance Review

The first step is putting it together. All you need are a couple of wrenches. I used a socket wrench on the stainless steel hardware, and it only took about 20 minutes to have it ready to roll. It comes with easy-to-follow instructions, and the hardware needed is attached to the instruction sheet with the corresponding step — a nice touch.

A side bonus for me: Gorilla doesn’t overdo it with packing materials, so you don’t need to haul away a mound of Styrofoam and plastic.

When you put a lot of weight into a standard wheelbarrow, it can be hard to lift off the ground, even if you’re not skipping leg day at the gym. Wheelbarrows can also be difficult to steer with a quarter ton of cargo in it, especially over bumpy terrain. And dumping hefty cargo an inexact science, adding more shoveling or raking to your to-do list.

None of that is an issue with the Gorilla Cart.

The four rubber tires can navigate all kinds of terrain. I pulled it over scattered flagstones and divots, and even through a 6-in. deep trench, without a single worry that the dirt or rocks would fall out. The zero-turn steering helps a lot, too. You can bob and weave through obstacles, and easily position it to dump your load in the perfect spot.

The longer pull handle means taller people can use it without straining their back, but it’s not so long that it’s awkward for someone of average height, like me (I’m 5-9).

Loading it was a snap, too. The cart sits lower than a standard wheelbarrow, so you don’t have to throw stuff as high to fill it up. That’s also nice when you’re piling a lot into it. The poly sides flexed outward a bit with the heavy gabion rocks, but there was never a doubt about its structural integrity with the big, round stones in there.

What I liked most about the Gorilla Cart is how it dumps. There’s a spring-loaded handle that latches to the steel frame. When you’re ready to empty the cart, just reach down, pull the sturdy handle to unlatch it, and lift it up.

The handle and a pivot point in the back half of the cart let you dump even the heaviest load with one hand. And with the zero turn steering, you can line it up to put the contents exactly where you want it to go, avoiding shoveling and raking.

Anyone can use these carts. For hauling mulch to heavy duty landscaping work, this cart can get it done. I really love it. And at a little more then $100, it’s a great value. (The 7-cu. ft. model costs more, but it’s still less than $200.)

The main downside? Because it’s a four-wheeled cart, it can’t handle a path narrower than 20 inches. However, because it can roll over so many obstacles, you can use it just about anywhere. For storage, the cart style means you just tilt it up against the wall in the shed, like a wheelbarrow.

Why You Should Buy This

The Gorilla Cart makes it easy to move, dump and manipulate heavy loads. For most users, the 4-cu. ft. model will be more than enough. But if you’ve a landscaping pro or manage a lot of land, the 7-cu. ft. model might be a better fit for your needs.

Where to Buy This

The latest model of the Gorilla Dump cart is available at Lowe’s and The Home Depot.

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