As my back starts to get older, it is complaining about my method of moving larger trees (15 gal+), which is generally just by hand, occasionally a wheelbarrow (but of course that requires lifting it high enough to set it down in the wheelbarrow).
Does anyone have a dolly or garden cart that you use for moving trees around and would recommend? I’m not going to buy a forklift (I believe that’s @aap’s method), just looking for a hand cart that’s a good size for this task and able to carry the weight of a 15-25 gal pot full of soil. Ideally would slide under the pot when tilted, rather than requiring lifting onto the cart.
For example, this seems similar to what I want, though the price tag is a little steep:
I saw that, too, but the 200 lb capacity seemed a little on the low side, and it seems like it wouldn’t work well on slopes. At least, not going down slope.
That’s true. In my case, my yard is on three relatively flat levels with sloped paths (dirt in one case, stone pavers for the other) in between each level. So I need to be able to move them up or down a ramp essentially, and across grass, soil, compacted gravel, and stone pavers. Bonus points if I can use it to bring potted trees in and out of my house (i.e., up and down steps), since a few of them become houseplants in winter but patio trees in summer.
I have an am Leonard ball cart very similar to the one you posted. I’ve had it for about 7 years, mostly keeping it outside and no rust yet. It’s a beast . It’s holding up really well. Similar to the pull thing, I use a jetsled hooked to my zero turn mower to move my big fig trees around. You have to lift them up a couple inches to get them in, but that would be my recommendation
This is what I use. It works very well. I often use a simple ratchet strap to secure the pot. You can cut the length of the strap to use exclusively for this and they are cheap at HF as well.
I was thinking something like an engine lift would be great but all the ones I have seen have small wheels for a cement shop floor.
I searched for one with pneumatic tires and someone modified one… This would be sweet!
250 lbs capacity seems a little low for that price tag. A ceramic 20 gal pot with a sandy soil mixture and tree in it will almost certainly end up exceeding that limit.
I’m thinking I’ll end up just getting a regular hand truck/dolly like this and add straps to make up for the tray being inadequate. At least the weight capacity is well above anything I’ll need:
That one you show is cheap, doesn’t look like it will last more than 2 years. Go for the Costco aluminum cart. Also, if you get a normal hand truck, try to get one with a wider base, much easier and you may not need to use a strap to move pots up to 40 gallons. I have moved many large items and I’m telling you that one you selected isn’t worth $100.
I probably just misremembered! I thought I’d seen a photo of your trees loaded on a forklift coming out of your garage last year. But apologies if that’s wrong! I know you have lots of big container trees, though, so how do you move them around?
