Ditch The Shovel: There's An Easy Solution From Amazon For Maintaining Gravel

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If you have built or replenished a gravel driveway, landscaping area, or parking pad, you know the challenges of moving large amounts of rock. One cubic foot of it weighs from 95 to 140 pounds, depending on which type of gravel you've chosen for the driveway or landscaping area.

If you don't own a skid steer loader to move the rock and don't want to undertake the hassle to rent one for a smaller job, you may not mind using a manually powered device, as long as it makes it easier to move and dump heavier loads than your standard wheelbarrow. Amazon is offering the Gorilla Carts Heavy-Duty Dump Cart with a 600-pound capacity for about $166. This unit has a design where you release a handle to lift and tilt the cart forward, letting gravity help you dump the gravel exactly where you need it, rather than struggling to dig the rock out of the cart by hand with a shovel. Its all-steel frame provides plenty of weight support and durability.

You might be familiar with the Gorilla Carts brand, as it's known as one of the best garden cart models to simplify working outside. It offers an upgrade from a traditional wheelbarrow, as it features four 10-inch diameter tires, making it easier to roll heavy weights in any direction. It's also well-suited for maneuvering over uneven ground, an area where wheelbarrows traditionally struggle. Pulling a Gorilla Carts cart reduces the chance of suffering common wheelbarrow pushing injuries to the back, shins, and shoulders.

The Gorilla Carts' tires are one of the biggest advantages of buying the version sold on Amazon (model number 4GCG-NF), as they're foam-filled and cannot go flat. If you buy a different kind offered by many retail outlets (model number GCG-4(-C)), you'll receive air-filled (pneumatic) tires.

You'll pay a little more for theno-flat-tire version at Amazon than for the alternative available at stores like Lowe's or Home Depot. However, when you're carrying a load of gravel that's approaching the 600-pound weight limit of the Gorilla Carts' hauler, the foam-filled tires add significant value, according to customer reviews. A pneumatic tire that is low on air makes a cart or wheelbarrow far more difficult to push or could cause a spill. When handling a large load of gravel, a flat tire may force you to stop working entirely. "We are very glad to have purchased it, and especially the one with foam-filled tires. Even under the heavy loads, they showed zero signs of deflection," one customer reviewer said.

The Gorilla Carts' unique dump mechanism is one of the favorite design elements for customers. A handle keeps the cart locked in place while you haul gravel or other items. Once you reach the dump spot, pull the handle, and the cart can flip almost all the way over to empty all the contents. One reviewer appreciates "the ease at which you can grab ahold of the handle to put the body of the cart in full dump position."

Durability is another reason many Amazon reviews praised the product. One person said it's sturdy enough to manage any kind of work in the garden, making it well worth the money.

Beyond hauling gravel, customers have found many uses for the Gorilla Carts product. One person loaded it with heavy pressure-treated wood to build a fence. Because you should never store firewood indoors for your fireplace, a reviewer used the cart to haul outdoor firewood into the home as needed because the cart easily fits through the exterior doors. An elderly customer (at 72 years old) uses it to haul almost anything with some heft, including grocery bags, pots of plants, and pulled weeds. I "love how the wheels swivel in all directions, so I don't have to be the perfect driver," the reviewer said.