Garden Cart Wheels - Buy New Wheels Or Replace the Cart?

Avid gardeners and weekend lawn warriors know that one of the most important tools in the yard care arsenal is a sturdy garden cart, properly stocked with all the tools of the trade. However, with extensive use, or even years of winter seasons where it sits unused, they can wear out - particularly the garden cart wheels. The question then becomes whether it is more logical to replace the wheels on the current cart or simply purchase a new cart.

A Garden Cart Can Serve You Well

Garden Carts come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Older versions were often metal or wood and included holed-out sections that could carry flower pots, potting soil, shovels, and other necessities of gardening and yard keeping. Today, most of them are plastic and made more to resemble wagons.

Some models even have compartments to help organize your garden tools, and even built-in areas to sit down while gardening. A good cart makes it easy for one to move from pruning shrubs to weeding the garden, from potting a plant to clipping some flowers.

When the Garden Cart Wheels Stop Going 'Round

As useful as they are, eventually metal carts rust, wood rot and plastic crack; the wheels, in particular, are susceptible to breakage. When garden cart wheels wear out the owner may be tempted to replace the entire wagon. But sometimes, replacing just the wheels is a valid option, especially in older, well loved carts.

As with many things in life, vintage models were well made and had replaceable parts - including the wheels. Newer models often cannot compare to these gems, and thus it is worth the extra time to replace the wheels on such a classic cart. Replacing the wheels with rubber wheels is preferable to plastic, as plastic wheels wear faster and can be quite loud when rolling on paved surfaces.

When New Wheels are Worthwhile

When garden cart wheels break down the owner can replace the garden wagon, but sometimes they can also replace just the wheels. While newer versions may not have easily replaceable wheels, and in such cases it may be less expensive to simply purchase a whole new unit, it is often desirable to replace just the wheels on those that are well made and vintage Such replacement wheels can be purchased at many home improvement centers, but the Internet and flea markets are also good places to shop for replacement garden cart wheels, to get a well made, usable cart back into the garden.