Customer Reviews

Jackson M6T22BB 6-Cubic-Foot Wheelbarrow

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have used a number of wheelbarrows over the years - various design in several countries - from living here in the US, in Europe and in Asia.

I have used this Jackson design for several years - home use - 3.5 acre property - used for heavy gardening, landscaping, moving mulch, gravel, boulders, rocks, dirt, plants, firewood, and the occasional child... :-)

It has a nice bucket, good capacity, solid steel, rolled edge - so far so good.

The handles are of good thickness, but poorly prepped - if you use them as is, they will splinter and eventually rot from exposure to the sun and elements. In my case I coated the wood with 2-component epoxy paint - coated with left-overs as I was finishing a garage floor project. The results are better "grippiness" and weatherproofing.

An annoying flaw is the handle spacing, the handles are too narrow - I'm 6' even, not a giant, and I would like them about 6" farther apart - for better load control and maneuverability. You have to work too hard with narrow grips like this.

A dangerous design issue are the two sharp horizontal edges that link the left and right sides of the frame together - those brackets or plates that are downright stupidly placed. Especially here in the south, where you wear shorts when you work outside, you can really cut yourself on those edges, they are placed right where your shins will be when you walk downhill with the wheelbarrow. Ouch!

Finally, the "tip helper" or whatever you want to call the bracket that ties together the front of the wheelbarrow easily gets caught when you walk across uneven terrain - resulting in immediate stops, and shin contact with the sharp edges just mentioned. Ouch again!!

A good wheelbarrow when working on smooth and level areas - it has a few issues that you need to be mindful of - or they will get you.

Finally, I recommend getting a solid core tire - the inflated tire is a cheap Chinese tire which will develop leaks.

Jackson wheelbarrows are probably the best on the market. I've been in the concrete business for over 30 years and I've seen all kinds of wheelbarrows come and go but Jackson's endure. But, $170.00? Someone must have been hallucinating when they set that price. Home Depot sells the same item for $99.00. And check out that site that's selling them for $24......if you pay the shipping charges of over $200.00!! Shop wisely.

I've owned a 6cu. ft. Jackson wheelbarrow for over 5 years now, and just dis-assembled it to paint the metal, treat the wood with Boiled Linseed Oil, and repair/modify problems. Here's my take on it:

Overall, I like the size - I've used ones that were too small, and one that was way too deep in the past; they were a pain.
BUT, as mentioned in another review, the metal connector up front is too far forward so it catches - and sticks hard - on ANYYTHING when the ground is the least bit uneven (this is especially true if you're 6'+ tall like me). I'll be trimming about 3" of wood off the nosse end and bring that piece close to the tire.
I replaced the JUNK tire/wheel with a semi-soft no-flat tire and wheel - they're NOT cheap, so figure that cost in...
The rear cross-piece stamped "Jackson", is TOO LOW and, as mentioned elsewhere, will kill your shins! I'll either heavily modify it, or just replace it with one more suitable (to my height).
In prepping the two angled wood "shims" that fit between the handles and pan, I found that one is more than 1/8" thicker and taller than the other -- which explains why bolts came loose often, and why the left-to-right level was better on soft ground!
The handles have held up OK considering it's lived outside here in Sunny Palm Springs since Day One! The wood has some deep checks, one handle is bowed about 2-3" (from the uneven wood shims, I beleive), and overall is still serviceable.
There's very little rust overall - just some on the feet and at the bolt holes in the pan bottom.

Hope this helps!

bw

This is the best wheelbarrow I've found. I got mine at Home Depot about 4 years ago for around $100, but it looks like the price went up. No matter. Cheaper ones are a total waste of money if you're going to try to move concrete, big rocks, or anything like that.
To that reviewer who had trouble with assembly... it is a little difficult to assemble, but take note: the legs are supposed to be splayed wide and not perpendicular to the ground! That makes this wheelbarrow much more stable when it sits on the ground!

Update, 7-3-11. I've just hauled about 2200 brick pavers from my truck into my backyard. I've been moving several dozen cubic yards of dirt around my property. I've been hauling pieces of a 180 square-foot concrete patio out to the curb. I even use this thing as a wash tub for cleaning dirty tools. It is the most-used thing in my shed. Look, it's just a good, heavy-duty wheelbarrow. It didn't change my life or anything like that. I'm in Lowe's or Home Depot almost every day and these things really stand out among the smaller and cheaper wheelbarrows. And both these stores still sell them for $99.00. Keep it out of the sun; it will bake the tire and the handles. Definitely buy it through Amazon if you can't find them locally.

a former wife and I owned one of these before, but not from Amazon.

You are going to love using this wheelbarrow. The no-flat tire is perfect and it's wood handles and steel construction are solid. I have a bad back so this comes in handy and it's ultra high capacity and easy pour design has helped me haul off and dispose of things weighing as much as 147 lbs and 5' 6" in height.

Trust me. You want this wheelbarrow!

This is a very good wheelbarrow! (I'm a contractor who owns three of them)
I say almost indestructable because I use "undocumented" laborers fairly often and they could destroy an anvil in the desert with nothing to hit it with but sand and I've had better luck with the Jackson M6T22BB than any other wheelbarrow. That being said, $300.00 is about three times what you should pay for it! If the Home Depot in your area doesn't have them in stock, you can have them order you one. Mine cost $79.00 with a $10.00 assembly fee plus tax for a grand total of $98.00. I thought ten dollars was a fair price to pay to save me the thirty minutes it would take to assemble it myself. Unfortunately I didn't figure into the equation the fact that the man referred to as the "Assembly Specialist" at the Home Depot was referred to as such because he rode the "special" bus. The laborers managed to tear that one up in about 4 days. After taking the legs apart and reassembling them they way they were designed, they have been unable to destroy it. (four weeks and counting!)

I bought this whellbarrow only to return it. Yes it's heavy duty and yes it has a large pneumatic tire - all helpful for heavy loads or poor ground conditions. However mine had problems.

You have to assemble the pieces - not too big a job but it will waste 30-45 minutes of your time. As I assembled it I noticed that the legs did not fit the handles/pan well. There was a manufacturing problem that caused the legs to sit slightly angled and not square to the handles or ground. I called the manufacturer as it says to do in the instructions (although no phone # is provided) and ultimately they said that my assembly was correct, that parts were damaged in shipping or there was a defect. Nothing was damaged... They said to return it to place of purchase.

My advice: by wary. I wasted a lot of time on this tool for nothing. It would have worked as is but I was concerned with the lifespan of the wheelbarrow. My no name light duty unit was 15 years old when it came time to replace it with this one. I didn't want it to wear out in a short period of time due to their mistake, so I didn't chance it.