Customer Reviews

Neuton 22721 12-Volt 2-Speed Self-Propelled Battery-Powered Electric 5-Cubic Foot Garden Cart with 200-Pound Capacity

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was trying to build one out of old scooter parts when I happed across the ad four years ago. I was about to spend more than the 350 on parts- so I ditched and purchased Neuton. Easily the finest piece of machinery I've owned. For four years i have abused it with too many rocks and concrete sacks - more than 200 pounds - maybe closer to 300 - up steep grades. Every day - I've built walls and hauled everything heavy. I broke the rims on the tires and replaced them. But I am sad to say that I finally did it - today i killed it - the right wheel sounds like a squirrel is trapped - chatters and stalls - I finally stripped the gears hauling boulders. Even without the motor, it's an amazing stable platform that pushes easier than a wheel barrow because you don't lift it, but I have to have the power. It's better than having a back surgeon

So I am buying a new one... and maybe I'll be more careful - but probably not - this thing is a beast and worth every penny. Today I autopsied it and was really impressed with craftsmanship. The gears were gone.

Pros - like having a helper that always shows up on time and works. It hauls with amazing stamina. The battery is great - never had it go down on me. The craftmanship makes you proud to buy american - if Neutron ever builds an electric car - put me down for one. The phone support is really good - friendly folks who have pride.

Cons - never found a reason for reverse on a wheelbarrow - or two speeds. The charger is flaky sometimes, and I've had to rewire the ignition when I left it out in the rain too many times. I wish they sold parts in my area.

This little cart is proving to be a great farm and garden helper. It's almost like having a very strong assistant. I haven't had it long but I've already managed several projects with surprising ease.

First, let me say that assembling the unit is easy. The directions are written really well. You've got to love people who color code the packets of fasteners for each task (adding the wheels, the drive shaft, the handle, etc). I only wish these people wrote assembly instructions for everything. It was clear to me immediately when I started putting the cart together that this is a quality product. Everything fits perfectly, the pictures are clear and the directions are easy to understand, even for someone like me who is not very tool savvy. Then you charge the unit for about 6 hours and you're ready to go.

So far I have taken a load of 50 lb bags of feed to the barn (slid them out of the car right into the cart), loaded a big heavy tree stump by tipping the cart on its nose and leveraging the stump in there without having to lift it (which I couldn't do), then taking it to the back 40 to dump. I've also loaded and transported three cartfuls of dirt to a new garden bed (and love the ability to easily dump the contents where I want it). Tomorrow I'll be mulching the yard using the cart and have purchased the side rails so it will hold more per load (I want to get my 200 lbs worth on each trip :). I'd dreaded all these projects and put them off until I could get help, but now I can manage them easily myself. I'm really pleased with this purchase. I feel almost guilty at how easy these tasks are now.

A couple of things to be aware of. The cart has a forward, fast forward and reverse setting that are set before starting to move (not changed on the fly) so it takes a little getting used to. The speeds are constant so you need to get used to moving with the cart and learning how to guide and turn it. This is not hard, just requires a bit of focus if you're not on straight flat terrain. The fast forward is good for returning for the next load when it's empty and is about the clip of an aggressive walk, while the regular forward is a medium to slow walk speed. Both work well for me for different situations. There is a wide thumb pad just below the handle that you press to start movement and can use either hand. When you release the pad, the cart stops. The reverse is a two-handed function for safety reasons. There is also a key that can be removed to deter unauthorized use.

Another thing to consider is that the cart should be stored inside (e.g. the garage or a shed) so you have to have a place for that (it can be tipped up on its nose to minimize storage footprint). Also, you need to be able to get the cart near enough to an outlet to charge it. The charging cord is the same type as you probably have for your laptop with cords extending from each end of a rectangular black box. The box has a light on it to indicate when the battery is fully charged.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this cart and expect it will earn its keep for many years. Between back issues and shoulder issues, I'm happy to have help with heavy loads.

Update 10/31/09: If I thought I loved this cart at first, I love it more now. I have spread four tons of gravel on pathways in my garden, hauled many loads of wood to the splitter, then once split, to my porch for stacking, and countless buckets of water to plants beyond the reach of the hose. I no longer worry how I'm going to manage heavy tasks--just 'get the cart'. When my mail lady delivered a particularly big heavy box, we just positioned the cart and eased the box into it for easy transport to my garage. A charge lasts a really long time. I've used it a lot and only recharged it once all summer. This wonderful cart is among the best investments I've ever made.

Getting older and developing back issues can really be a problem for the avid gardener. I live on a hill and am slowly landscaping a couple acres. I purchased this battery utility cart with great expectations after reading a few of the reviews. It arrived quickly, was easy to assemble and is absolutely awesome. I am so pleased with the cart that I love gardening even more. Hauling capacity is great and the cart boldly goes just about anywhere. Though I'm sure it's not recommended my 6'4" 250lb son in law jumped in and drove himself around. I will have to have the tires filled with foam since much of the unclaimed area has puncture weeds and other tire enemy species but even with deflated tires the cart works like a trouper. If the thought has even crossed your mind about purchasing this item, DO IT! You will never be sorry.

Love this cart. Years ago I purchased one called LUV CART...which looks exactly like the Neuton cart. The Luv cart died on me and since I really needed another cart, I purchased this Neuton cart. It is a product of the DR Power Equipment in Vermont. I was missing some bolts and when I contacted DR..# on instruction sheet, they also registered cart with warranty, sent me whole set of hardware although only 2 bolts missing [hole in shipping carton] quickly. This cart also has where you can replace the battery whereas not so on the luv cart. I use it daily to haul wood, dirt, buckets, tools etc. It is the handiest cart around. Everyone seems to sell the extensions and shows you can haul more wood logs but once you just fill the cart without the extensions, I am sure that you are pretty much already hauling close to 200 lbs. I also hauled tree trunk logs from down in the hollow up some steep hillside and it works great. It did stop as it has some sort of cut off switch so not to overwork the motor, then shortly began again. I charge it after each use as it says you can not overcharge the unit due to how it is built. GREAT BUY for me at 67 it really helps me out with my bad knees and legs in getting things done around here without a man.

Selected Neuton for my birthday present this year, and it's the second-best-birthday-present-ever. Beats everything except my lovely old dog Sere, who I adopted for my birthday 10 years ago. Neuton does most of the hard work, so I have energy left to do the fun stuff. Hard work: toting loads of potting soil, pots, rocks, plants, dirt, tools, flagstones and bales. Fun stuff: designing and planting my flower and vegetable gardens. I park "Neuton" in the garage, and have even used it to haul heavy bags of dog food from the car to the door.

Instructions were clear and assembly was pretty easy, although I fought with the screws attaching the wheel assembly to the cart. The holes were very slightly off.

WHAT I LOVE: Almost everything. Amazingly maneuverable and pretty stable, even on uneven surfaces. Easily handles heavy loads on hard or firm surfaces (I've managed to get the wheels stuck in freshly-dug soil a couple of times.) Easy and fun to drive, easy to park. Due to landscaping, walls, and an old flagstone path, I have sharp turns, lots of small bumps, plus relatively steep rises to maneuver, in addition to grassy open spaces and moderate hills. Neuton handles it all.

WHAT THEY COULD IMPROVE FOR THE NEXT VERSION: "Reverse" is designed so you have to hold down a toggle switch while pressing the orange "go" bar. I assume this is supposed to be a safety feature, but the design is such that my gloved fingers sometimes slip off the toggle switch while my other hand is still depressing the "go" bar. Result is an unpleasant and unexpected lurch forward.

The "go" bar. No problems as yet, and hopefully it'll last forever. It doesn't "feel" like it'll last forever, though, unlike the rest of the cart.

OTHER NOTES: I haven't unintentionally dumped anything yet (unlike my old wheelbarrow!) but I am careful when traveling downhill across a slope. Also - it's a cart - no brakes. I've never felt out of control, but if you have long, steep downhills on a hard surface you may need to consider how (and where) you're going to stop with your heavy loads.

BOTTOM LINE: I LOVE my Neuton and highly recommend this product. Save your back. Let it do the hard work so you can do the fun stuff. Did I mention... it's fun to drive, too. ;-)

Wow!! Calling this an electric garden cart minimizes this awesome tool. It's an electric wheelbarrow at its finest.

I have a hobby horse ranch and use this cart for cleaning stalls and many other chores. It's wonderful for moving around just about anything. I've used it daily for about a month now and wish I'd learned about this electric wheelbarrow years ago.

The unit is fairly heavy duty, and I haven't found anything I don't like about it yet. The plastic bin holds a lot of "stuff" and rinses clean. Just tip it over to hose it off and let it dry.

I don't know exactly how long the charge will last because I charge it once a week without fail.

You won't be disappointed with this cart!

I bought this to haul firewood from the curb to my backyard -about 100 feet on a concrete walkway that rises less than 20 feet from curb to wood-pile. I am in my mid 70s and unable to maneuver heavy loads up that hill anymore - Heavy duty "MuckBucket" gas powered carts would work fine - except for the expense weight and noise -

Since according to the specs on page 19 of the user manual* (page 24 of the pdf)it says that it will haul 150# (68kg) up a 20 degree slope which is 36.4 foot rise in 100 feet (tan 20deg = 36.4):

"Of course, before you use your Cart again, you should change how you are using your Cart. Try reducing the load. Keep under 200 pounds (90 kilograms) on level surfaces; no more than 175 pounds (79 kilograms) on a 10° slope; and no more than 150 pounds (68 kilograms) on a 20° slope.
Don't drive straight up slopes; move up and down a slope at less of an angle. Keep out of loose or muddy terrain, which can cause the wheels to spin freely or even stop spinning while power is still being supplied to the motor; drive on more solid ground.
All these tips help keep the fuse from shutting down.
If the fuse continually trips while you are using your Cart under normal conditions, [...]

or from their website:

"Capacity (weight): 200 lbs. on level surfaces and up to 150 lbs.
on moderate slopes up to 20°"
[...]

The Neuton should have ran up a 20 foot rise in 100 feet with over a 100lb load with ease -
Instead - if I put more than 75# of firewood in it - the cut-out breaker trips in the first few seconds. And I must find a way to hold it on the hill for about a minute until it resets and I can help push it up the rest of the way to the backyard.

I called the manufacturer to see if anything was wrong and their response was that it wasn't designed to haul loads up hills (?)
despite the wording of the manual and description on their website) - and that any modification (bigger battery, extra drive unit (4WD) etc.) voids the warrantee. so he suggested I buy their $2000 "DR Power Wagon"

The ideal unit was made by Honda about 25 years ago - called the Honda Power Carrier 450 -still sold in Australia as the HP450K1 - at a commercial price
originally it sold for about $2000 USD retail
-too bad it's no longer avalable in U.S.

I bought this cart from the manufacturer the other day after reading the reviews right here on Amazon. It was delivered quickly using standard shipping. It had really good instructions on how to put it together (and I am not good at putting things together)...and only took a bit of strength to get things lined up. My daughter did help me turn it over onto it's wheels after i had assembled the bottom of the cart. I used it today to move mulch and compost around the yard. At first I tried to use brute strength to turn it and when I realized that's not going to work...i tried other ways and am now used to how to turn it (I pushed down slightly on the handle and with no strength required - moved it which ever way i needed to go letting the back swivel wheel do all the work) made moving the mulch around a fairly easy experience. I am older and don't have the strength that i once had, and this cart is allowing me to continue my gardening chores without waiting from help from my family. When I had a 3/4 load, i would use the fast forward on the grassy areas and that helped push the load nicely to the garden beds. It tips forward easily to dump the load and I found that I can almost get everything out by standing in front of it and pulling the handle forward even more. If you are thinking about a motorized wheelbarrow, I would definitely recommend this cart.

I was a little skeptical about this, but faced with the need to move 6 cu yards of topsoil in one day, I decided to make the leap. When the truck delivering the topsoil dumped its load, it was clear that it was much more than 6 cu yards - closer to 10. This little cart pulled through. It was able to keep going and going - we did have to recharge about 3 times over the course of 9 hours, but a half-hour or so of charging was enough to keep going. There was one break of about 90 minutes while catching part of a basketball game, but otherwise we just plugged it in while rehydrating.

I doubt I could have done it with a regular wheelbarrow - the self-propelled capability was great for the uphill and for maneuvering. The stability of the cart is great - no spills. The tires are also good at distributing weight - all 10 cu yards of soil had to go through one narrow area - the grass wasn't too badly squashed.

No question, I'd buy this again.

..or my lower back at least. I've got 4 herniated discs in my lower back. If it weren't for this cart I'd probably have to give up gardening entirely.

It's wonderful, plenty of get up and go. It does everything they claim. Only problem I've had was the back/center wheel went flat after 2 years. But all it needed was inflating.

i LOVE my garden cart! :D