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I’ve been an active gardener and landscape designer for more than 30 years—so I’ve moved a lot of earth, stones, plants, and trees. I keep a small fleet of yard carts busy for most of the growing season.
I am also the happy owner of two other WORX products, the WORX battery-powered trimmer/edger and the WORX 56V battery cordless mower. I like the WORX company, which creates low-noise, zero-emissions products. They also put an emphasis on no-hassle product design.
With that experience, I was glad to receive the WORX Aerocart (WG050) for review in April of 2015.
What Is the WORX Aerocart?
On the WORX website, the product is described as an “8-in-1 lifting and moving work system that instantly converts between a wheelbarrow, yard cart, bag holder, dolly, extended dolly, cylinder carrier, rock/plant mover & trailer tote.”
In four months during the 2015 growing season, I found opportunities to use Worx Aerocart most frequently as a wheelbarrow, yard cart, rock/plant mover, and dolly. Since I don’t have a trailer to tote, I have no experience with the trailer-tote feature, but WORX literature says it can be used to move boat, motorcycle or other trailers around the yard and driveway.
Weight, Size, Capacity
Aerocart is made of powder-coated steel. It has a wheelbarrow weight capacity of 300 pounds, with a volume capacity of about three cubic feet (about one and one-half large bags of mulch, for comparison). It has two dolly arms—one with a depth of 5 inches that can hold up to 300 pounds. The extended dolly is 24 inches deep, but has only 80 pound capacity.
Assembly
Out of the box, it took me only five minutes to assemble the basic 41 pound cart without reading the instructions.
The accessories were not were immediately familiar. This part of the assembly was not intuitive, but I used the well-designed pictorial assembly guide to add the other parts—a barrel stabilizer, a bag holder, and the dolly platform and the dolly extension.
The basic AeroCart was easy to assemble in about five minutes without instructions.
The accessories required the use of the pictorial assembly guide.
The guide is well designed and was easy to use.
What’s Good and What Could Be Better
- Yard dolly: The basic dolly became my favorite feature. I do a lot of container gardening. Aerocart helped move about 15 containers weighing 40 – 50 pounds without assistance. My family learned to like this feature as well.
- I hope the company will increase the shelf size of the basic dolly platform in the future. At 5-1/4 inches, it is too narrow for many yard items.
- The dolly can be extended to 24 inches with two raise-and-lower “arms.” Unfortunately, the mesh accessory that creates the base platform between the arms feels flimsy. I found it difficult to fit over the arms. While it did successfully hold the containers, it sagged under some base sizes. The containers thus rode very close to the ground.
The dolly feature is good for moving patio stones, for instance. The basic dolly platform is five inches deep.
- Leverage and balance: The two-wheel design gives Aerocart a distinct mechanical advantage over wheelbarrow design. When I moved a load of soil (about 2.5 cubic feet, probably weighing about 200 pounds) the cart rolled easily over my very sandy soil. Wheelbarrows, by comparison, are very difficult to move over the same area—which is why I gave away my wheelbarrow years ago. I use only garden carts, all of which have two wheels.
- The disadvantage is that the Aerocart has a small carrying capacity compared to most wheelbarrows.
- Narrow width: This turned out to be one of its best features. Aerocart moved easily through narrow garden paths. It is only 22 inches wide.
- One disadvantage is that it means the bucket is relatively small.
- Another disadvantage, compared to a wheelbarrow, is that the Aerocart is very long and can be difficult to move around a tight corner.
- Bag holder: The bag holder functioned well enough as a receptacle for yard waste as long as the extended dolly arms were down and mesh platform was installed. This accessory has a bungee cord to secure the bag, but I found it wasn’t tight enough to hold the bag as it became heavier—so I used my own bungee cord.
The bag holder attachment and extended dolly turn the unit into a collection vehicle for yard waste.
The extended dolly holds up to 80 pounds.
- Pot Holder: I plant many trees and shrubs. I found it impossible to use the mesh accessory to carry a heavy pot or root ball.
The extended dolly moved this eggplant container easily.
The mesh accessory beneath sometimes sags under the weight of some containers.
- Colors: I appreciated the dayglow orange accents on the cart for the visibility they provided. I often work near busy roads.
- Wheels: The wheels are solid and won’t deflate.
- Efficient Storage: The narrow width and the almost-vertical upright position mean that Aerocart takes far less storage space than other yard carts and wheelbarrows. Stored upright, the cart is 58” tall by 22” wide and less than 20” deep. Perhaps more importantly, this single piece of equipment takes the place of several separate pieces of equipment. Theoretically, that means you’ll need fewer items in the shed.
One strength of the Aerocart is that it easy to move into narrow spaces.
- Sturdiness: The cart feels solid and well made. It does not feel flimsy.
The 58 inch tall Aerocart can move longer items. Here, I am rolling deck parts across a lawn.
- Maintenance: I don’t know of any maintenance the product requires other than keeping it out of the weather when not in use. My cart retained its like-new appearance in the four months I’ve been using it, but I keep it in a shed. It’s important to add, however, that I spoke with another Aerocart owner who had this story to tell:
“The parts rusted within 5-6 months (then again, I left it outside so I guess that’s not unexpected). The problem is that the attachments now don’t attach due to the rust and I can’t let down the part on front to use it as a dolly. So it either needs to be consistently stored indoors (if you have space) or the attachments become useless over time.”
Company literature says the powder coating and steel construction inhibit rust, but that wear may develop over time due to the normal rigors of outdoor use.
Recommendation
I have mixed feelings about AeroCart. On the one hand, I have used it successfully for a variety of tasks. On the other hand, I wonder if I would purchase it at the current price of around $150 (with a three-year warranty and a 60-day money-back guarantee) if given the choice of a $250 large-capacity yard cart such as I have owned for years.
I think the Aerocart has a future if the company rethinks the mesh accessory and the basic dolly depth. As currently configured, the product gets “three spades” from me.
Editor’s Note – The WORX Aerocart is probably best thought of as a small, narrow, lightweight wheelbarrow that does a few other things but isn’t primarily used for anything other than hauling. I use mine nearly every day in my small garden which has very narrow paths that can’t accommodate a full-sized wheelbarrow. The design also makes it easier to lift a full load, making it ideal for people who may not have the strength to maneuver a regular wheelbarrow.
Where to Buy
WORX products can be purchased on worx.com, as well as on Amazon. Some of their products are also available at Walmart, Home Depot, and other retail stores.
WORX WG050 Aerocart 8-in-1 Yard Cart / Wheelbarrow / Dolly
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