General Purpose Tools

Nylon Hand Truck

Light dolly

Every household garage and homestead needs a hand truck. It’s amazing how often you’ll use it once you have one. Makes heavy and awkward things seem less so. I’ve hauled all kinds of weird stuff. Big tires can work outside in the yard, too. And you’ll be a hero next time a friend needs to move. “Be sure to bring your hand truck,” they say.

The truck I settled on is a lightweight yet tough nylon model made by Harper, but I don’t think the make matters much. (There is a similar one from Gleason.) Since it weighs only 22 pounds it’s easy to toss in the trunk, yet it will handle weights greater than I can move (600 pounds). It has big fat balloon tires, stair glides (to ease going up or downstairs), and is just about indestructible.

You can get a cheap new metal one for $20. Since they are hard to kill, a hand truck is a great candidate for buying used.

-- KK 12/15/21

(This is a Cool Tools Favorite from 2006 — editors)

© 2022