For the last few days, it seems as if I’ve been asking myself over and over again who’s brilliant idea it was to get a pool. The trouble first started when the installers came and said our yard wasn’t level. Specifically, it was 11-inches higher at one point from the back of the yard. No problem, we have a friend who’s a contractor come in an excavate the circle the pool installers marked out. The problem came when my husband failed to mention that we also needed to excavate the area where the aluminum deck was going.

The backhoe was gone. It was Saturday night. The installers were returning on Monday. It meant only one thing: we would have to dig out the area ourselves. Specifically, myself as my husband was working 8-8 on Sunday.

The Step2 Yard About is something we’ve owned for some time, but I’ve never truly appreciated until this past week. It’s made of heavy-duty plastic and turns on wide plastic wheels with a steel axle. The plastic handle has a small carrying tray for tools or gloves. It’s also textured making it very easy to grip.

The green plastic bucket holds up to 6 cubic feet of dirt, sand, water, whatever! That was my mistake as I filled it up and then couldn’t move it. Lesson learned. However, as I moved dirt around the yard and back and forth I could easily see just how sturdy it is. Frequently I just turned the Step2 Yard About over and dumped the dirt out. The wheels did grip enough even on loose dirt to allow me to make it somewhat up the piles I’d already created, making it easy to build high piles without shoveling the dirt out of the Step2 Yard About. When I did have to shovel, the shape of the Step2 Yard About was quite conducive to getting a shovel in there as well as a rake and just pulling the dirt out if I tipped it rather than having to dig down into it.

The design makes it easy to either push or pull the Step2 Yard About. Sometimes I’d pull, then easily turn the Step2 Yard About around and push it when I wanted to dump something out. The maneuverability of the cart is very good, something that really surprised me.

As I said, we’ve had this a few years and while the plastic has become scratched in places, it hasn’t cracked anywhere. The wheels have held up great, showing only a little sign of wear. The axle hasn’t rusted. Our shed space is limited, so this is especially important since the Step2 Yard About is out in all kinds of weather. It’s even had water freeze inside of it and hasn’t been damaged in any way.

My husband has used this for all sorts of hauling as well. It’s been used to move snow and leaves as the seasons change. He’s even used it to move heavy objects when the need arose, and the Step2 Yard About handled it without the plastic buckling. I am really impressed.

The Step2 Yard About is not something for small jobs. This is definitely a cart designed to handle big jobs around the yard, although it’s also perfect for hauling things like bags of mulch, peat moss, rocks and more from your vehicle to the location you’re planning on using. Although I can’t load it to the top with something like dirt and be able to push or pull it, I know I have to load it halfway for things like that. However, for items like 100 pounds of pool filter sand, it was great to put the bags in the Step2 Yard About and bring them right back to the filter.

For anyone who has a big yard and does a lot of the work themselves, the Step2 Yard About is definitely a worthwhile investment. Ours will probably be with us for years to come.


Other gardening & yard related reviews:

Classy Groundcovers ~ Gardens Alive! Online Store ~ Gardener’s Supply Online Store ~ Michigan Bulb Online Store ~ Nature Hills Nursery ~ Safer Insecticidal Soap ~ Vermont Garden Cart


© 2004 Patti Aliventi



Recommended: Yes