9 Home and Garden Tools That are Easy On Your Back
Updated: Aug. 26, 2021Caring for and maintaining your lawn and garden can be backbreaking work. Ease that pain with these ergonomic tools and skip the backache and ibuprofen.
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Wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrows are workhorses, helping you cross the yard with a heavy load. But, it’s easy to strain your back when you’re trying to fill a wheelbarrow. One solution is a collapsible wheelbarrow like the Wheeleasy LE Garden Cart that lays flat on the ground until you’re ready to pick up and move. Want more clever ways to solve problems? Check out these ingenious uses for 5-gallon buckets!
Wheeled Plant Dolly
There’s no need to lift heavy potted plants from place to place when you can use a plant dolly instead. They come in a number of sizes and colors, and in a pinch, they can make moving a heavy bag of soil or mulch too. Here’s a collection of tips for moving all sorts of heavy stuff.
Photo: Courtesy of The Home Depot
Garden Weeder
Gone are the days of bending over to pluck a pesky dandelion. With Fiskars Triple-Claw Weeder’s long handle and easy-eject mechanism you’ll never have to pluck a weed by hand again. Or, use these natural techniques to help prevent the spread of weeds—and learn what they can teach you about your soil.
Photo: Courtesy of Fiskars
Hose Wand
Keep a thirsty garden hydrated without bending or reaching with a hose wand like this Orbit Hose-End with Ratcheting Head. Pair it with a lightweight expandable nylon hose and you’ll reach any corner of your landscaping with ease. To automate watering, install a drip irrigation system.
Garden Cart Work Seat
The constant up and down of gardening can be straining. With the Goplus Garden Cart Rolling Work Seat, large rubber wheels make it easy to transition over sidewalk, lawn and soil, while the attached tray and basket make sure everything you need is right at hand. The ergonomic tractor style seat swivels and is large enough to accommodate most sizes. There is also a rolling work seat in this collection of the 15 best garden tools you can buy from Harbor Freight.
Seat & Kneeler
With the Ohuhu Garden Kneeler and Seat you can keep your knees happy while using the padded kneeler, and then flip it into a stool to give your back a rest. It’s lightweight, and folds for space-saving storage.
Handle Attachment
You can stand up straight when you add an extra handle to your rake or shovel. Products like the EziMate Handle Attachment allow you to position your hands to increase leverage and take the strain off your back. Attach it to any tool with a long handle to make snow shoveling, sweeping, or raking easier, too. This is our favorite DIY long-handled tool garage storage rack.
Short-Handled Shovel
Go short when you’re gardening in a seated position by using shortened versions of tools designed to be used while you’re seated or kneeling. This Radius Garden Mini O Shovel is one example. Using tools that are the wrong height can put your body in an awkward bend. While saving your back, you can also save some cash with these 10 frugal gardening tips.
Photo: Courtesy of Radius Garden
Elevated Garden Bed
Eliminate the need to bend over all together with an elevated garden bed. Create a masterpiece flower or vegetable garden arrangement in a large elevated bed like this Gronomics Rustic Cedar Raised Planter Box or build your own from scratch.
Looking for something on a smaller scale? Hang flower planters, like this one, alongside your windowsill or deck railing. How about a living wall? These 14 flower walls will inspire you!
Photo: Courtesy of Lowes