Customer Reviews for John Deere 1,650 lb. 18 cu. ft. Tow-Behind Steel Utility Cart

Arrived in undamaged box. Upon opening box found well packaged but after taking out of packaging the cart itself was damaged with mega damage scratches and a dent on bottom side. These mega scratches were defiantly made before packaging same with the dent. The grease fitting are too close to inner wheel making impossible to grease even with a needle grease connection so I tried to use 45 Degree grease fitting, to close and I messed up the wheel threads so I used Dremel tool with burr tool and shaved off the 45 degree fitting and welding in place with Locktite EA 3478. The directions need much improvement but if you carefully follow the photo's you can assemble. Besides for this cart being sold new, when it should be sold as 2nds it works and will see many dents and scratches over it's lifetime. Don't know where this cart was manufactured but on the tires they definitely state, Made in China. 1st photo right side front, 2nd photo right side rear.

As in other reviews the assembly instructions leave a little to be desired, but with a little thought and the ability to count you can sort the hardware easily and then follow the instructions. I added a 2" ball hitch (drilling holes before assemble is easiest). Have used several times already this winter and it hauls everything I need. Use a small wooden Jack stand when trailer is full to disconnect from tractor ball.

As others stated, the assembly instructions are terrible. There are no pictures of the parts list so you cant know what you have. Several photos are blurry and you cant make which way they want you to insert hardware. The axle support frame that attaches to the container had bolt holes that didn't match up. I had to use a hammer to pound the brackets and flange to align properly. The bolts they provide are too short. They barely catch the nuts. The holes are slightly too large and when I tightened the bolt it crushed into the hole and wasn't flush. One wheel wouldnt accept grease. It just poured around the zerk. The tailgate is supposed to have holes for bolts that were MISSING. I couldn't finish without having to drill them out myself. The actual construction of the steel container worries me a bit. One other reviewer said rocks punctured the metal and it bent up. I could definitely see that happening. It seems thin and bouncy when I sat in it. (I'm only 175 pounds) They spot welded the edges together. its not a continuous one and looks weak. For the money, I expected a lot more. Customer service was good. They offered to send me a new gate, and tire, and bolts. I dont trust the workmanship however. I'm not sure its a good idea to invest any more time to repair it and have it fail again down the line. THE only good thing about this product is the drawbar. A nice solid piece of steel. Too bad everything else was garbage. 5 hours to install and another 2 hours to return this let alone the afternoon I had to take off to accept delivery from a 3rd party delivery company. BAH.

Great solid wagon, no need to worry about the bottom cracking like the poly carts. assembly was not bad BUT for the money better hardware could have been used, like every other reviewer states. Needs about 25 5/16 flat washers for the elongated holes and some plastic washers for the tailgate latches instead of o-rings.....Really John Deere?! Awesome cart though, just needs better Hardware!!

After beating up a lightweight utility cart over the years I needed somthing more durable. I looked at several other little trailers on the market but decided on the 18 cu. ft. John Deere. It arrived in a few days of ordering. Asssembly was ok except for getting the trip lever. I had to purchase a 1 7/8 hitch receiver to adapt to my equipment. I haul up to 25 face chord of green hardwood out of the woods annually so it will see some heavy duty use. I wish it had sideboard pockets, I'll have to add some sideboards as well. Overall it's a nice little unit that should last many years.

I am an avid gardener and spend a lot of time mulching, planting and all things out doors. My daughter loves rides in our new cart, it is spacious and sturdy.

I think the hitch needs improvement, the hook up needs to be easier for the older generation. My opinion is the cart is great all but the hitch. I think it looks great and pulls very smooth. I love it. Thanks

I had a 15 cu. one, sold it to the neighbor for $200, after a little accident with it. I told him I was going to buy another one. Had another one coming from Home Depot with-in 24 hours. I really can't do without a heavy duty lawn trailer. Yes, I have more trailers. I need a big lawn trailer that the wheels won't fall off and I can abuse. This one fits the bill. My first one I did not have to put it together, bought it from dealer. This one was easy for my wife to put together, I'm a little disabled. Vern

We are very pleased with this utility cart. It lives up to the quality of a John Deere product. Our only complaint was in the assembly. The instructions did not have clear illustrations and we used a lot of time trying to figure out where things went. We also had to replace three bolts that came with the product that would not tighten, But once it was assembled, we are very pleased with the heavy-duty sturdiness. It can carry a load of wood behind our compact tractor, yet it is easy to move around our shed by hand.

The John Deere tow cart is a quality piece of equipment; single piece deep bed with no seams or bolt heads, hinged tailgate that swings open or removes easily, study release mechanism that prevent cart from accidently dumping, 1 inch solid axle, and wide turf tires. The instruction manual is pathetic. The pictures lack clarity and orientation as they are poor quality close-ups. This prevents knowing how the part is attached in relation to the cart. There are references to bolts with round heads that do not exist. Overall, the parts do align and fit well but the manual does detract from the higher overall quality that you should expect from a JD product. The tow bar channel does not have holes predrilled for attaching a ball coupler. This feature would have been a low cost plus. If you have a small tractor with a 3 pt. hitch, you will need a swinging drawbar to keep the tow arm back far enough to allow for sharp turns. I have a carry all with receiver. I opted to drill the holes to allow for a ball carrier. I tried the standard pin attachment on the tow bar and besides the turning/clearance problem, the tow bar bangs up and down on the tractor’s drawbar. The cart is made of steel and painted with a high grade finish. I am hauling a lot of rock and it handles the heavy loads well. However, steel will dent easily so I am using thick poly bins to protect the finish. Ironic, but over time, I’ll remove the bids as the gleam in my eyes dim.

The cart seems like a solid piece of equipment. However, these little rubber covers for the end of the gate latches are useless. They don't stay on at all. These could be a rubber spray coat and they would stay on much better. I have only had this cart for a couple of months at this point.

I bought the Model 18 from Home Depot and the quality control on this cart is TERRIBLE. Pieces are missing, parts don't fit, and the instruction manual is horrible. I have had to take this to the JD dealer to get spacers trimmed to fit, order missing spacers from customer service, and buy missing flat washers from the local hardware store, and NOW one of the nuts for the shoulder bolts is missing as well. Whatever pleasure I might have gotten from this product will be forever tempered by the nightmare of assembly. I'd go on, but I doubt they will let me post profanity.

I would recommend with caveats. I had the Model 18 cart, and it had parts that didn't fit and was also missing parts. The two spacers that were to be inserted into the lock bar were too big, and had to be trimmed to size at the JD dealership. Then, the two spacers that go on the axle were.missing, and had to be shipped separately. Plus, the pictures in the included owner manual were blurry and not real helpful. The pics in the online version were much better. So, I haven't ACTUALLY used the cart yet, because I am still waiting on parts. Overall , I am really disappointed in the quality control. It is a pretty green, though.

Not too hard to put together. Biggest problem was getting getting the spring assembly for the dump release installed (and that was a pain!). Noticed weld joints on body are off by a little and one side of the top lip on front of cart is higher than the other. Other than that everything fine so far.

This trailer has done what I needed it to do and matches my tractor perfect. Added a ball hitch for a more secure attachment and hub covers to protect my clothing for getting grease on them while loading the trailer.

My husband loved his Christmas present! He had fun and very little trouble assembling the trailer. We’ve made good use of it already and are quite pleased with it!

Wish it came with at ball hitch option and that it had more ground clearance.

This has been my favorite toy this past summer. I am so glad I did not choose the plastic version, which would likely resist rust, but would eventually crack or break just like all of my plastic tub wheel barrows have done. I just take a bit of care to make sure the cart is empty and in the dump position when stored outside, as to not promote rust. Very satisfied as to the gauge of metal, it does not seem flimsy and seems like it will last a long time. One issue: My tire went flat parked in my garage loaded with firewood. I removed the wheel and found a tiny leak at the sidewall/tread corner of the tire. Tires still have all the nubs and no evidence of a puncture, but looked like a tiny bubble coming from inside the tire, possibly a manufacturing defect. I was worried that it was going to be a hassle to get fixed/replaced. I was so wrong, it was the smoothest warranty transaction I have ever faced. I called the customer service phone number given on the warranty paperwork, described the problem, gave the gentleman my model/serial number, and new tire and wheel assembly is on the way via Fed Ex. The entire transaction took about 5 minutes, of which 2 minutes was holding for the representative. This is the compelling reason I am leaving this review, to give this company an A+ for standing behind their products.

Over all a well built trailer. Delivery was a week overdue. But has some issues such as the locking lever is not very good. Lost the load 3 times in one trip with fire wood on it and had unload and reload to re latch it. The fit of the latch does not engage fully and I had to modify it to work properly. Also it is missing the wire bail to keep the latch engaged. Because of the load when it unlatched it bent the bottom of the trailer and the tailgate as the load shifted. Quality control in this area is lacking. The assembly went fairly easy. The trailer tongue is very low for attaching to a quad so it is at a very steep angle when traveling.

The John Deere 18 cu.ft. cart is a great high quality piece of equipment, as expected from Deere. It rolls, dumps, and the tailgate comes off easy. It took less then an easy fun hour to put together. There is some extra hardware because it includes stuff to assemble the smaller cart. Good price.

Just the right cart not to big and not to small does everything i want to do!

Side was damaged on cart. Kept cart because I didn't want to mess with shipping it back.

Horrible assembly instructions, had to file down a bad weld. Fine after assembly but frustrating start

Nice trailer, heavy gauge metal makes it sturdy. Easy to put together and the fit and finish is good. Only problem I had was with the zerk fittings on the wheels, you will need a 90 deg grease adapter for a grease gun to fill the hubs with grease. Tried replacing the zerks but they are metric.

Very sturdy excellent cart.

I like the product. It function well. The assembly instructions were not as clear as they might have been. I also had to go purchase a couple of bolts as the ones included were for the smaller cart. Nothing too burdensome, just minorly annoying.

My husband was pleasantly surprised. Has been enjoying it

parts were missing directions were not accurate

Quality materials, easy to assemble. I like that the tail gate can be flipped up like a dump truck or simply removed. Looks great. If stored outside it may rust but the sun won't kill it like it would a plastic trailer. It's deep enough to take the kids for a ride around the yard without falling over the edge. The pin to attach the trailer to the tractor is short and very hard to use. I replaced it with a magnetic handle available from John Deere.

I would give this John Deere steel utility cart 5* but the instructions and construction is frustrating. Highly recommend having it built by local dealer. Other than that we love it so far. We’ve been working on a large landscaping project in our front yard (so far...backyard is next). And moving products river rock, gravel and bark mulch. The cart holds up and dumps easy. Being pushed to get a tractor now.....