Heavy duty plant caddy from Cascade Manufacturing underneath a blue pot Reviews

Heavy Duty Plant Caddy from Cascade Manufacturing: Product Review

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GPR Recommendation

Quality
Stability
Mobility
Ease of Use
Final Thoughts

An extremely stable, high-quality plant caddy with a gorgeous hammered finish. Built to last a lifetime.

Overall Score 4.8

Available on Amazon

Buy It

The Heavy Duty Plant Caddy from Cascade Manufacturing isn’t your typical lightweight plant dolly that falls apart after only one season, collapses as it’s wheeled around or won’t hold anything beyond a small plastic pot. This is a heavy duty caddy – in every sense of the word.

Designed to hold plant pots weighing up to 450 lbs, the caddy is made from powder-coated steel that can easily handle the load of large, heavy planting containers (or anything else you can place on it, such as a patio heater).

To accommodate that kind of weight, the caddy itself is pretty hefty, weighing in at between 12.5 and 22 lbs (depending on the caddy size).

heavy duty plant caddy from Cascade Manufacturing packages in paper inside a cardboard box

I like that the company uses eco-friendly packaging whenever possible, and all paper packaging is 100% recyclable. Plus, it arrives with a personalized letter!

Rolls on 3 Sturdy Wheels

The caddy has three sturdy rubber wheels that roll smoothly across flat surfaces and spin 360 degrees, making it relatively easy to move. I say “relatively” because pushing a 200+ lb planter isn’t easy, even with freely-moving wheels!

There are optional locking casters available if you’re concerned about the plant dolly moving around. If it’s carrying a lighter weight planter, that might be a good idea. However, with a large, heavy pot I found that the casters were unlikely to roll unless I deliberately tried to move the caddy.

wheel and rim of a heavy duty plant caddy

The three wheels turn smoothly, spin 360 degrees and give the plant dolly good maneuverability.

Extremely Stable

The feature I like best about the Heavy Duty Plant Caddy is the low center of gravity. Because the platform is just ½ inch above the ground (and below the wheels), the plant dolly is incredibly stable. Unlike most wheeled plant caddies, you don’t have to worry about the pot tipping when you move it; the pot stays firmly seated on the caddy and there’s no wobble at all.

bottom, wheel and rim of a heavy duty plant caddy made by Cascade Manufacturing

The caddy floor sits just 1/2 inch above the ground and below the wheels, making it very stable. You can also see the gorgeous hammered copper finish.

Beautiful And Tough Finish

The Heavy Duty Plant Caddy is available in two gorgeous powder-coated finishes: hammered copper vein and hammered black. This isn’t your typical plastic caddy or sprayed-on matte finish.

The coating makes the entire caddy rust-resistant so it can be left outdoors year-round (although it’s so good-looking that you’ll want one indoors too!). However, although the finish is really tough, it’s possible to nick, dent or scratch it if you hit it hard enough. A heavy pottery planter can also scrape or wear the surface on the caddy floor as the pot is moved around.

My plant dolly holds a large potted Meyer lemon tree that’s watered regularly throughout the year. There’s no saucer beneath the pot so water runs over the Heavy Duty Plant Caddy at least once a week (more frequently in summer). After a year, the only sign of rust is in the few small spots worn by the heavy pot.

If you notice damage to the finish, I recommend touching it up with an enamel paint to prevent rusting of any exposed steel.

bottom of a heavy duty plant caddy from Cascade Manufacturing

There are only few small rust spots after a year of use. You can see where the tops of several raised “dots” were worn by the heavy plant pot rubbing as it was moved around. Other than that, there’s no sign of damage or rust (the stains are mineral deposits left by Tucson’s very hard water).

Designed for Water Drainage

The caddy floor on which the pot rests has raised “dots” that slightly elevate the bottom of the pot, making space for water to easily flow out the bottom of the planter. The center hole quickly drains water off the dolly and, if you center your pot over it, also allows water to drain freely from the pot.

The “dots” also add a little texture to what’s otherwise a very smooth surface, helping prevent the pot from sliding when the caddy is moved.

If you don’t like water running onto the ground or if you’re using the plant dolly indoors, just place a saucer under the pot.

Available in 3 Sizes

The Heavy Duty Plant Caddy is available in three sizes: 14, 17 and 22 inches. This number represents the inner diameter of the caddy’s rim; the outer rim is 5 to 5.5 inches wider.

The outer rim is the only quibble I have with this super-strong plant caddy. While the rim is decorative and helps hold the pot in place when the dolly is wheeled around, it also limits the size of the pot that can be used with the plant caddy. Other plant dollies can accommodate pots that overhang the dolly; this one can’t.

The rim also makes it more difficult to calculate which size caddy to order. If your plant pot is tapered toward the base, measure the diameter 2 inches above the bottom to ensure that it will fit inside the caddy rim (if you’ve ever tried to do that, you know how difficult it can be!). If the planter is 14, 17 or 22 inches across at the base and flares outward, you’ll probably need to get a larger size caddy.

measuring tape showing inner diameter of a heavy duty plant caddy from Cascade Manufacturing

The stated inner diameter takes into consideration the wider areas of the rim above the wheels. However, the rim limits the size of the pot that can be placed on the caddy.

Made in the USA

Cascade Manufacturing is located in Bellingham, WA and makes the plant dolly in their metal fabrication shop there. The company is locally owned and operated.

Warranty

All Rolling Plant Caddies from Cascade Manufacturing come with a one-year structural warranty. The warranty does not apply to coatings or casters as those can be damaged through “operator error” (that’s my term, not theirs).

Recommendation

This is a plant caddy that’s built to last; there’s nothing “cheap” or flimsy about it. The dropped-floor design makes it extremely stable, the wheels roll smoothly and the finish retains its good looks even with continuous exposure to scorching sun and drenching rain. Although it’s a larger investment than most other plant dollies, the quality, craftsmanship, and design make it a worthwhile purchase, particularly if you need to frequently move heavy pots (or other items).

Where to Buy

The Heavy Duty Plant Caddy can be purchased on Amazon but it’s somewhat less expensive when purchased directly from Cascade Manufacturing, where prices (not including shipping) range from $144.99 for the 14″ model to $224.99 for the 22″ one.

Shipping cost and time varies based on your location. A quick search on the Cascade Manufacturing website showed varying shipping rates and times. For example, it’s $12.88 and 3 days to Seattle, WA and $34.32 and 7 days to Portland, ME.

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Disclaimer – GPReview would like to thank Cascade Manufacturing for giving us a free sample to review. There was no expectation that it would be a positive review and we received no compensation for writing it. All opinions expressed here are those of the author based on personal experience using the product.

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