Impressed by the Toolcat.

[jabbahop]

do you mean the salt/sand spreader or the liquid spreader?

I spread sand so many of the spreaders wouldn't work as they are designed for salt which flows better than sand.

I ended up getting the herd spreader with the hydraulic kit and the quicktach mount. It isn't cheap - over $2K if I remember but works well even with sand that isn't totally dry. The only downsides are that it has to go on the front of the machine so you can't also have the snow on, and it requires that you leave the cab to open or adjust the flow gate.

Herd Seeder - Seeders, Spreaders and Feeders

 

[ndnewbie]

I have found a convenient sprayer and a convenient spreader, both for ag use on pastures. I took a tow behind sprayer and put it out front, where I can see it, and have far greater control of it. (It does get stuffy when spraying since I don't run the air.) I can drive in to get hard to reach areas.

The spreader I purchased at Fleet Farm, and plugs into the receiver. Information is available on it from Northern Tool at
SpinTech Seed Spreader — 100-Lb. Capacity, Model# 100SFTV | Lawn Spreaders | Northern Tool + Equipment This is the 100 lb size. There is a bigger size.

I have a great little gaget which is a 2" receiver that clips on the lift arm, for moving trailers. I put that on the front, and inserted the spreader into it, so could again have better control.

Had a plug put on the lift arm, controlled by a switch inside, so could turn the sprayer on and off from inside. The spreader came with a long enough cord to plug into power inside, and in-line toggle switch.

 

[3Bladz]

thats pretty cool. does it bounce much?

 

[ndnewbie]

I haven't had any trouble with bouncing. It is all bolted together as a unit, and my fields are pretty smooth. The same thing could be done by mounting a sprayer to a pallet and carrying it with forks, but that might bounce a bit, or one might be more prone to catching a corner of the pallet in uneven ground.

 

[Rolando]

I was looking on the manufacture's web site at the Spintech spreader and I'm not sure what they're saying about the spread pattern. Does it spread up to a 20 ft width or 40 ft?

I've been looking at the Bobcat Spreader, but that thing costs like $2,000 after you add the skidsteer mounting kit. It holds twice as much material and perhaps a wider spread if the Spintech unit only spreads 20 ft, but for that kind of difference in cost, I can stand to spend twice as much time doing the spreading.

 

[ndnewbie]

I had a hard time reading exactly what the spread pattern was (and didn't study the directions to see if they said.) I treated it as if the pattern was about 20'.

The nice thing about it is that it is spring loaded, something like a starter for a car. When you engage it the rotation causes the spinning distribution disk to drop, opening the flow of fertilizer, seed, or whatever. When you shut it off, the springs cause it to rise block the opening, all from inside the cab.

That being said, this is not a precision instrument. The fertilizer dumps out the bottom and spins off the disk The application rate is problematic, determined mostly by how fast you drive. I do not think I would want to use it for seed.

Also, for some reason there are sides around the distribution spinner. I took those off. I have no idea why those were there.

My pastures did green up nicely.

 

[3Bladz]

I have an earthway from northern tool. I doubt it would spread sand, but I liked that it has a shut off gate so pelletized ice melt wont leak out and I can vary the rate separate from the distance. My other spreader had vary speed control but the faster it spun the more material it dumped. I could not drive that fast on ice.