Need Opinions on Spreading AG Lime

[Jeff244]

I am considering getting a Herd 1200s spreader. They claim that it can spread AG lime. Has anyone used one to spread it? I will use it for 4 different areas totaling about 25 acres and will also try to do work for other people, mainly smaller areas like foot plots, etc. that are too expensive to have the big equipment come out.

Here is a link to their site: Sand Spreaders from Herd Seeder





Thanks,
Jeff

 

[greg_g]

There's a big difference between liming food plots and liming 25ac. I hope you realize that soil samples should be analyzed to determine the lime application rate. To give you an example, last time my pasture was sampled - the results specified 4 tons to the acre. That's not Herd territory. Food plots yes, meaningful acreage - no. For 15 acres of pasture, that's 60 tons. Needless to say, I hired a professional spreader who did it with four 15 ton truck loads.

//greg//

 

[Jeff244]

Thanks for the reply,

You are right that I can't do large amounts efficiently. I did some rough calculations and this is what I came up with:

It costs $5 per ton to have FS spread the AG lime here with a $500.00 minimum and me supplying the AG lime. I haven't had the soil tested yet, but the guy there said they usually use 3 tons per acre in this area, so I would need about 75 tons. I tried to calculate how fast i could do it myself ( I am still waiting for more info from the manufacturer so I am guessing at this point) and came out to about 5 tons per hour, assuming that I can get it loaded quickly. At that rate, it would take me about 15 hours to do my 25 acres. Instead of paying the $500.00 to FS, it works out to about $33.00 per hour for my time(includes tractor and truck). I usually charge around $65.00 per hour so I couldn't make a living doing large amounts, but for jobs 25 tons or less, I should be cheaper than the professionals.

I was wondering if anyone has used this type of spreader and how well they work.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Peej]

Jeff
thats very interesting on the Herd sand spreader. I would think for ag lime you might want the different agitator they mention for fine sand. Would be interested in the results. I picked up an old 8' drop spreader to use at my hunting lease. Was affordable and did a great job, but not the kind of acreage you are talking about. Good luck.

 

[foggy1111]

Getting ag-lime spread is a difficult job on a small scale. Ive done a few tons by hand last year....and swore never again. I read lots of posts on ag lime....and searched for economical spreaders. I like the looks of that herd...but I have a small need.

If it were available at my hunting property (6 acres food plots) I'd have the co-op or a fertilizer company put down ag-lime for me. Those trucks would take all the work outta the deal. Alas.....they dont operate up in the pine tree country where my land is located....and my land is not geared to those trucks anyway.

I recently purchased an old Ezee-Flow drop spreader for $75. off Craigs List. Im in the process of getting this in shape to put ag-lime down at my land (and I have special needs to get mine narrowed up to get through the trees on my land). If you dont have the width restrictions due to trees.....these 10' drop spreaders would be a low cost alternative. They seem to be available....if you search.

 

[Baranx4]

Funny, I was also planning on purchasing an ezee flow spreader of craiglist also but passed. Almost everyone who deliveries bulk ag lime has the use of their spreader included in the price. It's much easier to use a 5 ton spreader than loading a 1/2 ton spreader. For remote areas I would rather use my point and mix it one to one with pellets.

 

[greg_g]

You are right that I can't do large amounts efficiently. I did some rough calculations

Been there, done that Jeff. What I came up with is that it's not nearly as easy as you figure. It takes me 20 minutes just to shovel half a ton from the trailer into the hopper. Not even counting spreading time, that's 160 minutes per acre of just loading time! Then you have to consider the dust. Half the time you're going with the wind, the other half the lime is coming back in your face. When he spread that 60 tons, I bet my neighbor's horse lot got at least quarter of it on the wind. The commercial guy I hired spread four 15 ton loads before noon, including travel time to and from the quarry. He did it with his windows rolled up, air conditioning on, stereo cranked.

If you're bound and determined to go ahead on your own, I recommend you consider pelletized lime. It's all I buy myself when the need comes for some spot spreading with my tractor (I've got one of those half ton Italian conical types). Pelletized is more expensive up front, but you need less in the end. I spread pellets at the 1t/ac rate. And there's almost no dust blowing back at me either.

//greg//

 

[Jeff244]

I did consider the pelletized lime but it's so expensive compared to the AG lime. The cheapest I found was 3.99 per 40lb. bag which comes out to $200.00 per ton. Even if I could find somewhere to purchase it by the ton, it would probably be around $125 or more per ton. I can get the AG lime delivered here for under $8.00 per ton.

The hopper on the Herd holds about a ton of material. There is a hopper extension that would add another 800lbs. of capacity. As far as loading it, I was planning on using a small dump truck(that holds about 8 to 9 tons) that has a coal chute. I could back up the tractor to the truck and open the coal chute and quickly fill it up. The potential problems with that are: 1) The trucks dump height is about 48" and the top of the hopper is 53". So I would have to either push up some material to make a ramp and raise the height of the truck or dig a hole to lower the hopper. The hopper extension would add another 12" of height. 2) My biggest concern is that the lime would plug up and not flow out of the chute. If the material is wet, that would be a definite possibility. My tractor does have a cab so the dust wouldn't be a problem except that I would need to clean and change the air filters more often.

I appreciate the input. I guess I am trying to justify spending around $1800.00. I think (hope) that there is a niche I can fill for people that need smaller areas limed. I have a couple of neighbors that could use it for food plots, but then I probably wouldn't charge them for it other than the cost of the lime.

Thanks, Jeff

 

[foggy1111]

I'm not sure about what kinda truck you have to haul the ag lime.....but thinking you are going to unload it by gravity via an even-flow through a chute is likely not in the cards. Lime will not "flow" that way.....unless its perfectly dry.....even then, I don't think so.

you are likely better served to dump it on the ground and load via a tractor/loader....but your hopper is pretty narrow for that method.

 

[Happyman]

Jeff244,
I HIGHLY recommend you let someone else spread the AG lime. I went through the same issues last fall. We cleared 12 acres of timber so we can start a Xmas tree farm. Soil needed lime and fertilizer. I have a 1000lb PTO driven spreader on my L3940 that I use for small feed lots and lawn areas. I considered using it for the AG lime and fertilizer. In the end, our local co-op (Southern States) came out and in 30 minutes had all the lime spread (dust everywhere!) and the fertilizer spread. I saved some money and a LOAD of hassle and back-ache.
Don't do this yourself! Let the pros do it who have the proper equipment. Even if it costs you a bit more, the effort on your part is not worth it.
TRUST ME! :thumbsup: