3pt spreader.... thinking about buying one

[yoderjac]

Another option is the ATV/UTV Bumper Buddy seed spreader, if you wanted to go with something you didn't have to attach to your tractor or if you have a receiver hitch on your tractor you could use this.

On Time Feeders

www.ontimefeeders.com

I've considered an ATV/UTV seeder. I don't see any advantage with this class of seeder on an ATV/UTV. I would expect similar results to a 3-pt broadcast seeder except you can't hold a constant speed as well with an ATV/UTV. For ATV/UTV seeders, I would look at Herd. They seem to have much more precise controls for small seed. This is the downfall of most of the broadcast spreaders. As long as you have a carrier, you are OK, but trying to spread small seed alone is problematic.

 

[Chainsaw]

My original 3 point metal seed spreader came from Central Tractor and is well over twenty years old and maybe closer to thirty. Each year I say well hope it makes one more year yet it is still barely hanging on and is now used for fertilizer only. Bought an inexpensive electric ATV/UTV spreader from Cabela's a few years ago and just love it. It is used for spreading all types of seeds except chicory and sure does beat the over the shoulder manual spreader model. If a real small plot is being done then the old over the shoulder spreader may be used. Note; Electric spreader might work on chicory, just haven't tried it.

The electric spreader is set for a very slow release so multiple passes are made and an even distribution of seeds, surprisingly even with clover and turnips is the result. It fits the bill perfectly for doing a few food plots a year. The ATV and/or the UTV is also used for dragging the fence harrow around to cover the seed. It is so much more comfortable and faster than using a tractor. The old rusty 3 point hitch metal spreader will eventually be replaced with one just like it or a plastic version depending on price and will be used for just fertilizer.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Bumping this one as I’m tempted to get a 3point cone spreader. I have an atv one now that was like $150 that is pretty cheap but works decent.

I would primarily use it for fertilizer and broadcasting rye over earlier planted food plots. The intriguing part of a 3 point model is that I could load more than one bag of fertilizer at a time, spread further and probably more uniformly, and have the ability to spread just 90 degrees to one side and thus minimize driving paths through a plot. Fertilizing something like a sorghum screen without driving in it at all sounds great.

My main question is if anyone uses the spreader just to one side and how that function has worked for you? Also, how easy is it to stop the spreading when you hit the end of a plot and need to turn around? I need to look into the on/off function of these to make sure I understand how they work.

This one looks interesting https://www.everythingattachments.c...er-SPL-400-p/lba-fertilizer-spread-spl400.htm

 

[yoderjac]

WOW, that looks expensive, but I guess everything is these days. I've been using a cone broadcast spreader for many years. I don't use fertilizer any more, but when I did, I cleaned it after every use as that can be caustic. The cone is metal on mine, so it was especially important, but the mechanics are metal, on all of them, so I would wash it out good if you plan to use fertilizer.

Mine is a John Deere, I believe. At one point, the spinner sheared off. It was expensive to fix at the JD dealer, but still worth fixing. I ask them why it failed and if there was a grease jerk I was missing. They said "No" and told me there was no place to lubricate where it wore out. I now spray it with teflon spray when I'm done using it each time. I don't know if that will prevent the issue from re-occurring or not.

I would check out the mechanics and make sure there is a way to lube them if you get a new one.

As for use, mine does have a directional control, but I never use it. As for making turns, I don't really use a broadcast spreader that way. Unlike a planter or drill where you are going for more precision, with a cone spreader, it is more of a crude broadcast of seed. Here is how I use mine. I don't try to calibrate it like a drill. I fill the sprayer with the total amount of seed I want to broadcast in the field. If the field is too large for one load of seed, I'll divide the field into section matching what I can carry in the spreader.

I make a first pass around the field with the door open only far enough that I'm getting some seed broadcast. You can move pretty fast when using one of these, so multiple passes are not a big issue. That first pass is to make sure I have some seed covering the whole field or section. I then open the door to the level I suspect will give me about the right rate. This is trial and error with each mix. I work my way up rather than opening the door too wide and running out of seed. After that second pass, if I still have a little seed left, I just randomly zig-zag around the field or section until it is empty. I then have the lbs/ac I want on that field. I don't try to shut it on and off as I go. I just keep driving till it is empty.

These work great for larger seed that is being distributed in high volume like cereal grains. They also do well with mixes that have at least one large seed at a high rate in the mix. They don't do well at fine control things like broadcasting PTT or perennial clover alone. Since I always plant clover the fall with a WR nurse crop, the WR acts as a carrier for the clover and I have no issues. Same with PTT and GHR and CC. They are always broadcast with WR which acts as a carrier.

I like the results I get from it and use it more often than my no-till drill for T&M plots. For large seed that want to be planted deeper like soybeans and corn, the drill is a better bet. For most of the stuff I now plant, the broadcast spreader works great!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Thanks Jack. I think I’d just broadcast rye with a bag seeder before zig zagging all over the already planted oats, brassica, peas, clover, beans, chicory, etc with the tractor. I don’t have much for acreage though.

 

[Wild Thing]

I don't use synthetic fertilizers anymore with my no-till, regenerative ag practices, but I have spread many, many tons of it, as well as some pelletized lime with my 3 Point Cyclone spreader over the years. Mine is a Cosmo (I believe) which I purchase at TSC many years ago. I have spread some rye with it but it was pretty much used only for fertilizer and pell lime.



Who says you can't use your I-Match-Quick-Hitch with a 3 Pt spreader?


I did just a little modification on mine so it matches up perfectly with the quick hitch.


I built a little stand for it out of scrap lumber and I can back up to it and hook up or drop the spreader in a couple minutes.


This spreader is 15-20 years old maybe? There is zero rust in the cone itself so as long as you clean it after each use - the cone is never going to rust out on you.


What will rust is the spin cast plate. Even with regular cleaning every time I used it, the steel plate rusted out and eventually casted off the spreader cups.


So I replaced the rusted out plate with a stainless steel plate. I would make this switch sooner rather than later to avoid issues with being more difficult to remove after it is completely rusted out.


My spreader got a thorough rinsing out after every use before it was put away in the lean-to....


You can preserve the spincast plate and other parts by liberal applications of Fluid Film...


or diesel fuel but you do need to use some kind of lube on these things.

 

[yoderjac]

Thanks Jack. I think I’d just broadcast rye with a bag seeder before zig zagging all over the already planted oats, peas, clover, beens, chicory, etc with the tractor. I don’t have much for acreage though.

That is a lot to spend for small acreage but it would work well for that purpose. For sub-acre stuff, I often use a Solo chest mount spreader. Good exercise and great seed metering. Works well with small seed. It does fine with larger seed but you'll need to fill multiple times for a small field using WR.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

So is it fair to say most of these don’t have an easy way to close the gate or stop spreading from the seat of the tractor? I can at least do that with my cheap atv spreader.

 

[yoderjac]

So is it fair to say most of these don’t have an easy way to close the gate or stop spreading from the seat of the tractor? I can at least do that with my cheap atv spreader.

No, it is just a leaver to close the gate. My point was just that it is not necessary in most cases. I don't drive to the end of the field. I make my turn early so that the broadcast distance of the spreader reaches the end of the field when I turn. I'm just saying that it is not a precision seeder. Seed metering is a bit crude. You can fool around with the controls and try to adjust it, but it is sort of like polishing a turd. I'm not saying you can't do what you want. I'm just saying that once you start using it, you'll find that doesn't buy much in most cases.

 

[Wild Thing]

So is it fair to say most of these don’t have an easy way to close the gate or stop spreading from the seat of the tractor? I can at least do that with my cheap atv spreader.

Yes, I can open and close the gate from the seat of my tractor. I do not have a cab so I can raise the 3 pt spreader all the way up and turn around in the seat to throw the lever. Truthfully though - in most cases it wasn't necessary because I would fill the hopper with the correct amount of fertilizer for the plot and run it around the plot until it was empty.

 

[SwampCat]

I have a 3 pt spreader that I use when running hundreds of lbs of fertilizer or medium to big size seed - which isnt often. I have a moultrie electric receiver hitch mount I use for smaller seed - that I mount up on the bed of my polaris ranger. The receiver hitch mounted seeders can really sit low to the ground and be problematic if trying to tnm because the spinner isnt high enough to get over the top of the vegetation. I would NOT run fertilizer in an electric.

 

[Foggy47]

^. Wild Things post above is "spot on" for caring for a 3 point Spreader. Almost all the good spreaders are made by Cosmo in Italy and imported and rebranded. I have a Csomo/ King Kuter Steel tub for 12+ years and have spread lots of fertilizer and grains with it. ALWAYS blow it off with compressed air.....run some water and a broom over it....then put some fluid film on the crevaseiss in the spinner plate. Still looks like new. Will last longer than me. Store mine on a small furniture dolly from Harbor Freight. Bought mine new for $350 when I bought my KK box frame disk some years 12 back. Mine holds 500 lbs....and is nice for fertilizer. Dealer was begging me to buy it. I accommodated him. ;).

Later I bought a Herd GT77 seeder....and used it more for rye and grains. (and especially clover and brasica) than the Cosmo. Have used it twice for fertizer in a pinch....but really cleaned it well after that.

Both still look really good. No rust and just minimal corrosion on the Cosmo. FLUID FILM IS THE REAL DEAL!

EDIT: Guess time is flying by....I have had that Cosmo / King Kutter for about 15 years now.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I don't use synthetic fertilizers anymore with my no-till, regenerative ag practices, but I have spread many, many tons of it, as well as some pelletized lime with my 3 Point Cyclone spreader over the years. Mine is a Cosmo (I believe) which I purchase at TSC many years ago. I have spread some rye with it but it was pretty much used only for fertilizer and pell lime.

View attachment 44007

Who says you can't use your I-Match-Quick-Hitch with a 3 Pt spreader?
View attachment 43997

I did just a little modification on mine so it matches up perfectly with the quick hitch.
View attachment 43998

I built a little stand for it out of scrap lumber and I can back up to it and hook up or drop the spreader in a couple minutes.
View attachment 43999

This spreader is 15-20 years old maybe? There is zero rust in the cone itself so as long as you clean it after each use - the cone is never going to rust out on you.
View attachment 44000

What will rust is the spin cast plate. Even with regular cleaning every time I used it, the steel plate rusted out and eventually casted off the spreader cups.
View attachment 44001

So I replaced the rusted out plate with a stainless steel plate. I would make this switch sooner rather than later to avoid issues with being more difficult to remove after it is completely rusted out.
View attachment 44003

My spreader got a thorough rinsing out after every use before it was put away in the lean-to....
View attachment 44004

You can preserve the spincast plate and other parts by liberal applications of Fluid Film...
View attachment 44005

or diesel fuel but you do need to use some kind of lube on these things.
View attachment 44006

Some great tips^^^^^^
I only use my spreader for pel lime as it is impossible to get the ag lime fellas out to the property ( an issue to be left for another thread)

bill

 

[jsasker007]

So is it fair to say most of these don’t have an easy way to close the gate or stop spreading from the seat of the tractor? I can at least do that with my cheap atv spreader.

The one I have you can close the gate with the lever if you have a back window that opens on a tractor with a cab. If no cab then just turn around in your seat. Still would need to shut down the pto so you aren't grinding up seed because the spinner keeps spinning inside the hopper.

 

[jsasker007]

I always just get out of the tractor and close it if going from one plot to another. Reading the setting for the gate opening is the hardest part for me because I always forget my cheaters in the house and just squint and guess. First use was a little rough. Settings were hard to see and wound up setting it at 1 1/2" instead of 1/2". Seeded the hell out of the first 200' and ran out of seed! Don't do that!

 

[Foggy47]

The one I have you can close the gate with the lever if you have a back window that opens on a tractor with a cab. If no cab then just turn around in your seat. Still would need to shut down the pto so you aren't grinding up seed because the spinner keeps spinning inside the hopper.

I had to make a PVC extension handle for mine....but I can open the rear cab window to operate the handle. I put a bunge strap on it when going longer distances to prevent the handle from working up. Gets a little hard to reach that handle that runs the gates.....but I always seem to manage it.

 

[Foggy47]

Hmmm....Maybe should replace my bolts with some SS bolts. May add some life there. That is what gets hard to clean up.

 

[Hideaway Acres]

I have a Land Pride FSP 500. Specs say it holds 5.83 cu. ft. (350 lbs.) It has a yellow poly cone and was made in Italy I believe. More than enough capacity for food plots and it works great, especially for lime/fertilizer. It has an agitator in the cone and I highly recommend getting one with that feature (maybe all new ones come with them now?). My spreader was used and I got it with the tractor, but it looks like a new one is approaching $1000 so they are getting pricey.

I also have a small older Herd, might be a model M12. It is great on a smaller tractor. Shown on a friend's older Kubota L35. Really like his rig, very maneuverable in tight quarters.

 

[Maddog66]

Next week hopefully I’m picking up a JD SS2067B (I-Match compatible). Ordered it with the hydraulic gate option for my cab tractor (4066R). Poly hopper and all stainless steel spinner and guts. Just waiting on the hydro kit.

I have about 500# of cereal grains and 1000# of fertilizer to test it on in about 4-5 weeks.

Yes it’s expensive and I could easily get a pro to do spreading for me….possibly cheaper…but I like to be in charge of my own time, I enjoy this stuff and I have space indoors to store it. So I’ll have it for now and one of you can buy it for $175 from my wife when I croak:)

I promise to maintain it well!

 

[Wind Gypsy]

So I’ll have it for now and one of you can buy it for $175 from my wife when I croak:)

I promise to maintain it well!

How long ya figure we’ll have to wait?