ATV spreader recommendation

270 sniper

A good 3 year old buck
I am looking for recommendations for a front rack ATV spreader preferably other than Moultrie.
 
I'm going to bump this thread, as our Moultrie died over the weekend. Any other recommendations out there? Maybe more heavy duty. Would be used for spreading seed and fertilizer. Preferably front mountable on a Ranger. (The Moultrie was "rigged" to the front, with the default mount) Need to be able to open and close the gate from the cab.

I know the Kasco/Herd exists, but that seems like a serious step up in price, and I've seen mixed feedback on it.
 
Not sure what you could find that would compare to the operation of a Herd GT77. I've had mine for 12 + years.....and have had a love/hate relationship at times. I made some mods and now get along well with it. Herd could improve this product for just a few bucks......but they leave it the same for all these years. Makes no sense to me. My Herd has always pushed the seed to one side.....and I cannot get it to change.

I added some (curved) tubes to mine so I can set it down without damage to the motor. Then I bought the small seed plate....which essentially cuts down the rate through the gate by 50%. I had to custom make a mount for it to fit on my front or rear receiver(s). Incorporated their rheostat to control the distance of the seed sling. I had to make a positive shut off for the seed gate....so it would not dislodge the silicone nipple and drain all my seed.....after a few of those episodes I was pretty pissed. Also added a pulley and some ropes to control the seed gate from my cab.

I make a "false floor" out of some cardboard to allow the seed to flow toward the seed gate so I dont leave a few lbs laying in the seeder when it stops slinging seed. This only requires a few minutes and some duct tape.....but it adds to the piss me off moments with this product.....lol.

May have done some other things too....that I do not recall right now. I am relatively happy with it now after my mods.....as I can get the seed rate down to a few lbs per acre now (clover or brassica). I do use mine with small amounts of fertilizer every now and again.....but wash it down throughout and coat it with diesel fuel each time....and have not had any corrosion.

Not sure what I would buy if I did not have the Herd. I do see some used ones at times on FB Marketplace. Bought two of 'em for some friends for $100 each. I'd watch there......and snag one for anything close to that price. I paid retail some years ago. Still feel the price pain....but the seed slinger has performed.

Awful price for wha it is....IMO.
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Better pics in "mount for a spin spreader" in the thread below.
 
@Foggy47 Your feedback covers all of my thoughts and the feedback I've read. It seems like it was designed 25 years ago, and never improved. Storage and mounting are weird. I think there is a UTV/hitch mounting option now, but more cost. The motor is exposed and easy to damage if you set it down wrong. The electric actuator is very expensive. A flat bottom leaves material in the hopper vs a funnel shape. I likely wouldn't spread fine seed with it, so that's the one thing that isn't an issue for me.
 
@Foggy47 Your feedback covers all of my thoughts and the feedback I've read. It seems like it was designed 25 years ago, and never improved. Storage and mounting are weird. I think there is a UTV/hitch mounting option now, but more cost. The motor is exposed and easy to damage if you set it down wrong. The electric actuator is very expensive. A flat bottom leaves material in the hopper vs a funnel shape. I likely wouldn't spread fine seed with it, so that's the one thing that isn't an issue for me.
I hate it when a new product like this has to be modified to work correctly. I once spoke to Herd about the shortcomings.....and they told me it was but a small market.....and not worth it to improve the product to those qualities. Pffffft. Poor excuse IMO. The few dollars it would take to make this a better product could result in far better sales.

Not sure how they can call their product "Sure Feed". I suppose they are happy with that little agitator at the bottom? Whoopi Ding.

If I were a younger guy looking to make a decent home-based product.....this may be it. Alas.....I'm too old to want into this game (or some others that I can think of).
 
I'm still nursing an old Moultrie spreader along but I'm intrigued by the truax seed slinger. I'll be looking into this when I finally decide to upgrade.
 
I have the Fimco spreader and it has worked well for last 15 years. Holds up to 70 lbs of seed. The seed gate does well spreading anything from small clover/turnip seed to winter rye & oats. There is a gauge that you can set which limits gate opening. Have also used to spread fertilizer. Has a variable drive motor control that controls speed of distribution wheel and distance of spread.

The only complaint would be a better design for the gate handle. Overall though have never had a problem and very reliable.



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I agree with everything you gentleman said about the HERD especially no variable speed seems particularly a no brainer with original spreader. I would also like to add a metal slinger instead of plastic should be standard considering the cost, mine was ate up after spreading fertilizer. When you pay for quality, you should get quality
 
I was gonna suggest a Herd.
Bought one of those POS Moultries many years ago. Maybe they're OK for foodplotters who don't care how much extra seed they put out, but for a cattle farmer, the inability to ever get it 'calibrated' to put out the correct amount of $8/lb clover seed made it a piece of junk that relegated it to permanent residence in the barnloft.
 
I have no experience with the FIMCO spreader talked about above. Not sure if they are made to handle salt. They appear to be a fairly price spreader (?). See a few on FB Marketplace for $800 and the best looking one of those for sale is $200 and looks like new. It's in Iowa.. Someone may be interested?
 
I have no experience with the FIMCO spreader talked about above. Not sure if they are made to handle salt. They appear to be a fairly price spreader (?). See a few on FB Marketplace for $800 and the best looking one of those for sale is $200 and looks like new. It's in Iowa.. Someone may be interested?

They actually state it can be used for Ice Melt products. My seed spreading wheel is stainless. I have put a lot of fertilizer through mine and you need to clean after use. I wash down with water, use a leaf blower to dry it. I then spray the mechanical parts (except seed gate) with WD40.
 
Calibration is tough for any of these spreaders. Consistent ATV speed and consistent voltage to the motor are 2 issues that will never be well solved.

OVerall, any motor exposed to fertilizer or lime dust will not live a long life. IT either has to be away from the dust or has to be washed out and cleaned after use. Even washing the motor and giving it a WD40 soaking will not make it live long.

Swisher maes some 12v spreader that live a long life with salt, which is about the same problem with fertilizer.

I do think the motor under the impeller is alot better than the motor in the tub like the titan one I have. I did bout ruin the motor twice with fertilizer, but washed it with water, blew it out, and sprayed a good shot of WD40 in it. It is still alive, but only used for rye seed only.

For fertilizer or lime, get a towable spreader. I use a 3ft gandy drop spreader. IF you buy the cheap moultire or lmost identical titan one I have, use only for seed. Mix rye and clover together. They are not great for metered seeding, but covering alot of land in the small period of time, it'll do. Or adding rye to a already growing plot its good too.


Have water around to wash off the spreader and the bakc of the ATV when using lime or fertilizer.

I have seen the swisher 19920 hold up to lime and fertilizer. I would wash it off right after use though. Not sure about the motor part on that one, how well sealed it is or not. Seems to survive though.

IF you do own a moultrie or titan with the motor in the tub, you can buy a spare motor for 30 buks or so. Bought one a few years back for $20 just incase.
 
I think we might just fix the Moultries to use for overseeding grains.

For fertilizer, I agree that a drop spreader might be the best route. We had a 4' or 5' Garber that we got cheap and fixed up, but we wound up flipping it for a good profit to buy a true lime spreader. It worked well for fertilizer, but not lime. My fall item classified hunt might be for a 4'+ tow drop spreader. (Gandy/Garber/etc)
 
Calibration is tough for any of these spreaders. Consistent ATV speed and consistent voltage to the motor are 2 issues that will never be well solved.

OVerall, any motor exposed to fertilizer or lime dust will not live a long life. IT either has to be away from the dust or has to be washed out and cleaned after use. Even washing the motor and giving it a WD40 soaking will not make it live long.

Swisher maes some 12v spreader that live a long life with salt, which is about the same problem with fertilizer.

I do think the motor under the impeller is alot better than the motor in the tub like the titan one I have. I did bout ruin the motor twice with fertilizer, but washed it with water, blew it out, and sprayed a good shot of WD40 in it. It is still alive, but only used for rye seed only.

For fertilizer or lime, get a towable spreader. I use a 3ft gandy drop spreader. IF you buy the cheap moultire or lmost identical titan one I have, use only for seed. Mix rye and clover together. They are not great for metered seeding, but covering alot of land in the small period of time, it'll do. Or adding rye to a already growing plot its good too.


Have water around to wash off the spreader and the bakc of the ATV when using lime or fertilizer.

I have seen the swisher 19920 hold up to lime and fertilizer. I would wash it off right after use though. Not sure about the motor part on that one, how well sealed it is or not. Seems to survive though.

IF you do own a moultrie or titan with the motor in the tub, you can buy a spare motor for 30 buks or so. Bought one a few years back for $20 just incase.
Rgrizz does this tool work good for Ag lime or only pelleted?
 
Rgrizz does this tool work good for Ag lime or only pelleted?
The Garber spreader we had was terrible for Ag lime. The auger was way too small. If you have bone dry lime, it will work, but any dampness and it just bridges.
 
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