Broadcast spreader

My $40 Scotts broadcast spreader is going to the trash heap, never again will buy a Scotts product. This spreader is literally falling apart and I have kept good care of it. I'm looking for a new walk behind spreader that will last a few years and better quality. The Lowes and Home Depot sell cheap spreaders (I guess that is what sells), but we have a new Tracter Supply Co. store. My local choices are limited as I am in a small town, anyone have comments on this one for use on one acre of fescue lawn?

Pro Broadcast Spreader with rain cover 100# capacity 4404303 (sale $118)

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I think this brand is "Harvest" but not sure. Any comments?

Reply to
Phisherman
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How many years did your $40 spreader last?

If it gave good service for two years it cost you $20/year, not unreasonable.

There are commercial spreaders that _may_ last like 20 years (and still need maintenence/parts) but can easily cost $400 and up... will still cost minimally $20/year... Lesco comes to mind.

Were it me, with this type of product I would accept that a $40 spreader will serve me so long and then I'd rather replace that with the same than lay out $400 for a spreader that is supposed to last long but may not... or may outlast me, or how long I live where I can care for an acre of lawn. That's the kind of logic I employ when replacing expendable tools, calculate price per year and estimate the number of years of service... and I never expect such products to last beyond the manufactureres warranty, any extra is a gift. That said I still have my old walk behind Scotts rotary spreader that I used for like 10 years but haven't for the last seven years except once when I spread a 100 pound bag of grass seed. The neighbor where I lived last bought the same spreader when I did but his lasted only two years, he rarely cleaned his, if ever, I washed mine very throughly right after each use; lawn fertilizer is very caustic. And no matter which spreader, if you leave chemical in the hopper between uses all you'll get is like two years service, hardly justifiable for a $400 investment. I think Scotts sellss a pretty decent homeowner product for the price.

Scotts sells various spreaders, which did you have?

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Reply to
brooklyn1

I used it 4 or 5 times.

Reply to
Phisherman

Should have lasted a lot longer than that with no care... what specifically became damaged.

Reply to
brooklyn1

The plastic parts failed, feed locking mechanism, cracks around the hopper rivets. More importantly, it is not broadcasting product evenly (drop spreaders are worse on sloped lawn). Not damaged, but the wheels are just too small, the spreader itself has trouble holding a single 40# bag of pellitized lime. Turns a 30 minute job into an hour. A larger swath would be better. Have not found other spreaders as shown in the link, and would appreciate feedback on that one.

Reply to
Phisherman

"Phisherman" wrote:

An acre is kind of borderline between using a push spreader or towing one behind a garden tractor, I'd opt for towing, I wouldn't want to spend all my spare time pushing a spreader, or even a lawnmower, especially not on slopped land. Now that I've thought about it, and since your land is slopped, you'd be better off with a commercial spreader that's towed. I'd think a $40 spreader is not appropriate for an acre... and with an acre you really need a garden tractor anyway.

That's odd that the plastic would fail, usually it's the metal parts that corrode from contact with fertilizers. But it's very possible it was a bad batch of plastic or the molding machines were set incorrectly for that lot. Obviously if you used it 4-5 times you only had the spreader a very short time, should still be under warranty, and Home Depot/Lowes are very good about exchanges/refunds, especially with items costing relatively little, and most especially with national brand items (they have agreements to make exchanges/refunds no questions asked), they don't even require a receipt for any items they sell... I'd have brought it back at the first sign of failure... you can still bring it back. To see the different spreaders go to scotts.com and search ... if it barely holds 40lbs of pelletized lime yours must be one of the low capacity models, for an acre I'd opt for the largest capacity Scotts spreader. I've found that drop spreaders are more apt to corrode as they contain more metal parts. And drop spreaders really don't work well on large lawns, they tend to "stripe"... drop spreaders are intended for very small lawns with narrow convoluted areas, especially for curbside lawn strips so that one doesn't wste chemical by treating walk/roadways... with drop spreaders it's best to cut the application amount to half (or less) and two days later make a second application, crosswise to the first whee possible. When I treated my small lawn with the broadcast spreader I cut the application way down too and a few days later made a second pass crosswise... I always made the total application amount less by about 1/3 of the recommended amount... multiple light applicationss work better than one heavy application. Of course then I was only treating about 1/4 acre so I didn't mind the extra work. Also the commercial spreader wheels are much larger, and usually pneumatic, so they roll effortlessly... with homeowner models with small wheels the job goes much easier if you only fill the hopper half way (for less weight), and be sure the lawn is freshly mowed, it's more easily traversed with short grass... it's silly to treat a lawn and then mow it the next day anyway, but I've seen people do that very often.

Check out the spreaders here, they have a large collection, read the owner's comments:

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've always been very pleased with Agrifab products:
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Reply to
brooklyn1

I forgot about NorthernTool. Some of the lawn is just too steep for a garden tractor (e.TN mountains here). Found a walk-behind Agrifab, a spreader, for only $419.99 +9.75% tax. A comment left on this specific product stated "economical." lol

Thanks for the links.

Reply to
Phisherman

You're welcome. Good luck!

Reply to
brooklyn1

I do not keep any tools outdoors. And, I know the importance of washing a spreader immediately after each use.

I bought the spreader mentioned above and used it last week. Worked like a charm and the large pneumatic wheels had no problems over uneven ground. This spreader has three openings and the clear rain-guard cover kept the leaves/debris out of the hopper. Hopefully this one will last longer than the $40 cheapos.

Reply to
Phisherman

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