Do any of you use a pto fertilizer spreader on your
tractor? I have looked at Rural King and Tractor supply, but their brands seem to have a lot of poor reviews. Now, with that said, it’s hard to say if those folks even tried to take care of them. Some reviews said that getting parts was an issue.
There are several brands out there , with poly hoppers, sealed gear boxes, stainless steel parts etc. These brands seem to all want your info, just to get a price quote!
So, are any of you using one of these spreaders, and could you give me the good, bad and ugly?

I had a steel hopper Italian made spreader. They're good for granular products but not for precise placement...if you adjusted the openings and kept your speed consistent its good enough for pastures and such, I even planted red clover mixed with granular lime and that worked ok too.
Problem with most of the hopper types is most folks don't clean them good enough, or keep the moving parts lubed.. it gets parked when you finished the last job and it freezes up or starts to rust out.
If you keep it clean, you shouldn't need much in the way of replacement parts, they're a pretty simple machine. A poly hopper is probably a good idea cause it's the hopper that starts to rust out first, the material being spread scours off the paint pretty good.

I have been using a tractor supply pto spreader for years. Clean and lube after each use and store in the barn, no issues. Eric

I’m looking at the Landpride FSP 700… poly hopper and all stainless auger and parts. I think for pelletized lime and fertilizers they’re probably adequate

lely top of the line

Expect they're made cheaper now , Mine is Italian also had it for 25 years or more power wash it when im done using it in the spring or fall spray on a coat of oil done The chart is a guide for seed or fertilizer but thats it Took me about 3 years (seasons) to get my tractor speed and gate opening to where i want it for pounds /acre and coverage mine does best when set to throw basically one direction for instance gates set at 2 1/2 6th gear 1200 rpms on my allis Chalmers does a great job on rape or similar size seedSetting of 5 same tractor gives me 300 lb triple 19 /acre I mix a little rye or wheat with small seed to slow the feed rate a little and its something i can see while spreading

Thank you, that’s what I wanted to know. A lot of people will post bad reviews for a product, when they caused the problem!

I am waiting for some soil testing to come back. I am doing a food plot ( 1 acre or so) and gardens. This spreader would be mostly used for food plot work, and a portion of my hay fields. I want to at least get the PH corrected in the areas I plan on using! The hay is cut by a local, that farms near me, so I don’t have to cut all of that!

I have not looked at those yet. Land pride implements can be pretty pricey, but I believe that you get what you pay for!

They also have an agitator in the hopper that you can supposedly spread ag lime with but not a good option from those that have tried

I’m not sure why you would need an agitator for lime as long as you spread it right away it shouldn’t pack that hard.

Iowa bulk ag lime must be dryer and more granular that the lime we have in the South....here it is like damp beach sand. Agitator in a 3pt hopper spreader is a no go. Need a drop-type spreader (with auger across bottom) or a link belt spreader to move it to the spinner.

Swamp Wolf most lime here is powder dry but you still need something to move it to the spinner but my thought of an agitator in this case is something that just stir’s inside the cone and would wear out rapidly turning in the abrasive lime.

Yup… throw some baby powder on Jake & the Twins in south Georgia in August and that’s ag lime in a spreader.

For me, the spinner type would work fine. I would use it for fertilizer and pellet lime in food plots. I would use it to fertilize some of the hay, but not the areas that drain into my 4 acre pond.
For the hay areas, a larger spreader truck can access those areas.
There are several folks near me that will spread ag lime, or the local coop rents out a 6 ton wagon spreader!

I have an older galvanized pto spreader and never use it. I always opt for my atv spreader with electric motor or I get a fertilizer cart for my tractor from fert dealer. Bagged pelletized lime can be spread a bag at a time on atv but I have called a lime truck for my pasture for tons placed. I use my atv seeder yearly for seedling legumes in grass up to about 8 acres a year spreading a few hundred pounds of seed. THe cost of renting a fertilizer cart when I order fertilizer is minimal and much better to spread fertilizer with rather than me loading 50 pounds or so at a time. For food plots or gardens - I would look at an atv spreader - I just find it quicker and better turning.

my atv spreader only cost about 150 and has lasted a few years

Yeah hrdtoflw I didn’t type what I was thinking I only got part of it on my first post, that’s my fault.

Had a Biltmore (?) spreader, held about 400 lbs.

Had an agitator, spead a lot of pelletiezed lime and gypsum with it.

No.issues IF it was washed out/ off and oiled after use.

No problem. I appreciate all of the help from everyone. I know I usually don’t get things posted clearly, or at least not exactly what I am thinking.
I plowed about an acre Monday, for a food plot. I am waiting for my soil test results, so I put the cart before the horse. But, I needed the plowing done while the moisture was optimal . I came close to missing my window, and may have to spread lime by hand, or with bag spreaders. Some day, I plan on getting a seed drill , but for now I will just do what I have to to get the ph corrected.
Thanks for all of the advice!

Yes...agitator in hopper spreader basically just stirs material round and round. Mine has a wheel on it that runs around the inside of the hopper....it's heavy duty...but ag lime packs like wet sand. Pellet lime works well.

Here when ag lime is spread it looks like someone is driving down a gravel road in a drought the reject feed lime can be damp but will still have some dust.

Hrdtoflw , I plant quite a few food plots for different properties as a part time job. I use a tarter pull behind spreader. It’s well over 10 years old, and still in great shape. Use it for Pelletized lime and fertilizer, as well as larger seeds. I like to use a small shoulder strap seeder for small seeds like chicory and clover. Keep the spreader clean, greased and dry, it’ll last .

You might want to consider a small pull type spreader, maybe 400-600 lb capacity. Simple to hook up, and you can pull it with an ATV, truck, utv, tractor. I keep my pto tiller on the tractor, And swap the spreader and cultipacker behind the four wheeler. Works pretty good and simple

JMO

Same around here. Most people don’t pay much attention, but I always watch the locals if I get a chance. A neighbor was baling wheat straw up the road from us, and a very windy day. His baler caught fire, and he traveled a pretty good distance before he noticed it poor guy probably wishes he’d have started baling on the down wind end of the field. That fire went though the raked rows like a fast fuse. Luckily, he only lost around 25 acres that was going to be baled!

To spread ag lime ( the powder type ) I use a groundbuster drop type spreader. This also works great, and the benefit is you can get it bulk for cheap compared to pelletized lime.

Pelletized lime is a little more expensive, but is readily available and fast acting.

I guess it’s a personal preference based on your needs and uses.

I use a Herd brand 3-point spreader. It is more expensive than the TSC types, but it can be calibrated very specifically, American made, and can buy a lime agitator attachment if needed. I have one of the TSC models. It is fine for spreading out some fertilizer or oats at over 50#/acre, but if one needs to be more precise, the Herd brand has worked well for me.