3pt broadcast spreader???

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Hey folks,
Anyone use something like this??

11234.jpg



I've got one in fine shape but no manual. Want to use it this spring to fertilize the pastures but don't know how far to open the ports. First time fertilizing and don't wanna over/under do it. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 

It looks like it is a Lely which is what I have. The key to these is to get the whole on off and adjustment mechanism freed up with penetrating oil and hammer pliers etc. You will see that rotating a ring will open and close the two openings. I set mine at about 2.5 -3.0 I believe for spreading a mixture something like 30-10-20 on grass. There should be a place to secure a rope that will enable you to open it to start releasing from the drivers seat
 

different brand (diadem), but should be the same principal....Prolly simpler than I am making it. Everything is free and pretty clean except for the control area markings. I'll clean them up this winter and try again. There is a big sticker on it with some numbers and what looks different size dots (all faded/scratched) that may have been the idiot sticker. These things were real common and may still be in some of the neighbor's barns. Maybe I'll just start knocking on doors and may find one with a visible sticker.
 
yep, they're pretty much all the same. app rate is going to depend on your pattern width, ground speed, gate setting, and the humidity that day (dry fertilizer flows faster than damp at a given gate setting).

if you get your fertilizer in 50# bags, i'd toss 1 bag in, pick a ground speed that is a comfortable speed to drive, figure out how wide it spreads (remember to overlap some), pick a gate setting, and see how far you go with it. figure out the acreage and adjust the gate setting up or down, try another bag. when you're close enough, go for it.

another approach is make sure you are under-applying, do the whole field, then you'll know what you did (write down that info for next year) and you can make adjustments to make up the difference the second time over.
 

Maybe this is a bad idea then (???)........... My places are small (1/4 to 1 acre) uneven and have some fruit trees. Maintaining a steady speed will be impossible. I have one of the little push broadcasters that holds 50 pounds or so. Maybe that is the best bet?

Thanks.
 
No Dave,its a good idea. I have used mine for fertilizer and for seeding down pasture,you need to experiment,even if you don't have large acerage. Like was said ,throw a bag of fertilizer in,open it a little and drive around at your leisure until its empty..the worst to happen is that you don't get enough on and you would have to take the same drive again,you'll figure it out
 
I've got one almost just like it. Mine is notorious for being almost impossible to calibrate. The setting chart on it is WAY off. About the only good thing about those things is that it beats walking with a push spreader.
In order to be more accurate, you can build some "catch boxes" and weigh the amount you are putting on. Build 3, 3x3 square frames out of 2x4's. Tack plastic to the bottom of each one. Place these 3 boxes across your spread pattern (one on each side and one in the middle). DRive at the speed that you think you can maintain and spread fertilizer over the boxes you have set up (driving over the middle box). Stop after having gone over the boxes. Weigh the total amount of fertilizer in all three boxes. Multiply this amount times 1613 and this will give you the total pounds PER ACRE you have just applied. Adjust your settings as necessary.
 
Don't try to calibrate it to do a "one pass" thing. Set it to a way less point and drive over and over till out of fertilizer.
 
(quoted from post at 06:41:56 10/03/12) Don't try to calibrate it to do a "one pass" thing. Set it to a way less point and drive over and over till out of fertilizer.

Sounds good!!!
 
Good advice on setting it tight and making multiple passes. Not only with fertilizer, but also with seed. Better to have a corner a little light in coverage than to have it all in one corner. And none on the remainder. . .

I've got one and I like it.
 
You don't need a chart as they're pretty well useless. Open it enough to get an even flow and drive as fast as you dare drive. That will put you somewhere around 300 #/acre.

Rod
 
Hook it up and put 100 lbs of fert in it. Engage it and drive 40 feet. Stop. Get out and measure the width of the fert band. Lets say it is 32 feet. Now Start your GPS odometer. Drive .25 miles. That would be distance for 1 acre. Add fert if needed. That means you applied 100lbs on 1 acre. Modify amount you start with to get what you want on 1 acre.
 
This fella has one too, maybe you can share info with him?

http://farmingforum.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=1009484


;)
--->Paul
 
Per your comment below about 1/4 to 1 acre plots.

You may be better off with a little pull behind hooked to your four wheeler. One in the 150lb range. Just my thoughts.

Rick
 
Mabey I need to go through this again... in more detail.
We had two of those bastards on this farm for over 20 years. One was a Eurospand; the other was a Cosmo. Both work on the same principle as the one you pictured. The pair we had would not flow consistently at rates less than 200-250 # per acre while driving at about 6 mph and their nominal spread width of 25-30 feet.
With straight AN... probably 300 # plus is the lowest rate you're going to see.
So... set it so it flows and drive as fast as you're comfortable with... and you'll get a rate that won't burn your grass off. When you're done you'll figure out what you used. Setting those things is nothing more than an excercise in wasting time. If you need to set an accurate rate get a Vicon pendulum spreader or a Lely that uses a similar metering mechanism.

Rod
 
(quoted from post at 09:13:39 10/03/12) Per your comment below about 1/4 to 1 acre plots.

You may be better off with a little pull behind hooked to your four wheeler. One in the 150lb range. Just my thoughts.

Rick

Think they are any good???? If so, I'll start watching ebay and put this big thing back on there.
 
(quoted from post at 08:31:19 10/03/12) This fella has one too, maybe you can share info with him?

http://farmingforum.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=1009484


;)
--->Paul

Good catch..... I use that one quite a bit because those folks sometimes have the same stuff (brands) as far as hay equipment and some other things as here...
 
Have had one for 7 yrs. Theory is great, but no matter how much wd40 I spray on that thing, it's a bugger to try to move the settings....so, I have it set where I want and pace the speed and 1x or 2x coverage to meet what I figure the ground should have...mechanically works well otherwise.
 
Neighbor gave me a new one he never used. Around $120
new at Lowes. I have used it 5-6 times so far. It will hold
close to three bags of fertilizer. Works good, easy to adjust
flow. I would not consider it a commercial unit by any means,
but its holding up ok right now.
Rick
 

That's the plan then.. Cost about the same here for the BB store models, have a couple used heavy duty ones that are still cheap that I'm watching. This big one is gonna get spruced up a little and go on ebay just before springtime.....

Thanks.
 
We had one almost identical. Unless perfectly oiled and cleaned up
each use they have a very short life. I got tired of freeing it up
every time it needed to be used. Its been replaced with a vicon wig-
wag pendulum.
 
You could bungie strap the spreader on the back of your four wheeler with a couple of bags of seed or fertizilier on front.

I just wish my had greaseable bearings instead of bushings. For as little as I use it, it should last forever.
Rick
 

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