It's been a year since I put together the firewood spreader, a 513 New Holland with the beaters removed and a new tongue-and-groove oak floor installed.Once I learned to tighten the apron enough that it doesn't bind it has run very well. I haven't spread any firewood yet, but loads of lumber from the mill, manure for the garden, leaves and loose insulation have gone through it. My renovation project involved defenestrating from the second floor a great quantity of drywall pieces, lath, rafters and studs. All landed in the spreader and unloaded in surprisingly neat piles in the foundation of an old barn on the property. For a one-man crew this has saved a lot of wear and tear on the body. The current problem is the pto shaft. The two parts of the shield seem to have separated when I backed down a slope, then come together, splitting the spreader side and banging up what it didn't split. Now it doesn't slide in and out without great effort. Once I get it apart do I take the damaged half-shield off and go without it? I use the spreader on a Massey Harris 30, and there is no way I'm going to straddle a running shaft, shield or no shield, to get on and off the tractor. I operate it from the seat or start it from in front if I am on the ground. Every farmer who sees the spreader wants to buy it from me, but I like having a heavy-duty trailer around. Besides, it looks cool on the highway behind my 4Runner. Again, thanks for the good advice I got a year ago from this forum.
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