Fert/Granular Spreader Advice

D&D Farm

D&D Farm

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Hey...............My land is hilly terrain and need to spread granular fertilizer with the RTV going across the slope. To slippery/hilly/spooky to use the tractor. Soil is also to fragile.................</P>


Have searched here and didnt find much. Did the same over on tractor by net and came up with the "Herd" spreader. Have researched and researched this for a long time now. Talked with Mr. Herd, the manufacturer who advises not to put something in the reciever as it is designed for pulling rather than carrying weight..............Great guy to talk with and helpful.............</P>


Advice from Y'all would be totally helpful please.................I really would rather have a receiver mount; but as Mr. Herd advised by the time you convert the 1 1/4" to 2" and then put in 60 or 70 pounds of stuff you have a lot of fulcrum/down force on the receiver/hitch............</P>


As I dont want to drill holes into my bed to mount something he suggested to put something onto a pallet and then weight that down and strap it down..............</P>


Your thoughts??????............thanks........Dennis</P>
 
Have you looked at the Bumper Buddy spreaders? I bought one for salting in the winter but honestly haven't used it yet...

It hangs over the back bumper of the RTV.
 
Brian............Have you at least mounted the unit to your bumper yet?..............Wondering how stout it is there..............I hate to drill holes and am hoping that it just clamps on.............Dennis
 
Dennis, I've been spreading lime & fertilizer for 2 years with an Earthway #80 atv broadcast spreader which I have been attaching to the rear hitch on my rtv 900. I originally used it on my 4 wheeler, then I fabricated a frame to use it in a 2 inch receiver and use an adapter in the rear hitch. I don't attach it until I get right where i'm going to spread. I usually only put approx. 50-70 lbs. in it at once and I go slow and have never had a problem. My ground is basically level. Is it possible for you to go up and down instead of across the hill? I hope the rear hitch on the rtv's can handle at least 100 lbs. or so, they seem to be attached quite securely. In your case the force on the hitch would be different if you are side-hilling it. jdh1
 
I wonder if one of thoselawn and garden wagons/ trailerswould hold the spreader you need... mount the spreaderthere and just hook up to the trailer with your receiver and go??Bordercollie
 
I purchased an ATV spreader from Cabelas and built a mount for the front receiver -- It comes up around windshield high and holds about 100 lbs --- I use it for food plots with seed and fert. fot the deer --- some time it is on a slop and uneven ground --- I have not had a problem yet --- hope this helps ---bdk
 
Guys.........still wondering if BCZOOM has the one he recommends to the rear bumper....???.......that to me looks like a motor protector plate.....or else I am missing a real bumper......</P>


I have been working on this pasture for 5 years now....drought, bad seed, wash outs, etc..........FINALLY I have a decent start of fescue going.......the soil is really fragile due to being bare and washed out in a lot of places.........Going up and down hill on with ANY machine really tears it up...............MANY scary incidents on my tractor in this particular pasture have taught me to not even go into it on anything but the RTV................</P>


Have tried pulling a spreader, actually 3 different kinds, and when one goes over a bump they tip right over and spill everything.............</P>


I really do like the bumper buddy type..............again adapting one for the 2 inch receiver I fear will cause greif in the long run..............</P>


I do like the idea of coming up with an attachment for the front someway................I guess I will just buy one and figure it out.............Thanks Guys..........God bless</P>
 
when I get back home next week if you would like I can send you a couple of pic's of how I built my front loader ---bdk
 
Won one of these at the Ducks Unlimited banquiet this Oct....</P>


http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200349641_200349641?cm_mmc=Aggregates-_-Pronto-_-Pronto-_-Pronto&srccode=cii_16776730&cpncode=09-53468760-2</P>


To late to hook it up on the RTV this year, for I planted the smaller deer plots ( 1-3 acre) this fall with a On Time unit with the Honda Rubicons... The On Time done good., but don't hold quit as much as this unit would..... Big plots was done with tractor with broadcaster ( pto driven )</P>


But this spring, I'm rigging up something on the back of the RTV with the new unit ,, to do the seeding the summer plot for the deer >>>> I'm sure this is the unit, it looks something like that one in the picture, fiberglass hopper, big heavy duty motor, and big stainless steal spinner plate, with adjustable flow feeding .... There are many on the market, and it's a good idea to spend a extra nickel and get something that's worth working with. </P>


D&D, how much ground are you planning on seeding ?</P>
 
Two Guns..............total of 15Acres...............</P>


4 acres of cleared pasture on a 15 to 25 degree slope</P>


8 acres of rye on the same type of slope but under old growth oak and hickory.......this wont happen until NEXT fall though</P>


It's the 4 acres of cleared that I have been working on for several years now and FINALLY have it covered with a bit of bermuda and lots of fescue..........</P>


We raise registered Boer goats and yes, they pay for themselves, not just a hobby. Total herd right now is 18 does a 3 bucks.............big harvest in a few months and would really love to have that pasture ready for the mamas and kids come spring.........probably will have 12 mamas with 2 or 3 kids each per doe.........on there by early March...............</P>


Would be great to get my seedling fescue really established by then........spreading fertilizer by hand is really a pain and therefore put off..............I figure get a spreader like NOW, get it mounted and spread fert in Feb when the daffodils begin blooming, which around here is mid Feb....................</P>


I guess I am looking for a PAINLESS mount for one of the many common spreaders that most of you guys are describing...............perhaps somebody has done this.................thanks.........Dennis</P>


</P>
 
OK, the one I have.

As already mentioned, it's been installed/mounted but never used so I'm not providing info on how well it works, only how it installs.

First, it does just slide over the tailgate. For ease of mounting it's 2 pieces. There's the bracket that slides over the tailgate with vertical receiver. Then the hopper assembly slides into the receiver.

For the electric there's a quick disconnect. I ran the wiring to the back of the RTV and when the spreader isn't in use, I have a light under the bed that plugs in and is my backup light. It's switched from the drivers seat.

Now, with this spreader and most others there's the sliding plate that you have to open/close to allow the flow of fertilizer/salt... When doing fertilizer, you may want to run some sort of ropes to the drivers seat so you can open/close from the seat. If you open then hop on to drive, you'll get a dumping of fertilizer when you start off. You hadn't mentioned what kind of fertilizer you're spreading but if it's something like Urea (46-0-0), you may get some burning if you don't properly control the flow.

I can get you some pics if you're interested but it'll be later today or tomorrow as it's 10 degrees outside.
 
Yes, they will pay for themselves >>> Had a close friend, who raisedthe registeredBoer goats, he done very, very well with his, until last year until his health got to knocking him down. Two years ago, he lost his wife, and now, he's fighting it ...... </P>


My plans are, to make a " hanger " that will hang off the back bed somehow, pass the tailgate,where the seeds and fertilizer will be thrown. Might just take off the tailgate during the throwing of thefertilizer / seeds >>>> done the spreading in the front of the Honda, but really don't like it that way, crap seems to always be hitting you in the face.... don't know how it finds it way toward you, but it does >>>></P>


Do you lime your pastures ? If not, the cost is really nothing, and the return is something else. Get that ph right in your ground, and you can really do some good.!!!! Wish you were close, I'd let you use this new spreader I won..... But if you do get a new spreader, get one with a extra heavy hopper, perfered fiberglass, and one with a heavy duty spinner, they are great ... A friend of mine has one like I won, and he's been using it for over six years, and that thing is the stuff. He can knock out a four or five acres section in nothing flat .....</P>


What seeds are you planning on going with this year ..... ? How hot of fertilizer are you going to throw ?</P>
 
Hey Guys..............Surely not to belabor this as I am pretty sure that I have enough information to procede on and then follow up with you guys later...............</P>


I am gonna get the bumper buddy.........It looks substantial enough, has a polypropylene bucket, stout motor, is totally rebuildable, and parts are available.</P>


Brian...........Thanks for the help............so if I understand correctly, your tailgate is down?............the mount slides over the tailgate that holds the hopper, this must be adjustable in height?.................then the motor and mechanism rides on the reciever itself.............the weight of the hopper must be on the tailgate?.............</P>


A slight technical question: one manufacturer advised that the device needs to be on the tailgate or in the reciever but not both because the suspension of the rear end wheels is different than the bed and that they move up and down at a different rate and height...............would this be correct.....????............ If it is correct.....how do you compensate for this difference in height as you operate?</P>


Lastly............to keep the whole device as close as possible to the vehicle and cut down on the fulcrum effect of down force on the reciever I need to get a 1 and a quarter male reciever on one end and a 2" female on the other.......have one made with some tubing or what?</P>


Two Guns...........the fescue is in for this year; but as in the past 2 springs I plan to put out bermuda on top of the fescuewhen it really warms up..............The last 2 years with the drought though I have about a 5% germination/survival rate with the bermuda...............</P>


We do lime a lot here............maybe 1000 lbs per acre.......gotta do a soil test though.......that's another reason I need a spreader because the county gives the powder type away for free................In the past I have put on 24-5-5...........good results.................</P>


If I can ever get this pasture established the goats will do the fertilizing...........they put out around a ton of berries per year per critter............TRULY.................In one pasture that I have laid down logs to create berms/terraces I am adding about a foot per year of the richest soil one could ever want..............Goat poo disentegrates rapidly and is SUPER rich in nitrogen...............areas that are bermed and below them have rye that is currently 6 inches high right now versus areas that are "normal" are 2" to 3"..............................</P>


Not to go on and on about this; but when I clean out the sheds in the spring ( let it build up quite a bit in the winter as this keeps them warmer as it decomposes) I put many RTV loads on the garden then till it in..................TALK ABOUT GROWTH..........okra 12' tall, 8' tall tomatos that put out and put out, peppers huge and many, cucumbers that dont stop putting out..............anyway will close for now.......</P>


Brian.........if you would please, answer that about the suspension difference between the tailgate and reciever.........maybe the ol boy was just talkin through his hat............</P>


THANKS GUYS.............Dennis</P>
 
Dennis,

It's warmed enough to go outside and I'm getting the RTV out for firewood. A pic is worth 1000 words so I'm going to get some pics so you can see the full setup.
Give me an hour or so and I'll be back with pics.

Brian
 
OK, let me post some pics then we can answer some questions.

First, this shows the bracket hanging off the tailgate. The square tubing closest to the camera is the receiver. The spreader does mount with the tailgate up and this receiver pointing upwards.

Next pic will give a different angle.
 
This pic shows the side of the tailgate bracket. Since my tailgate is a 2x12", it doesn't slide all the way down (and I didn't really try). The bracket arms do bend some to handle different mountings. I think it would probably slide right over the RTV OEM tailgate.

Laying in the bed is the spreader. It's upside-down. The black tube on the spreader slides into the tube that's now hanging off the back of the tailgate.
 
Here's a pic of the spreader mounted. Mine is offset for the pic since the spreader mounting bracked gouges my license plate.
 
For the electrical supply, I have a switch in the drivers area. The wires are run toward the back on the passenger side with the other wires.
At the end, I have a quick disconnect. It's seen on the right (close) side of this pic.
Since the spreader isn't used much (or in my case, ever), instead of having a dead switch and plug, I mounted a tractor light under the bed to illuminate the area directly behind the RTV for connecting trailers and as a backup light.

If I recall, the plug I'm using isn't what came with the spreader. The spreader did come with a quick-connect but I couldn't find another connection for the light I installed so I just put new (more interchangable) connectors in their place.

The spreader does come with 2 plates depending on what you're spreading. It also has a lid for the hopper.
 
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