John Deere Lime Spreader information

[HCJtractor]

I just bought a John Deere lime/fertilizer spreader (8 ft.) on Craigslist. It's really in pretty good shape, and seems to work. I have not had a chance to really start cleaning it up, inspecting, and lubing it. I probably need to add new tires, as they seem a little suspect. Anyone have any knowledge about these?? i will try to post some pix when it stops raining. Any comments or info would be appreciated.

 

[foggy1111]

Sounds like a good find. I think the 8 footers are an ideal size for food plots. I have two 10' wide EZ Flow spreaders. I recently cut one down to six feet in order to pull it down our trails. That's why I like your 8 footer.....easier to get around with it.

I pull our ten footer fully loaded with a 400 Kawa 4-wheeler. I included a pic of my "cut- down" version. It still needs paint...but I'm looking to using it next time we lime (in spring).

I look forward to seeing your pics. Do you have wheel driven "beaters" in the hopper? I'm not sure if Deere had their own brand or if the were made for Deere. EZ Flow made em for many others.

I had to replace the tires on the spreader shown below. The 10 footer tires look pretty bad....but I just aired 'em up and used it as-is. May add some slime to 'em as one has a slow leak. I had a little difficulty finding any tires to fit....narrow tires are required on mine.

 

[HCJtractor]

Thanks for the reply, Tom. Yes, I had already read your threads (several times) and was impressed with your "cut down" version. I wish I had your welding skill and I would do that with mine. I wish mine was narrower. My first clue was that its wheelbase was too wide to drive up on my deck over trailer, so I had to lift it up. Some of our food plots are fairly narrow and don't have a turn around at the end. Even with a 8 footer, I am afraid of clipping a tree as I pull it from plot to plot. Hopefully, if i can pull it with my 500 Polaris, I can manuever it better and more precisely than with my tractor. On some of the larger plots, I guess I could pull it with a truck.

Yes, it does have the wheel driven agitator, actually two, separated in the middle. Today, I pulled the "hub" that locks the wheel to the agitator and disassembled it. It was in pretty good shape, still loaded with grease, and not locked up. I am cleaning it up and am going to inspect all moving parts, and paint them. I took the wheels to my tire dealer and he is going to install new trailer tires. Now that I have gone this for I guess I should go ahead and sandblast it and paint the whole thing.

Have you used yours much? Ag lime, fertilizer?? I guess yours has the hubs also. Did you break them down? Mine has one large compresion spring in it (3.5" outside diameter and 2.5" long) I wish I could replace the springs, although I am not sure they are critical. I guess they help to hold tension on the agitator rod square end that engages the drive mechanism. I will see how that works when I reassemble it. Any other advice or tips would be appreciated.

 

[foggy1111]

HJC.....Yours and mine sound as though they are made differently....although each beater side is driven by it's (same side) wheel/hub and they are held in the center by a common shaft / hub arrangement. Thus as you turn sharply....one beater slows or stops as the other turns.

One thing I thought would be nice is if I could turn off my beaters as I pull it to the plots. I do not have any beater shut-off means....and I'm told some do. (Maybe that's what your talking about on springs?) Mine has worked out fine....but there is allot of mixing going on during transport to my plots.

I put down 14 tons of ag-lime this spring with our 10 footer. The 4 wheeler is pretty good with maneuvering a load in tight places....but you DO NOT want to back up with that load. The wide size makes back ups a real challenge. That said...with a little planning and brush removal I'd bet you could get your 8 footer through most places.

These spreaders really beat the alternatives. :thumbsup: Looking forward to some pics.

 

[HCJtractor]

still need to get pictures. I took it completely apart last night and inspected it . It looks well cared for. THe zerk fittings were fairly new and the hubs were full of grease. It has some surface rust, but no metal damage. There is a mechanism on the outside of each wheel that disengages the agitator (beater) with just a twist. Looking at the diagram, there is another style agitator that was available that was designed for seed. It is a rotating cluster of rods rather than the blades that would not damage the seed. Obviously, this is not available, but it would be pretty simple to make, if you wanted to us it as a seeder. I just ordered an original manual on E Bay, but have not gotten it yet. My local dealer printed me out a 15 page parts list and diagram that will be helpful. I am going to sandblast it and paint it this weekend.

 

[HCJtractor]

still need to get pictures. I took it completely apart last night and inspected it . It looks well cared for. THe zerk fittings were fairly new and the hubs were full of grease. It has some surface rust, but no metal damage. There is a mechanism on the outside of each wheel that disengages the agitator (beater) with just a twist. Looking at the diagram, there is another style agitator that was available that was designed for seed. It is a rotating cluster of rods rather than the blades that would not damage the seed. Obviously, this is not available, but it would be pretty simple to make, if you wanted to us it as a seeder. I just ordered an original manual on E Bay, but have not gotten it yet. My local dealer printed me out a 15 page parts list and diagram that will be helpful. I am going to sandblast it and paint it this weekend.

By the way, what does ag lime cost?? Have you also spread fertilizer with yours, and if so, what type? Just curious, as we need to do that soon.

 

[foggy1111]

All I have used mine for is ag-lime. (I have a cyclone spreader for fertilizer and oats/rye grain spreading....but no reason not to use a drop spreader like these.) IRRC.....I paid $450 for 14 tons of ag-lime delivered to my place - about 50 mile one way in a dump truck. I think about $125 was for trucking costs from the fertilizer dealer (whom also had trucking costs in)....but I cannot remember for sure. The biggest expense with the lime is the freight costs involved.

Its sorta amazing, I made a small test on liming effects. Where I stopped spreading ag lime on a wooded trail.....the clover I had broadcast stops too. The part with the ag-lime applied is flourishing. And those are effects from just this year. I think the bigger benefits of liming are another year or more away. I'm only working with about 6 to 7 acres for plots. I foresee a few years or lime applications to get my land up to speed.....depending on my soil test results.

 

[foggy1111]

Heres a few more pics of my lime operation this past spring. Got it done in a half day.

 

[Felizardo]

If someone knows a john deere ez florw, fertilizer that is on sell on the state of Texas please let know. felizardo_10@hotmail.com