Spreader Cosmo Spreader Rust Prevent

[OkieG]

The agitator device that spins on the floor of the Cosmo spreader, scraped all the paint off the floor of the hopper during the first time it was used. It seems like it will eventually scrape through the thin floor of the spreader, or the floor will rust out from exposure.

Has anyone had any long term use of a Cosmo/LandPride/First Choice spreader? I am concerned about the longevity of the floor.

Pictured is the rubber boot that holds the agitator on the spindle, the "stainless" agitator, and the 1/8" plastic spacer I made to keep the agitator off the floor of the hopper.

I cut the spacer from a sheet of 1/8" high density plastic. The sheet was pretty cheap from a local plastic supplier. The inner "circle" was cut with flats so it will spin with the agitator on the spindle shaft . It will rest on the floor of the hopper and keep the agitator 1/8" off the floor.

OkieG

 

[OkieG]

My old steel spreader worked well for about 5 years, but over the winter the gates rusted tight to the spreader floor. Repair is more effort than it's worth. It is a different spreader than the Cosmo I now have.

Anyway, I've become rust-o-phobic. Even a good rinse job won't guarantee protection from severe rust on susceptible parts. The Cosmo has some stainless parts, which appealed to me. The hopper, however, is plain steel, so any exposed surfaces are prone to rust.

To protect the "at risk" surfaces, I had the inside walls and floor of the hopper sprayed with Line-X bedliner. Also, had the pellet deflector on the spreader frame sprayed. Cost--$80.

$80 isn't cheap, but if it protects the spreader it's nothing compared to buying a new spreader every few years.

I really kind of wanted a plastic and stainless spreader, but ran across the Cosmo first. The stainless spinner and gearbox sucked me in.

The agitator scraping to bare metal on the spreader floor is a design flaw in my mind. It wasn't an obvious problem to me at time of purchase.

I apologize for the bad (nighttime) picture, but it is supposed to show the Line-X spray job on the inside of the hopper. The entire inside, including the floor is sprayed. The liner material is about 3/8" thick on the floor. The agitator assembly isn't re-installed yet on this picture. You can see the spindle in the center of the hopper floor.

It may be a few weeks before I spread again, but I will update this post if there is anything interesting to report.

OkieG

 

[nomad]

If you have a hot tip galvanizing well in your area, galvanize the hopper there. It is much better than the paint. Small parts can be galvanized (electroplated) easily anywhere for half cost.

 

[OkieG]

nomad,
The material applied to the inside of the hopper is not paint. It is a very tough plastic, "bed liner" material used mostly to coat the beds of pick-up trucks to protect from scratches. It is quite tough.

It prevents rusting, but how well does galvanizing hold up to abrasion? Even with the plastic spacer, I expect some abrasion from a spinning surface contacting a stationary one. I'm hoping the bed liner is tough enough to fair well.

Somehow in the back of my mind, I can't help but think that the agitator continually spinning in direct contact with the hopper floor will ruin the spreader much sooner than it should. I would really like to hear from folks who have used this type of spreader for a while re: how well the floor is doing or what other type problems may have developed. Ken, Mark, are you out there? Is mine the only unit where the agitator scrapes the floor to bare metal??

Overall, I am pleased with this spreader, but I believe some fix for the hopper floor is necessary to keep it from self-destructing. That is really the only flaw I've found, but it is a major one, it seems to me. Just hope my "fix" works.

OkieG