Spreader pto powered broadcast spreader maintenance????

[stevenf]

My tractor salesman has found me a in new shape a used 11 bushel or so herd broadcast spreader new price $579 for $400. I'd like to use it to spread lime, fertilizer and food plot mixes with various size seeds some of them pretty small grains in most of the mixes. Will it do an acceptable job of these task and also I've heard that if you use a spreader to broadcast lime and fertilizer you should wash it out very good to avoid it getting rusty and killing the gear box. My tractor guy who is a farmer from a farming family said I shouldn't wash it just keep it in a dry place and spray a rust preventative oil like wd40 or PB Blaster all over the gearbox after use and it would last better. What do you guys think first off worth the money its 2 seasons old he said and also what about cleaning it out or just spray oil on it ?
Steve

 

[zjohnson]

For my small "pto hopper" spreaders, I power wash, dry, and then oil any bare metal. Then store under cover in a dry place /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.

 

[MarkV]

Steve, the Herd spreaders have a great reputation and the price sounds like a good deal to me. One advantage to the Herd spreader is its ability to handle smaller seed more accurately than many of the cone spreaders. They also come with a galvanized bin which should be better than a painted bin against rust.

I wash, dry and spray with oil after using mine. I don’t know how you would get lime and fertilizer residue completely out of the spreader with out washing and both can cause rust. Also keep in mind that I haven’t heard of any cone spreader that will handle Ag lime (powdered) so palletized lime is the way to go even though it is more expensive.

MarkV

 

[Farmwithjunk]

There's a lot of old farmers that subscribe to the "never wash anything" practice. Water can be destructive if allowed to enter gearboxes, bearings, and a host of other places. Even compressed air can do damage to seals.

For those guys, your friends proceedure is the way to go.

Washing equipment isn't done when the dirt is washed away. Drying and lubing is essential once water is blasted in places it wasn't meant to be.

IF you'll go the entire route, empty, wash, dry, oil, then store is the BEST way to care for equipment. If you can't go the extra mile, then don't wash at all.

Most commercial fertilizers are salt-based. They will eat bare metal like candy.

 

[stevenf]

AAH now that makes perfect sense either do a good job washing drying and lubricating or not at all, farmers are probably so busy trying to keep food on the table and the repo man away that they can't afford to spend the time cleaning like a hobby operation can. I believe I'll try the cleanup method and see if I can keep rust at bay, hopefully a power nozzle and hose will be sufficient as a power washer isn't in my stable of toys yet. Thanks to everybody for responding.
Steve