Need advice on sand spreaders

[narcnh]

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. Coming back from visiting my family in Jersey I saw a couple of wicked bad accidents, once right before my eyes. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Makes you realize how fleeting it all can be.

Anyway, all that rain after all that snow followed by temps pushing 40 has laid down a layer of ice as smooth and slick as any a Zamboni could produce in a hockey rink. Unfortunately, it’s on my steep driveway. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif As I spread some salt this evening I admired the loooong scratch marks the studs in my snow tires left earlier this afternoon, when I slid down it in my F-150. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Was quite a ride, and I’m glad I cleared the snow off to the side, so when I went off the driveway I didn’t get stuck.

While that much rain after that much snow was a bit unusual, ice on the drive I can see will be a common occurrence. So, I am thinking about getting a 3ph spreader to lay down sand or a sand/salt mixture. I was looking at broadcast spreaders like the Landpride FS500, but it may throw too wide a pattern.

Does anyone have any experience with spreading sand with one of these or any recommendations?

FS500 Link:
http://www.landpride.com/lp/products/fs_specs.html

 

[MikeD]

I have a spreader on the back on my B2910. I do not know the brand-it has a 1/2 yard yellow poly hopper. You can control the spread pattern so that it throws to one side only. The key is to use very dry sand. If the sand is moist at all it freezes and will not move thru the hopper. The spreader cost about $350. It is Italian made. If you want more info on it let me know. I got it on line thru Carver or some other dealer-Sweet maybe. Using the filled spreader does provide a great counter weight to my snowblower head. Makes for a serious driveway maintenance machine /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Mike

 

[Steve_Carver]

http://www.carverequipment.com/Befco/baby_hop.htm
http://www.carverequipment.com/Befco/hop.htm
http://www.curtisintl.com/fast-cast_tow.html
http://216.235.244.180/tailgate_spreaders.html

This may help.
Best wishes,
Steve

 

[Steve_Carver]

another photo

 

[Deerlope]

I bought a pull type from northern tool. it has an apron that can be pulled down around the broadcast so you only spread about 5' wide. It would hold about 270lbs of sand, only problem was is that it is ground driven and the rubber wheel would slide on the ice, so I made a steel wheel out of 2"x1/8" flat bar ,put spokes in then put hex head sheet metal screws in so that the heads run againts the ground works good. Even when I am spreading fertilizer.

 

[narcnh]

Thanks, guys, for all the good advice. I stopped by my dealer yesterday and they only recommended one spreader from Herd.

http://www.herdseeder.com/sand-salt.html

Unfortunately, they want over $1100 for it. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

They said that all the other broadcast types are meant for fertilizer and will wear/rust out from using sand/salt. Don't know if that's true, and it's clear that some of you are successfully using the cone broadcast types.

I spread some bagged sand and salt in about an hour with a shovel yesterday. Low tech, but it worked. If I pick up a load of town sand, I'm sure I can do it in less time, probably less than it would take to warm up the tractor, change attachments and spread. No seat time, though. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I think I'll wait and see how bad the problem gets this winter. The good thing is, if I do decide I need some kind of spreader, all the stores will soon be stocking spring supplies, so I'll be able to shop around a bit and play with the toys, I mean, tools. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[hwp]

Salt-sand spreades are different than fertilizer spreaders. I can't help you with 3ph models but have you thought about putting one one your truck. Buyer's make some nice units, but they too are expensive. I attached a Buyer's SUV model on my tractor and it works great. But as previously stated, the sand has to be very dry to flow properly. I keep both salt and a 50-50 salt/sand mixture in bins in my salt box. I use more straight salt than the mix but I like to have both available. The mix is better on glare ice.

 

[narcnh]

Hi Howard,

The thought crossed my mind about using the truck, but I have a cap on the bed and no easy way to get it off or good place to store it. And, I move a lot of things around using the bed w/cap, so it's not very practical for me.

What kills me is that I didn't think about this before the winter. My property is in the river valley on a small rise about 60 feet above the river. As far as I can tell, after the top 18 inches or so of really sandy loam, it is all pure sand. With 60 acres I'm sitting on about six million cubic yards of sand, really nice sand. In the fall I went out into the power line ROw and picked up a couple of buckets of it to patch my farm road. Had I thought about it at the time, I could have dumped a couple of loads at the top of the drive and just scooped and spread it from the bucket all winter long. Duh. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

But there's always next year. And, by then something tells me that I will have decided that I really do need that spreader. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Deerlope]

You could purchase one of those inexpensive drop seeders that are used on lawns if you have a warm place to keep it. then just tow it to do just the wheel tracks. might just get you by for the winter.

 

[narcnh]

Deerlope, that's one of the possibilities I looked at. I think it will have the same potential problem that you described for your broadcast spreader, since it uses the turning wheel to drive the agitator. The ones I looked at had solid wheels, so one possible solution for that I think would be to screw several small screws into the tire. If it still slipped, just cut off the screw heads. Then, if I needed to use the spreader in the spring, buy a replacement wheel.

It's on the short list of options, thanks.