John Joseph McVeigh
Gold Member
Not specifically a Ventrac issue, but I thought that I would tap the collective wisdom of my fellow Ventracians.
The wooly bears and the Farmer's Almanacs are suggesting that we are in for a good bit of snow this coming Winter here in the Hereford Zone. I have adequate machinery for moving the snow (Model 4500Y Tractor, Model HB580 Broom, and Model KX523 Snow Blower), but there are times that I need to apply ice-melting compound to my driveway. The driveway is paved, about 1600 feet long. with two principal slopes, the steepest being about 15ー and S-curved. Most of the run is 12 feet wide, but the S-curve on the steepest hill flares out to 19 feet, and then on the flat at the top of the hill, near the house, the driveway flares out again to about 35 feet in width.
In anticipation of this coming Winter, I already have a store of ice-melting compound, and recently, I broke out the Agri-Fab walk-behind broadcast spreader that I have used for the past several years to apply ice-melting compound to the two principal slopes. The spreader holds about 100 pounds of material. I have tried to hose down the spreader thoroughly after each usage, because I know how corrosive salts can be. But on occasion, I have not been able to do that because the hose was iced up. At those times, I used buckets of water to try to rinse the spreader.
The spreader is of the typical design with a gear-driven vertical shaft that rotates a plastic impeller. A lever mounted to one of the frame arms controls the amount of material dispensed. I bought this spreader at a local store that sells animal feeds, fertilizers, mulches, and in the winter, ice-melting compounds. I have generally tried to use calcium chloride, or magnesium chloride, or blends of the two, but, on occasion, I have had to make do plain old rock salt because the higher-priced spreads were sold out.
Well, despite my efforts, the spreader has gotten a bit rusty, and as a result, cranky. If I start pushing it, it behaves normally for a few seconds, and then it starts to squeal. The squealing gets worse as I continue to push the spreader, and eventually the impeller locks up. I've removed the vertical shaft, wire-brushed and filed it to remove the surface rust, cleaned and relubricated all of the bushings and moving parts, but the darn thing still starts squeaking and eventually locks up. Not sure what is binding. I have heavily lubricated every suspect that I could identify.
I have had this unit perhaps eight years now, and have gotten a fair amount of use out of it, but I must confess some disappointment in its accelerating decrepitude. Rather than investing more time and effort into the unit, I am starting to think of a replacement.
I am aware that Ventrac offers the Model SS575 Broadcast Spreader and the Model SA250 Sidewalk Drop Spreader. They look very impressive, but I have some reservations about using the 4500Y to apply the ice-melting compound, given its corrosive nature.
I spent some time last night investing options. I see that an company in Indiana named Earthway makes walk-behind and tow-behind spreaders that use stainless steel frames and shafts. I have reservations about the tow-behind models because flow control seems dicey (a mechanical lever) and again because of proximity to the rear of the tractor. So, although tow-behnd spreaders (as well as the above-mentioned Ventrac accessories) offers some advantages, I'm not sure that that is the way to go. I also see third-party receiver-mounted broadcast spreaders, some with electrically actuated flow controllers, but again, the issue of proximity to the tractor rears its head.
I am curious how others have dealt with these issues.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
With best regards,
John
The wooly bears and the Farmer's Almanacs are suggesting that we are in for a good bit of snow this coming Winter here in the Hereford Zone. I have adequate machinery for moving the snow (Model 4500Y Tractor, Model HB580 Broom, and Model KX523 Snow Blower), but there are times that I need to apply ice-melting compound to my driveway. The driveway is paved, about 1600 feet long. with two principal slopes, the steepest being about 15ー and S-curved. Most of the run is 12 feet wide, but the S-curve on the steepest hill flares out to 19 feet, and then on the flat at the top of the hill, near the house, the driveway flares out again to about 35 feet in width.
In anticipation of this coming Winter, I already have a store of ice-melting compound, and recently, I broke out the Agri-Fab walk-behind broadcast spreader that I have used for the past several years to apply ice-melting compound to the two principal slopes. The spreader holds about 100 pounds of material. I have tried to hose down the spreader thoroughly after each usage, because I know how corrosive salts can be. But on occasion, I have not been able to do that because the hose was iced up. At those times, I used buckets of water to try to rinse the spreader.
The spreader is of the typical design with a gear-driven vertical shaft that rotates a plastic impeller. A lever mounted to one of the frame arms controls the amount of material dispensed. I bought this spreader at a local store that sells animal feeds, fertilizers, mulches, and in the winter, ice-melting compounds. I have generally tried to use calcium chloride, or magnesium chloride, or blends of the two, but, on occasion, I have had to make do plain old rock salt because the higher-priced spreads were sold out.
Well, despite my efforts, the spreader has gotten a bit rusty, and as a result, cranky. If I start pushing it, it behaves normally for a few seconds, and then it starts to squeal. The squealing gets worse as I continue to push the spreader, and eventually the impeller locks up. I've removed the vertical shaft, wire-brushed and filed it to remove the surface rust, cleaned and relubricated all of the bushings and moving parts, but the darn thing still starts squeaking and eventually locks up. Not sure what is binding. I have heavily lubricated every suspect that I could identify.
I have had this unit perhaps eight years now, and have gotten a fair amount of use out of it, but I must confess some disappointment in its accelerating decrepitude. Rather than investing more time and effort into the unit, I am starting to think of a replacement.
I am aware that Ventrac offers the Model SS575 Broadcast Spreader and the Model SA250 Sidewalk Drop Spreader. They look very impressive, but I have some reservations about using the 4500Y to apply the ice-melting compound, given its corrosive nature.
I spent some time last night investing options. I see that an company in Indiana named Earthway makes walk-behind and tow-behind spreaders that use stainless steel frames and shafts. I have reservations about the tow-behind models because flow control seems dicey (a mechanical lever) and again because of proximity to the rear of the tractor. So, although tow-behnd spreaders (as well as the above-mentioned Ventrac accessories) offers some advantages, I'm not sure that that is the way to go. I also see third-party receiver-mounted broadcast spreaders, some with electrically actuated flow controllers, but again, the issue of proximity to the tractor rears its head.
I am curious how others have dealt with these issues.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
With best regards,
John
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