Ag Lime Spreader?

[Olympus]

I’m in search of some kind of implement that I can use to spread ag lime on my food plots. I need to spread about 6-7 tons of ag lime. Pelletized lime is going to be ridiculously expensive for the amount I need. There are absolutely NO places that rent lime buggies within an hour drive of me. There is one guy that uses a spreader truck, but he can’t fit it through the trails on my property. So I need to figure something out that I can use to spread the lime myself.

I have a tractor and loader, but I can’t seem to find anything that’s not crazy expensive to use to spread the lime. My grandpa said you could spread ag lime using a small seed drill, but I can’t find anything online to support that. Seems like it would need some kind of agitator to keep it flowing.

Any advice?

 

[Peter 315]

I知 in search of some kind of implement that I can use to spread ag lime on my food plots. I need to spread about 6-7 tons of ag lime. Pelletized lime is going to be ridiculously expensive for the amount I need. There are absolutely NO places that rent lime buggies within an hour drive of me. There is one guy that uses a spreader truck, but he can稚 fit it through the trails on my property. So I need to figure something out that I can use to spread the lime myself.

I have a tractor and loader, but I can稚 seem to find anything that痴 not crazy expensive to use to spread the lime. My grandpa said you could spread ag lime using a small seed drill, but I can稚 find anything online to support that. Seems like it would need some kind of agitator to keep it flowing.

Any advice?

3 point fertilizer Agrex xa500 holds almost 1000 pounds

 

[Olympus]

I didn’t think those hopper type pto spreaders would work very well with ag lime?

 

[Peter 315]

I spread sand with it so far it works good . They sell a screen and agitator for it

 

[M5farms]

I didn’t think those hopper type pto spreaders would work very well with ag lime?

they are not ideal but will work

A old manure spreader with chain would work in your situation

 

[Old Red]

Have you checked bulk pelletized lime? This is a recurring problem for food plotters and tobacco farmers. These lime truck aren't going to come out to spread on 5 acre patches of tobacco or food plots. Pelletized lime relative neutralizing value (RNV) is much higher than ag lime so you don't need as much tonnage of pelletized lime as you do ag lime. I always mix in pelletized lime with my fertilizer when I go and purchase fertilizer and rent the fertilizer buggy. The fertilizer buggies are readily available, easy to transport, and bulk pelletized lime is cheap, especially when you consider you can use so much less of it than crushed powdery ag lime.

True ag lime spreaders for small plots are insane expensive.

 

[Peter 315]

Maybe a old pickup sander box they hold 2 yards

 

[Olympus]

Have you checked bulk pelletized lime? This is a recurring problem for food plotters and tobacco farmers. These lime truck aren't going to come out to spread on 5 acre patches of tobacco or food plots. Pelletized lime relative neutralizing value (RNV) is much higher than ag lime so you don't need as much tonnage of pelletized lime as you do ag lime. I always mix in pelletized lime with my fertilizer when I go and purchase fertilizer and rent the fertilizer buggy. The fertilizer buggies are readily available, easy to transport, and bulk pelletized lime is cheap, especially when you consider you can use so much less of it than crushed powdery ag lime.

True ag lime spreaders for small plots are insane expensive.

Everything I read about pell lime vs ag lime is that pelletized lime needs to be added yearly whereas ag lime will last longer.

 

[dieselscout80]

A pull type drop spreader work like a EZee Flow, John Deere or other brands. I have a 10' EZee Flow drop spreader and a 4' one too and they both work with AG Lime.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/316495-mccormick-no-7-6-foot.html

 

[Areeves08]

Keep your eyes open for an EZ-Flow. We used it for 10 tons last year and it was perfect. It holds a little less than a JD 5065 full bucket.

 

[dieselscout80]

1T Spreaders with End-Wheel Drive | Gandy

1T Spreaders with 3-Point Hitch | Gandy

1T Spreaders with Tow Hitch | Gandy

 

[Olympus]

Wow, they’re proud of those!

 

[sixdogs]

A pull type drop spreader work like a EZee Flow, John Deere or other brands. I have a 10' EZee Flow drop spreader and a 4' one too and they both work with AG Lime.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/316495-mccormick-no-7-6-foot.html

This is what you want and is the only thing that will work. You will burn up a spin cheaper in short order since lime is so compacted.

A better idea is to have the company that sells the lime spread it for you. It's usually pretty cheap and faster than you can imagine.

 

[Old Red]

Everything I read about pell lime vs ag lime is that pelletized lime needs to be added yearly whereas ag lime will last longer.

I don't think that is true. You need to soil test to be certain what your needs are. Been doing this a long time and have been where you are right now. The equipment to spread ag lime is very $$$ and finding someone or a service to come spread it for you for a small amount of land is near impossible. I was able to get them to do it once, but that was it and wasn't worth the hassle. I was spreading fertilizer anyway, so I could just add bulk pelletized lime when my soil test called for it. Easy, convenient, and cheap. What more can you ask for?

 

[Olympus]

This is what you want and is the only thing that will work. You will burn up a spin cheaper in short order since lime is so compacted.

A better idea is to have the company that sells the lime spread it for you. It's usually pretty cheap and faster than you can imagine.

None of the lime suppliers in my area do custom spreading and they don’t have lime buggies to rent. One private guy does all the spreading, but uses a truck and it’s too wide to get through my trails to my food plots.

 

[Olympus]

I don't think that is true. You need to soil test to be certain what your needs are. Been doing this a long time and have been where you are right now. The equipment to spread ag lime is very $$$ and finding someone or a service to come spread it for you for a small amount of land is near impossible. I was able to get them to do it once, but that was it and wasn't worth the hassle. I was spreading fertilizer anyway, so I could just add bulk pelletized lime when my soil test called for it. Easy, convenient, and cheap. What more can you ask for?

Already got the soil test done with my state university extension service. Agronomist recommended 3 tons per acre and then retest the following year.

 

[Gunny]

check rental places and see if any of them carry Gandy pull behind spreaders, or something similiar. It would be a lot cheaper to rent one once a year than to buy one new.
I managed to get mine when the rental place sold off their older equipment to buy newer stuff.

 

[Olympus]

I’ll look some up. Not many rental places where I’m at. I know of one that does a lot of farm/ag equipment so I’ll call them first.

 

[sixdogs]

You often see EZ FLOW lime "sowers" like that shown and they don't bring very much money. Last I saw was in good shape and went for $200. It was 8 or 10' wide.

Pelletized lime WILL spread with a spin type spreader. I use a pendulum style Vicon spreader and it works fine. I don't fill it up, just in case, but it works fine. It's powdered bulk lime that's the problem.

 

[tractorshopper]

Have the same problem here. Can buy the lime with the buggy, but no longer have my L3800 to pull it with. The smallest one I can get my hands on is too large to tote with my BX. I'd like a smaller one where I can still get bulk price on lime, but $5-6k for a Gandy or something similar is way too high for the $2-300 of lime I need to spread.

Will start looking for one of the EZ Flows.