I have a John Deere 990 tractor and statrting to look for a fertlizer spreader to spread fertlizer, sand, and pasture seed. Who makes the best spreaders. I have gone online to look at Cosmo, Frontier and Land Pride. They all look the same to me. Can you give me your thoughts if there is one better than the other or should I be looking at other brands?
Best Fertilizer spreader???
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daBear
Gold Member
Try a Heard spreader or a Vicon. With the latter get ready to drop some bucks however, they are supposed to last a lifetime.
muskeg_mapper
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I have a Vicon that I've been very happy with, no problems at all. I've spread fertilizer, pelletized and powdered lime, and it's never given me trouble. Kuhn are also a good brand.
Hoosier Hay Man
Platinum Member
I have a Herd Seeder/Spreader and love it. Made in the USA. When you call ask for Dave Herd. He has a wealth of valuable information when it comes to spreaders and seeders.
Herd Seeder Co. Inc.
Herd Seeder Co. Inc.
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
Herd makes a good one. Vicon makes a BETTER one (as far as a dedicated Fertilizer spreader) (I've got one of each. Herd is used primarily as a seeder, where the Vicon spreader is used more as a fertilizer spreader)
Robert_in_NY
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Vicon makes the best fertilizer spreader available. They will last a lifetime for most people. Here they will last 30-40 years covering hundreds of acres of vineyard every year and even then what needs to be repaired is the opener disc (the stainless steel disc at the base of the cone), that wears from all the material passing through it after all those years/acres. Most farmers just replace the entire unit though as they got their moneys worth by that point.
You can find used Vicon spreaders for a decent price. I have a cart mounted model that holds 1 ton in great shape and cost me $750 used. I also have a 500 pound 3pt model I paid $125 for and it is in great shape as well. The cart unit is 15 years old and the 3pt unit is 30 years old and wasn't used a lot over the years as the farmer passed away 20 years ago.
If you plan to use it a lot go with the Vicon and you will never be disappointed. If you only need a spreader for a few acres once a year buy the Herd and save the money.
You can find used Vicon spreaders for a decent price. I have a cart mounted model that holds 1 ton in great shape and cost me $750 used. I also have a 500 pound 3pt model I paid $125 for and it is in great shape as well. The cart unit is 15 years old and the 3pt unit is 30 years old and wasn't used a lot over the years as the farmer passed away 20 years ago.
If you plan to use it a lot go with the Vicon and you will never be disappointed. If you only need a spreader for a few acres once a year buy the Herd and save the money.
Robert_in_NY
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That is good advice but also I like to oil them after they dry. The Vicon has a poly hopper with a stainless steel meter plate on the bottom so there isn't much to rust on them.
D7E
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Only Vicons i've had were the oscilating spout type and they had a terrible reputation for "striping" in crops....Twin disc is always the best ..Amazone ,Kuhn,KRM are better...!
Nothing wrong with a steel hopper ...Just pressure wash it after use and throw a jug of diesel through it when it's dry
Another thing with the vicons i seem to remember is the hoppers used to become brittle with age and split....
Nothing wrong with a steel hopper ...Just pressure wash it after use and throw a jug of diesel through it when it's dry
Another thing with the vicons i seem to remember is the hoppers used to become brittle with age and split....
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Farmwithjunk
Super Member
Funny......I'm a golfer (among other things) Most golf courses gravitate towards Vicon because of their sterling reputation of NOT "striping". Never had that problem in 20+ years of using one on my farm either. As far as hopper splitting, after 20 years, no splits. I'll post back IF it ever does.
Robert_in_NY
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Both of my hoppers are fine also. The one has a few dings from being abused by the previous owner but they are holding up well. I take them off and put them back on during clean up each time also and have never broke one moving them by myself.
D7E
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The innacuracy problem was top dressing cereal crops where you have to drive at a set like 40 or 70ft etc running in tramlines set by the seeder so you can't move over a bit to suit overlap .
Not so noticeable on grassland as you can drive accordingly to density of product or wind conditions, The modern twin disc machines are more variable in the settings.
Not so noticeable on grassland as you can drive accordingly to density of product or wind conditions, The modern twin disc machines are more variable in the settings.
D7E
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The innacuracy problem was top dressing cereal crops where you have to drive at a set like 40 or 70ft etc running in tramlines set by the seeder so you can't move over a bit to suit overlap .
Not so noticeable on grassland as you can drive accordingly to density of product or wind conditions, The modern twin disc machines are more variable in the settings.
Not so noticeable on grassland as you can drive accordingly to density of product or wind conditions, The modern twin disc machines are more variable in the settings.
