Spreader Fertilizer spreader to spread sand????

[Jerome]

I was at a clients house last week and he had sold off his farm around it for houses, and his driveway was lined with attachments no longer in use. He said I could buy his fertilizer spreader for $150. I though I would use it to spread sand on my ice covered driveway. Will this work? I do not know the make but it is about 4 feet high and three feet round and is PTO driven and fits on the 3ph.
is that a good price?

 

[MrJimi]

It will work for awhile, the sand is very abrasive to all moving parts
Jim

 

[shvl73]

I don't think they'd handle the clumps of frozen sand very well. If the sand was really dry, maybe. My sand pile was covered but, always had some moisture and would get clumpy in freezing temps.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

What brand of spreader? The simple little cone spreaders you can get at TSC will work with perfectly dry sand, clumps will plug it up. You need something with an agitator inside the drum to break up the clumps.

 

[greg_g]

is that a good price?

Maybe. Depends upon the condition of the spinner blades, the vanes (on the tray), and the transmission. The size you describe makes it about a 6 bushel size. On entry level models, new prices start about $350.

But I'd be afraid to use the optional agitator accessory on a hopper full of something as dense as sand (or powdered lime). Might work for partial hopper loads though. And I'd absolutely refuse to use one on a hopper full of wet sand. On entry level machines, that's simply too much for those puny little transmissions to handle.

//greg//