LIME SPREADER FOR FOOD PLOTS

[foggy1111]

I would like to see a pic of that Dearborn spreader if you have one Ken. My dad was a Ford / Dearborn dealer way back....and I still have some parts books with those spreaders shown.

Hmmmm...if you weren't so far away maybe we could trade one of my EZ Flow's for a Dearborn. :laughing: (Although they may have been made by the same plant?? My pics look similar.)

 

[sweettractors]

I would like to see a pic of that Dearborn spreader if you have one Ken. My dad was a Ford / Dearborn dealer way back....and I still have some parts books with those spreaders shown.

Hmmmm...if you weren't so far away maybe we could trade one of my EZ Flow's for a Dearborn. :laughing: (Although they may have been made by the same plant?? My pics look similar.)

Here is a link to the Ebay listing we have running currently. The Dearborn was a lot fancier spreader with more aggressive agitator and chrome lid handles and a different lockout on the wheel hubs. This is the first one that I have ever seen and I have been exposed to thousands of pieces of equipment in my lifetime. I have a link on the listing to the brochures and manuals for those spreaders. Maybe Dad would like to see those as well? Ken Sweet
Used Dearborn 8 Ft Drop Spreader, VERY HARD TO FIND | eBay

 

[foggy1111]

Thanks Ken.

 

[dgallow]

I have located a JD 12' LF fert distributor, but it has the agitators for small grains. Any ideas on where I can get a set of used agitators for lime and fert? Suggest mods for the rod type agitators if I can't find the parts?

Thanks in advance!
Doug

 

[sweettractors]

Here is a good alternative for spreading difficult material. Ken Sweet
Used Herd 5.5 Sand/Salt Spreader---Can Ship Real Cheap | eBay

 

[dgallow]

That Herd is nice! Would it handle chicken litter? Ag Lime and brolier liter (raw or composted) are my main spreader needs. Synthetic fert is getting too expensive!

BTW..called your office and they gave me Mark's number for the LF agitators. I left a message.

 

[sweettractors]

That Herd is nice! Would it handle chicken litter? Ag Lime and brolier liter (raw or composted) are my main spreader needs. Synthetic fert is getting too expensive!

BTW..called your office and they gave me Mark's number for the LF agitators. I left a message.

If it will spread 275 lbs of wet sand in 1 minute as stated in the brochure, I would think it would handle the manure (as long as it is not real wet) That big agitator should keep it worked down to the feed gate? Ken Sweet

 

[sweettractors]

Inside hopper. Ken Sweet

 

[dgallow]

Here is a pic of the agitators. What are the odd of problems/malfunctions with ag lime or litter?

Probably not too big a deal to fab some beaters.

 

[HCJtractor]

I have never seen the seed "beaters" Here are some pix of the fertilizer/lime version

 

[sweettractors]

I have never seen the seed "beaters" Here are some pix of the fertilizer/lime version

That looks plenty aggressive. Ken Sweet

 

[dgallow]

HCJ,

The agitator you have pictured is what I am looking for. The charts in the lid show each agitator type and the application (yours for fert/lime and mine for grains/grass). My guess is that the units were fitted at the dealership with the agitator the user wanted for intended use. This unit has a small seed box (JD VB type) mounted on the rear so was prolly set up for sowing seed and maybe fert from the hopper and legues from the small box.

Ken,

Would the agitator I have pitured do fine with ag lime and litter? I think it is similar to either the Gandy or Dearborn agitator you posted pics of recently. That Dearborn was a pretty cool unit!

Worst case scenario would be to put an expanded metal sreen over the hopper and manually bust up clods. Or fab and weld in some 'beaters' like HCJ posted.

 

[sweettractors]

HCJ,

The agitator you have pictured is what I am looking for. The charts in the lid show each agitator type and the application (yours for fert/lime and mine for grains/grass). My guess is that the units were fitted at the dealership with the agitator the user wanted for intended use. This unit has a small seed box (JD VB type) mounted on the rear so was prolly set up for sowing seed and maybe fert from the hopper and legues from the small box.

Ken,

Would the agitator I have pitured do fine with ag lime and litter? I think it is similar to either the Gandy or Dearborn agitator you posted pics of recently. That Dearborn was a pretty cool unit!

Worst case scenario would be to put an expanded metal sreen over the hopper and manually bust up clods. Or fab and weld in some 'beaters' like HCJ posted.

The resolution is not too good on this PC and I can't tell much about the agitator you have in the pic. Here is one in the Dearborn. Ken Sweet

 

[dgallow]

Must have been the Gandy because mine is not like the Dearborn. Picture the swather on an old combine/harvester. Remove the swathing boards and replace them with long round rods. That is what this agitator looks like...a mini swather with 4 rods (say 1/2" diameter) along the length of the agitator.

If you want me to send a pic via email I can do that. Maybe look at it on a better PC.

Sorry to nit-pick over this fellas!

Here is the IPL from JD...Page 4 shows the 'broadcast seeding shaft' and the 'feed shaft'...no parts available.

http://jdpc.deere.com/jdpc/pdfs/PC0432.PDF

 

[sweettractors]

Must have been the Gandy because mine is not like the Dearborn. Picture the swather on an old combine/harvester. Remove the swathing boards and replace them with long round rods. That is what this agitator looks like...a mini swather with 4 rods (say 1/2" diameter) along the length of the agitator.

If you want me to send a pic via email I can do that. Maybe look at it on a better PC.

Sorry to nit-pick over this fellas!

Farmers are getting Lime trucks to spread chicken liter around here. Of course, a ground drive manure spreader works best. Ken Sweet

 

[dgallow]

Edited the previous post and inserted a pdf link of the IPL for the JD LF. Maybe others will find it usefull and hopefully I contributed something to this thread.

Same here Ken and we used a turnkey litter broker last spring ($34/ton). This spring we are 'on the list' but haven't got a return phone call for approximate delivery date. That bothers me as it's time to plant beans and grass could use the N while we are getting rain. I'm about to the point of finding a new broker who will at least return a phone call! Maybe 250 ton of litter isn't worth messing with?

I would rather have a drop spreader on hand so if they deliver raw litter in time for planting then I can grab what is needed from the pile and spread on bean fields. Or if raw litter is late then I can get a trailer load of screened composted litter locally and spread it.

Ag lime will be done in 25 ton loads for 12-25 ac whenever I have time. Just need to bring pastures up a few tenths for legume establishment. Custon lime app is about $60 per ton here turnkey now with fuel prices being high. By going quarry direct that cuts the middle man and red tape....$10ish per ton bulk plus frieght for a 90 mi haul...85-90% ECCE lime.

I'll keep looking for the right spreader!

 

[HCJtractor]

Hi dgallow. I sent you a email. Hey, you can buy mine. I decided to sell it as I just don't need it. I don't have a good source of Ag lime around here. I have not used it since I restored it.

One thought, for a 12 footer, I would be a little afraid of the torque an agressive "beater" puts on the ratchet case (the outside drum that holds the shaft and engages the shaft when the wheels roll) When I was restoring mine, I found that on several of the used ones I found, the cast iron ratchet case had been broken and repaired. I assume when the beaters engage a hard lump of lime or a misplaced rock, they lock up. This transfers lots of rotational torque to the ratchet case and breaks it. i saw that fracture on most old ones I found. It seems the longer the shaft, the more the pressure and force. So if you make a new shaft, be a little careful not to make it too agressive. Just a thought I had.

I will post some more pictures, and will help in any way I can.

 

[dgallow]

I would love to have your unit, but the distance would add too much to the cost I believe. You deserve top dollar for that and no sense in settling for less.

Got a message from the seller and it appears all this unit was used for is seeding brome. There is a good chance the ratchet cases are in good shape with no cracks. Seller will check on that for me. It would be nice to start with a good unit.

I plan to add expanded metal to the top of hopper of the drop spreader for screening clods and rocks.

I made a small screen out of 1/2" x 1" welded wire to screen bulk pell lime or fert before broacast spreading with a gravity flow spinner. Rocks are bad to plug the exit holes and it is a royal pain tring to remove one under a hundred pounds of material. The wire screen works great! The hopper on the scale for bulk material at the coop also has an expanded metal screen but hole size won't catch gravel.

Bulk material can be kept dry with a tarp. Litter is normally pretty dry coming out of the house and lime is at the fate of the quarry. As long as stuff isn't too wet I think it will be fine if screened first. The composted litter product can be purchased pre-screened.

On your unit are the fan shaped beaters the ones over the drop holes or is it the scrapers (90 degree bent pieces)? If I weld in fan shaped beaters over the drops that should work. The rods should suffice as scrapers/mixers but won't move material laterally like the true scrapers which are staggered around the lime/fert shaft.

I'm still debating! :confused2: Fun thinking through this stuff!

 

[HCJtractor]

Thats a good idea for the screen to protect from rocks or hard clumps. I will take some pix today and post them.

 

[HCJtractor]

Here are some pictures. The flat "chopper" is above the space between the holes, and the fan shaped "distributor" is directly over the holes. Metal is about 1/8" thick. Hope that helps.