rusted fertilizer spreader

[slowzuki]

I have seen people fiberglass the inside so when it rots the fiberglass remains.

 

[Shooter45]

Guess when I go to get a spreader I should opt for the plastic hopper so I don't have to worry about rust?

 

[Mace Canute]

Hello again.

Lesson learned! Don't buy cheap metal fertilizer spreader unless you're going to handwash it every time you use it. Had to spread a lot of lime this year in granular form and this together with ordinary fertilizer and wet conditions and laziness has resulted in lots of rust damage. To add to the problem, the second half of the pto shaft wont release -quick release button apparently seized and one of the arms of the spinner has snapped. I started to dismantle and clean all rust. Two gallons of WD 40 used already -hardware store thinks I'm drinking the stuff! How do I get the centre unit off to replace the broken spinner? All help gratefully acknowledged. Incidentally, its Italian - Eurospin 500; had one of their cars in early 80s -great engine -body disintegrated before my eyes.

Many thanks.

Mark Connaughton

That should be a wake up call as to useless WD-40 is.

 

[Timbow]

I do not have experience with the plastic poly spreaders. I imagine they too will require cleaning, oiling of the metal parts and storage under cover. My spreader was used once a year for food plots, hosed down and then left out in the elements for 12 years. I washed and sprayed it down with wd40 and it rusted out after 12 years. I suppose if I had cleaned, oiled it with diesel and stored the spreader under cover I might not be restoring the spreader. At one point I slapped on a quart of Rustoleum. I am researching painting the restored spreader with an an epoxy based material such as Xtreme liner less the rubber material or some UV protection. I would like to find a hard protective covering.

 

[strum456]

After every use, power wash and coat with old engine oil. Ours is about 20 years old with very little rust.

 

[Dead Horse]

used engine oil is very useful for a lot of things around a farm.........

as an example, I have been running it as bar oil in my chain saws for many years, with zero noticeable negative effects. If flows just fine and some of my chains are 12 years old. I cut an average of 25 cord of wood a year.

It also disabuses carpenter ants of the notion that my wood shed sills wil taste good, or make a nice home.

And I use it as a general purpose lube on exposed surfaces like spreaders, disk harrow, plow blades and all sorts of otherwise ugly things I don't want to see rust on.

The stuff is gold! and free........

 

[Timbow]

The broadcast hopper will be back from the welding shop next week. What type of paint should I use?

 

[mphymel]

I know this is an old thread, but these thing wont stop rusting anytime soon...
I had one of those "The Hollow" spreaders i got used in 2009. Used once a year for food plots. I'd hose it down every year and it lasted 8 years. Wish I'd have thought to spray it down like y'all all suggested.

Finally, something happened and we wrecked that spinner plate. It broke off the hub that it was welded to. In the process of breaking it all down, I ended up having to rip the agitator through the segmented orifice at the bottom, since the bottom was pretty much rotten anyway.

I had to cut the agitator axially with an angle grinder only deep enough so as not to score the shaft, then was able to get it off by driving a chisel through the cut to crack it loose.

The hub had a small roll pin inside a big roll pin. After some how beating that out, I was able to beat that down the shaft using punches.

The gear box is off now, ordered a new shaft (we twisted the original like a noodle on a Cosmo hopper after this one failed). I'd need to make or repair that spinner disk, and make a new bottom plate, and replace one of those gates.

I can tell you that we found an old Cosmo in the weeds at the hunting camp. That thing must have been there for 10 years, nothing was seized. After mine got wrecked, we grabbed that thing, used my pto shaft and finished planting. The weird thing is that on the last plot, something happened and that gear box just locked up, and we wrapped the shaft up like spaghetti on a fork. It even killed the 40 HP tractor engine. We took the shaft off, the gearbox still spun free, not much runout, no noise, spins smooth. I can figure out what happened.

Sad part is I will probably use that new shaft on that thing again this year, as my old one is not ready yet and that cosmo is still up there ready to work and wasn't ever even washed from last year.
I have a mind to cut down a bushhog pto shaft to use on that unit up at the camp and spare my new shaft in case it does that again. Anyone got any ideas what could have happened to cause that lockup?

If anyone is looking at getting a spreader, I'd recommend that Cosmo over "The Hollow" it is far better built.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Old thread but I am working on a project now that is relevant.

I am refurbishing an old Herd 750 spreader my dad had in the shed. Didn't know it was in there. Lots of surface rust but the box, running gear, etc...was fine. Pop used a pair of vice grips to set the seed gate opening. The bolt and clamp that held the seed gate in place was gone. I purchased the seed gate gauge for $35 shipped.

I am now in the process of rust proofing the spreader with Por 15. I will put 3 coats of it on the spreader and then come back with a coat of white paint. I figure I will have around $150 in refurbishing the spreader.

The quality of this Herd spreader is exceptional. A used 750 on Ebay is priced at 1K. New they are around $1600. I figure for my time and effort money well spent.

 

[TractorGuy]

Incidentally, its Italian - Eurospin 500; had one of their cars in early 80s -great engine -body disintegrated before my eyes.

There's your problem. I swear the Italian steel must be made with salt water. We had a couple of Fiats and they would rust from the inside out.