SANDER/SPREADER ADD-ON'S

[WALT]

For those of you that use a rotary spreader to sand your driveway, here is the latest brainstorm from my shop.
Last winter, I decided that I needed more sand on my driveway, than on my lawn & woods, when using my rotary spreader. I made a crude set of wings to limit the spread with some plywood. They worked O.K. but were not adjustable.
Last week I started to design a more durable and adjustable add-on.
I welded a simple frame out of 2" angle, bolted to the spreader, (removable) to attach the side plates to. I used a couple of old door hinges to attach them to the frame. The wings adjust by using hardware called "lid supports", attached between the frame and side wing. The side wing is a piece of old aluminum traffic sign. As with all these projects, adjust as needed to your spreader. I also added a "unclogger " stick to the side of the spreader, with spring type broom handle holders.

With this set-up, by moving the side wing, you can control the sand spread width.

A side note on spreading sand. If your public works dept. has a public sand pile for your use, it usually has salt mixed in. This will help keep the sand from freezing into a solid pile. The salt will also help with the sand flowing from your hopper to the spreader.
I bought 6 yds of regular sand, delivered two years ago for my use, that froze into a 6 yd. lump. I ended up driving to P/W to get unfrozen sand anyways.

No snow yet...Merry Christmas.

WALT

 

[BTDT]

Good job. I like the kubota stick, how much was that? And those flaps made from an old roadsign, priceless. Recycling at it's best.

 

[Deerlope]

Nice idea. Last year I also decided that I needed more sand & salt on the driveway and less in the woods. I looked for days on the internet for a drop sander that I could do just the wheel tracks with but could find nothing. Now I am not real clever but I knew what I wanted so I built one. Runs with a 12 volt starter motor off a B&S 8HP. The whole thing hangs on the tail gate of my RTV. The drive it 800 feet one way. I put in just enought salt/sand to do it and when I'm done I hose it down and sit it in the corner. If I were a younger man I would patent it because it is that good.

 

[slowzuki]

I've been trying to figure out how to mount one on my 7 ft blower so after blowing I can sand. Problem is when I drop the blower it weighs so much I sometimes can't make it uphill.

Next choice was a q/a one to fit the skidsteer plate with the plow mount I'm working on. That would be best as the plow floats independant of the loader so I would have plenty of traction still.

 

[jmc]

If I were a younger man I would patent it because it is that good.

Fred,

If you're not going to patent that thing, I wish you would start another thread and post a picture of it. I've got a long steep driveway and covering the whole thing is a waste of sand. I just need the two tracks covered.

John

 

[Deerlope]

Fred,

If you're not going to patent that thing, I wish you would start another thread and post a picture of it. I've got a long steep driveway and covering the whole thing is a waste of sand. I just need the two tracks covered.

John

The one I built is kind of crude and would surely give you guys a lot of laughs. Go to any lawn and garden store and look at a drop seeder and work a plan from that. That is what I did.

 

[Danno1]

.

Sand is gonna wear through that aluminum plate pretty quickly, and it's probably gonna be noisy. A sacrificial wear plate made of plywood, or even better, UHMWPE from McMaster Carr would solve both probs.

.

 

[WALT]

While still waiting for winter to arrive, NW CT. finally got about a 1/2" of snow earlier this past week. I could wait no longer to use the tractor, so I sanded the icy spots of my driveway this morning. I took Danno1's suggestion, and added some rubber wear shields to the aluminum wings. It is old 5" firehose that was discarded from work, from my large junk collection of stuff that I know will be useful some day.
Also posted is a sandbox that I made of scrap plywood for my truck, to keep the bed clean.
Finally is the dolly that the sander rests on when off the tractor, but used when sand is stored in the sander, ready for its next use.

While the some members of TBN might not understand those of us in the north, snow & ice is just another opportunity to do some tractoring. Still no storms in the near forecast....

WALT