Spreader spreaders

[fractal]

Rich

Would you happen to Milky Spore is toxic to worms? I vaguely recall that either gophers or moles (can't remember which) live off grubs and eliminating the food supply is an easy way to eliminate the critter.

 

[RichZ]

Milky spore effects only grubs. It's harmless to worms and other critters. As far as moles, though, it indirectly gets rid of them, too. When you kill all the grubs, you get rid of the mole's favorite food source, and they move on.

Rich

 

[Bob_Trevithick]

Say folks, it occured to me today that for winter snow pushing, it might be neat to leave the spreader attached and full of sand, salt, or some such stuff. Dual benefits.. extra traction, and the ability to spread the sand, etc.

However, a guy at the place I bought the Land Pride FS500 said he wouldn't advise this, as the spreader should really be cleaned out after each use.

What are your thoughts? Is it critical to clean after each use, or could it just be cleaned each time it needs re-filling? Of course this could mean it might not be cleaned for the entire winter. No way of predicting how much I would use or how often.

Thanks for any thoughts...

Bob

Bob Trevithick

 

[MikePA]

The problem with leaving salt in the spreader would be corrosion. The problem with leaving sand in it wouldn't be the sand, but the moisture it would/could contain, which would also cause corrosion.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

The reason I don't have a spreader currently is that several have been allowed to corrode to uselessness. They have to be carefully cleaned after each use. Lime, salt and fertilizer are all electrolytes, and everything holds water against the moving parts. You can't leave anything in them for very long.

Charlie Iliff

 

[Bob_Trevithick]

<font color=blue>...The problem with leaving salt in the spreader would be corrosion. The problem with leaving sand in it wouldn't be the sand, but the moisture it would/could contain, which would also cause corrosion.</font color=blue>

Good point. I wonder though if the part which ended up corroding might be cheap and easily replaceable? I like this idea so much, I'm resisting giving it up. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bob Trevithick

 

[Bob_Trevithick]

Maybe a better idea would be a big box full of sand or salt, and a small shovel. It could be a great weight for traction, and still let me occassionally spread a little sand or salt on dangerous areas. It would also give me more control of where the stuff goes.

Anyone know of such a box with 3pt hitch mounts? Maybe I could have somebody weld me up one...

Thanks,
Bob

Bob Trevithick

 

[Anonymous Poster]

A couple things happen in the winter, usually spreading salt... you also have sand mixed... and then mother nature gives you a dose of moisture... mix it all up, the next day...[/i]it's usually frozen solid[/i]... now you have to break it up inside the mixer/spreader to work it...

Corrosion is the other problem, because even if you load just enough for usage, the salt eats it up wicked...again because of the moisture problem... and it's hard to "wash/rinse" the mixer out with water because it's winter.... {catch 22 situation}

Similar problem in summer, when spreading manure, it's very caustic, but at least you can wash/rinse out the mixer...

 

[mikim]

TSC has a 3 pt platform you can put your own box on. I'm going to pick one up and build a flat pallet type platform on it to use as a carry-all. (they're cheap too - under $100)
mike

 

[Bob_Trevithick]

<font color=blue>...TSC has a 3 pt platform you can put your own box on.</font color=blue>

I was thinking of the forklift type device.. maybe also put a pallet on it for anything like a big box of sand or salt. A friend tells me these are also handy for things like lifting rocks, etc.

My 3pt hitch is rated at 2200 lbs lift. Question, if I tried to lift something that was too heavy (it's hard to guess the weight of a rock) would I harm something, or would it just not be able to lift it?

Thanks for all the ideas, folks!

Bob Trevithick