Tow-Behind or quad-mounted spreader options for <$300

Jason Broom

Jason Broom

Well-Known Member
Our old tow-behind spreader made it through last year...barely! I would like to buy a better one, but don't have the $500 or more that some of the best units cost. (Three kids in college is hard on the budget!)

Still, I don't want another $89 model that is going to rust or have the gears seize up in 3 or 4 years. I'm currently looking at options like the Agrifab 45-0329, Brinly BS36BH, Earthway Evn-Spread 2170T. They're all about the same price and features.

Should I skip all of these and find a way to buy one of the more durable tow-behind cone spreader?
 
Three kids in college? Your budget is already blown! Best wishes and good luck! I had two and they are finished...but I'm still paying! Will it ever end? So, go ahead. Buy what you will need for the long haul. I know. easy for me to say. What, may I ask, are you pulling this thing with? A quick look tells me the prices difference between the units you specifically mention and the $500 unit you desire isn't but $300. The difference in longevity and usefulness is more than that! I think before my kids went to college I bought one of those tow-behinds and used it about six months. It was so awkward and problematic, I went and bought the $500 unit. Now I've paid $700 to use a $500 unit. Prices were different then, but you get the idea.
 
Jason, I bought a Swisher and mounted it on the front of my quad. I will have to check the model number as I can't recall what it is right now. It does a great job with pelletized lime, fertilizer and medium to large seeds. With small seeds I still use an over the shoulder bag type seeder. With the Swisher mounted on the front and adjusted to a 4' spread pattern I can "one pass" most of the time. I pull a 4' section of spike tooth harrow to cover seed or work in the lime/fertilizer or pull my roller to press the seed in, depending on the soil conditions.
Found the spreader online a couple of winters ago on close out for less than $200 delivered.
 
How long would it take you to save the extra money to buy the $500 one and be happier with the unit? Sometimes waiting a little longer for a better product, beats settling on an inferior one.
 
About fifty or so years ago, an elderly gentleman advised me to ALWAYS buy to your highest aspirations;it will not only make you happy but in the end it is a lot cheaper. So far he has been right.
 
I'll be towing this (or mounting it to) a 400cc quad. I know I don't currently want one of the larger PTO-driven cone spreaders that you attach to a 3-pt hitch on a tractor; that is more capacity than my smaller plots require.

Let me phrase the question a little differently: If I elect to eat bean and rice for a couple of weeks, what is the BEST tow-behind spreader I can get? I was planning on buying a lesser model for the next 6-8 years, until I retire, and then buying something top-of-the-line. Convince me there is one I can buy this year that will meet my needs for twice as long, with reasonable care and maintenance?
 
Jason Broom said:
Our old tow-behind spreader made it through last year...barely! I would like to buy a better one, but don't have the $500 or more that some of the best units cost. (Three kids in college is hard on the budget!)

Still, I don't want another $89 model that is going to rust or have the gears seize up in 3 or 4 years. I'm currently looking at options like the Agrifab 45-0329, Brinly BS36BH, Earthway Evn-Spread 2170T. They're all about the same price and features.

Should I skip all of these and find a way to buy one of the more durable tow-behind cone spreader?
Click to expand...


I have an older version of the model of the Agr-Fab spreader you are looking at. I see they have redesigned the hopper gate opener and have covered the gears of the axle. My opener sits lower and is tough to reach from a Cub Cadet 1250. I haven't put an extension on it because the gate stop adjustment is wimpy. Mine came with a plastic wingnut and whenever I opened the gate the stop would move. I replaced it with a steel wingnut and it still would move. A regular nut and wrench is more secure but not as convenient. The adjustment rides over the decal for the opening amount and the decal is mostly history on mine. The rest of the spreader is durable. The assembly shows the hitch with the small bracket on top. Putting that bracket on the bottom makes the spreader sit slightly more level for me.

Eugene
 
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