Quad/ATV mounted fertilizer/lime/seed spreader

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Hi folks,

 

I know we've got one or two farmers here and maybe one or two others who may have set foot upon a farm at one time or another

 

My plan is to eventually buy a quad/atv for the farm. Sick and tired of hauling everything on my back But, I'm first collecting a few bits and pieces as I don't want the large outlay for the machine itself and be able to do sweet feck all with it.

 

I've bought a 55 litre sprayer which should be arriving early this week.

 

Now I'm looking to get something which will spread granulated fertilizer (18.6.12 and the like), non granulated lime (powder I guess) and also see like clover seed.

 

I've been looking at trailed spreaders but there are a few problems with them for me. First is my land, most of the trailed spreaders are low to the ground with small wheels. Fitting larger wheels will change the speed of the spreader and fcuk it up. The motorised spreaders are too expensive for me.

 

SO... getting slowly to the point ...

 

My attention is drawn to the smaller spreaders which are mounted directly to the back of the quad. Something which will spread the three things I mention is what I need. One that can fit in the contents of a 100 pound weight bag of 18.6.12 for example would be perfect. What I need in a spreader is accuracy of spread, reliability, and hopefully one that isn't soft as sh1te. I hear mention of agitators, I presume that's to stir up powder like lime to drop it into the spreader, know very little about them.

 

So if you have practical experience using one of these mounted spreaders I'd like to hear from you

 

ATB,

 

John

[Ideation 8,216]

Maybe same as a game keeper would use to spin out corn?

[Ratreeper 441]

I don't know much, but these chaps will custom make anything you want if you have the cash. http://www.quad-x.com/home.php?language=en

[SEAN3513 7]

only experience ive had with the quad mounted ones is:

 

they are quite small (in terms of capacity).......the ones ive used/seen only hold about 1/2 to 2/3 of a bag of fertilizer.

 

and there ends my knowledge of these

 

cheers

 

sean

[JohnGalway 1,043]

The small capacity of the spreader suits me well. The land is quite uneven - not rolling hills, but humps, bumps, tussocks, rocks, marshy bits, walls everywhere and so forth So it's still a huge improvement for me in reducing physical work load and speed in carrying out the operation.

 

I saw the Quad X stuff, a bit too expensive for me to be honest. I won't be spreading fert until March anyway, Seed likely at the end of next summer, not entirely sure on the lime, could probably spread that in December when the sheep would be pushed out to the hill. I've a bit more tire kicking to do on this yet

[sounder 9]

john the land is a mountain

[JohnGalway 1,043]

john the land is a mountain

 

Can't argue with you there Ray Am looking to turn it into a more productive mountain though Have sprayed all them rushes that were obscuring your, eh, liberated target board the last time It's not a bad piece of land for around here, just let go for too long

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Like the look of this spreader, under $300 in the USA but €580 here in Rip Off Ireland

[herdwick 52]

Dont know much about quad mounted spreaders but have used tractor mounted pto driven spreaders.

Small tractor (ferguson or such) put axles out as far as they'll go to enable you to go across slopes small pto spreader (vicon if you can still get them) should hold 250kg but no need to fill it right up if your ground is steep.

Might be the cheaper option.

[herdwick 52]

http://www.merlinspromotionsltd.co.uk/quad-equestrian--agri-products-30-c.asp

[herdwick 52]

http://www.reco.co.uk/fertliser-spreaders.php

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Dont know much about quad mounted spreaders but have used tractor mounted pto driven spreaders.

Small tractor (ferguson or such) put axles out as far as they'll go to enable you to go across slopes small pto spreader (vicon if you can still get them) should hold 250kg but no need to fill it right up if your ground is steep.

Might be the cheaper option.

 

Nah, most of the area is no go for tractors, it really is that rocky, full of walls, etc :)They're not clean fields if I can put it that way, they're absolutely full of obstacles

[clint 45]

Maybe i read this rong, is land full of rocks, obsticle & you wish to fertalise ? I no see the reason for this.Land is hill , you may need to drain also, all goodness wash down hill . You may waste time. Why not pull out rock, & dead obsticle first? Then in 2 to 3 section, put cow to eat all, & will self fertilise, then rotate sections until grass cover you toe cap.If land so bad , what is you intension? crop ? goat also eat all to 2 metre high. if ground like marsh, goat no damage surface like cow, is light animal. depend how many acre you wish to work, donkey also good heavy duty transport, can you use shovel to spread?

Edited September 7, 2010 by clint

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Clint,

 

My intention is to improve the farm for my Scottish Blackface flock, so I can improve my flock not only through breeding but by better management as well.

 

Connemara, where I live, is where God put all the left over crap from building the rest of the world. All the spare mountains, bogs, rocks, rivers, marshes and swamps

 

Years ago, farmers could only build dry stone walls to mark out their fields from their neighbours and keep their stock under control. We have stone walls here that entire bogs grew over and covered thousands of years ago.

 

The stones I talk about are really bedrock, granite bedrock which won't be pulled out by any digger

 

My Dad used to run cattle and horses as well as sheep on this piece of land. I just run sheep on it as cattle are too heavy, they poach the land (no, not that kind of poaching lads) and cave in the sides of drains etc, so in my opinion they're more trouble than they're worth. Crops aren't grown in this part of the world.

 

The current drains are operating well, but are due a clear out soon.

 

It's routine to spread bagged granulated chemical fertilizer in Spring time to give the grass a boost before the lambs arrive, 18.6.12, 10.10.20, 0.7.30 and such. The lime I would spread to change the PH of the soil, most of the soil around here has at one time or another been reclaimed from the bog. Bog as in blanket bog and not raised bog.

 

At the moment, my farm has too much gorse & rushes. I'm addressing those problems by spraying them off. While I'm doing that I'm also thinking of the future, how to ease my own workload by small scale mechanization like the sprayer which just arrived here today and the Quad mounted spreader which I will get, eventually!

 

So this is about three things really, dragging the farm back to what it once was, reducing my own workload, and improving the flock through better land management

[clint 45]

I see now,is land of severe disadvantage. 1st drain well, dig 1 metre x 1 metre trench from top to bottom down hill, down side of wall & also trench where water collect, around edge of field, possible also put in soakaway pipe, across middle of field & direct to side,downhill ,all 1 direction, so off !, this will keep rush & water plant down, eventually & land more balance. Spray all weed , thistle, nettle, & fertilise.Maybe plant tree down boggy area, many pine tree soak up water,or fruit tree for animal to eat also,when fall. This is all you can do. Nature always revert back to as should be, only thing nature never conquer is chemical, this will eventually destroy where it collect,(downhill) if no organic, then balance of all is distruct.