Facts Concerning A Lime Spreader

A material spreader is a piece of equipment used on farms to apply lime on soil. Their usage is not confined to spreading lime alone. They can be used to apply seed, sand, ice melt, and fertilizer, among other substances. The device is a replacement or an alternative for a drop spreader because instead of dropping its contents, it spreads them. A lime spreader goes by a few other names including centrifugal fertilizer or broadcast spreader.

The devices come in a wide range in many aspects. There are bigger versions that need a vehicle in order to be towed while others are small enough to be hand-held. ATV tow spreaders have a large capacity, which allows them to cover larger pieces of land. The equipment is connected on an ATV, which tows it around the land.

A hopper is incorporated in hand-held devices for containing lime. Hoppers vary in capacity from a few liters to several liters. Hand-held devices work through hand cranking. Push units are slightly bigger than hand-held models. Push models contain spinning disks that get powered by gearing to wheels. The largest models in this category of machines are commercial spreaders. These ones are usually connected onto utility farm tractors. They fit onto a three point hitch on the tractor and are powered by the powered take-off shaft of a tractor.

Spreaders vary in size but the way they function remains the same. They have horizontal spinning disks over which material hopper rests. Disks are finned to help with the spreading of material. As material drops from the hopper onto the disk, they are sprayed away from the device. This functioning mechanism is more commonly used in small models of spreaders. Such spreaders are mostly used at home for minor residential applications.

An alternative functioning mechanism that is employed in mid-sized commercial spreaders involves employment of a pendulum spreading mechanism. A pendulum spreading mechanism is preferred in commercial devices because it enhances consistency of spreading. Some spreaders contain directional fins, which control the direction in which the material is spread from the equipment. Usually the direction can be altered to achieve the preferences of a user.

The spinning of the disk requires a power source. Hand-held models incorporate hand cranks that spin gears. In tow-behind models, the gears are rotated by a shaft which is in turn rotated by wheels of the device. The disk is in turn rotated by the gears to spread material.

Tractor-mounted models have mechanical power take-off shafts linked to the tractor. The shaft allows the driver to control the disk. Some spreaders incorporate a 12-volt motor for spinning the disk that disperses the content of the hopper. There are better working mechanisms in modern models that make them more efficient.

The hopper, which contains the contents to be spread are usually made from various materials. Commonly, they are made from stainless steel, painted steel, or plastic. Stainless steel is preferably used in commercial models because it is strong. Besides being strong, stainless steel is used because granular fertilizer is very corrosive to other materials.