Filed under: August 2021 | Tags: fertilizer spreader, homemade equipment, horse drawn, small farm equipment
August 11, 2021
Several years ago, we built this horse drawn fertilizer spreader. My uncle Fred was the main fabricator. The drive wheels are from an old Jeep axle. Channel iron and a sprocket were added to make the whole thing work. It is direct drive, but it works great. The original cone spreader that we used when we first built it, finally rusted out. I wash, oil and store it in a dry place, but this tool works in a hostile environment. Lime, fertilizer and soil amendments love to eat metal.
It is easy to tell which parts we used over when we replaced the spreader. I hope to get it painted before storing later this fall. The plastic hopper and stainless steel parts will hopefully add to its life. I use this piece of equipment to feed the soil, but also to plant our grass and hay crops. I simply mix the seed with pelletized lime and broadcast into a waiting seedbed. I have broadcast oats in this manner too for early or late season grazing. It is a handy, simple machine.
There are two seats on the forecart that we have hitched to this. Those are for training young horses. Its nice to have someone riding there in the event you need help. It also works well when raking or tedding hay. I can have a rider to keep me company at times.
Equipment such as this makes sense for a small farmer. The pto shaft turns at 540 rpm when the horses are walking at about 3.5 mph. It works well and has been tested again and again. We replaced the rusted out unit with one we purchased from Easy Trail Equipment in Mount Hope Ohio. I looked at a few other models, but settled on this one because of its rust and rot resistant materials of construction. I look forward to putting it into service soon.
In the background of the photos, a new windmill can be seen. It is enriching the back pond with oxygen. It hasn’t been in use long, but already we are seeing positive results.
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