Agri-Fab 185 lb. Tow ATV/UTV Broadcast Spreader

The Agri-Fab 45-0288 175-pound max tow behind drop spreader is an excellent addition to my lawn and garden assets. You can easily attach the drop spreader to a zero turn, ATV, or lawn tractor/mower with a tow bracket and cut your lawn while fertilizing or over seeding with grass simultaneously. Using my Kubota zero turn, I am unable to reach the flow control arm, however, using an ATV or lawn tractor I was able open and close the drop spreader. In addition to enabling me to maintain my one-acre lot of Kentucky blue grass and fescue mix, I’ve used the drop spreader to spread fertilizer and perennial rye, Kentucky blue, and Kentucky 31 grass seed mix for two of my neighbors. I am not sure if the drop spreader can hold 175 pounds of granular fertilizer as I only used 100 pounds and that nearly maxed the hopper’s capacity to the brim. The assembly instructions were simple and straight forward. It is important to note that that during the installation steps, my instructions stated that in order to initially calibrate the opening of the spreader on both sides, you are required to measure the two ferrules to one-half-inch. I recommend to simply move the flow control arm back to the off position and then screw the rod into the ferrule at the bottom of the hopper at both ends into the rod aligns with the hole in the end of the low control arm. I counted threads to try and ensure both ferrules were the same thread count, but also ensured the flow plate was closed against the hopper’s backstops. Once this was done, the flow control arm and flow plate were calibrated to the flow rate setting of my choice. Moreover, if the flow control arm does not stay in place or can easily move, simply loosen the self-locking nut or remove it and tighten the first self-locking note installed a bit tighter until the flow control arm is snug at any flow rate setting. Reinstall the backup self-locking nut and you are good to go. Some reviewers stated they used a bungee cord to hold it in place when all that is needed is a bit more torque on the first nut to give the flow control arm more resistance. For most applications involving fertilizer or grass seed, the 1 or 2 flow rate setting works just fine. You will always have to according to your task make adjustments to suit your particular drop rate. The Agri-fab 175-pound drop spreader works great and enables me to fertilize or over seed without worrying about fertilizer being broadcasted on my driveway. Maintain your 3 mph and according to my neighbor’s view of spreading seed, the hopper and flow plate opens and drops those babies right where you want it. Since our properties are right next to each other, I used the drop spreader particularly on our properties boundary lines as I have my luscious Kentucky Blue grass rocking at 3.5 inches height and we didn’t want any cross contamination from that pretty perennial rye, Kentucky Blue, and Kentucky 31 tall fescue hardy mix he was throwing down on his yard. It is imperative to pay attention to ensuring the flow control arm is completely closed and the flow control plate is closed tightly against the hopper’s backstops and adjust the ferrules on both sides until you can insert them into the bracket holes and you should have a well calibrated drop spreader to handle many of your lawn and garden needs.

I got this to spread Ortho Bug B Gone and it worked great on the number 2 setting to spread about 8 Lbs per 1000 sqft for fleas. This is a bit more than what I see suggested on the net, but I wanted to be sure it did the job since the fleas are out in force this season. I covered my 1/4 acre back yard with 120 lbs of this stuff and the spreader didn't miss a beat over smooth and rough ground as it towed behind while I mowed the grass. The 42 inch drop width is a good match for my riding mower cut width to provide even coverage. I had this same spreader years ago and it had the bald-looking tires as is shown on Amazon. This new one has tires with more tread, typical of what you see on most lawn mowers. The old ones worked fine and I the new ones do too. They do, after all, just tag along for the ride, so....who cares! The overall quality is pretty good except for the really sharp knife edges on just about every metal piece....I guess the phrase "break all sharp edges" is a thing of the past on manufacturing drawings. All the metal is painted black but it does not appear to be baked on and is certainly not anodized. Left in the open, it would probably start to rust within a few months. A shed is the best place to keep one of these little animals. All the parts were in the box and assembly, which took about 2 hours, went well except for a couple of minor things: 1. The tongue braces were not bent quite enough, so, on each side, I had to first get the nut started on the screw farthest to the rear on the hopper and then pry the brace into position on the tongue. I did not have to remove the wheels for access to the ends of the hopper. 2. The flow control rod was not bent quite enough, so I had to bend it in a bit so the ends aligned with the flow plate brackets. 3. Step 14, Adjust for Correct Opening of Hopper Flow Plates, says to check this and check that. Well OK, but I think it would be clearer stated this way: NOTE: The hopper has slotted holes all along the bottom. Since the tines inside the hopper cover these holes, you will have to turn the hopper upside sown and open the flow plates to see them. The hopper flow plates slide to incrementally cover these holes to block them when the flow control arm is moved toward OFF, and slide to incrementally uncover these holes as the flow control arm is moved toward ON (any of the various flow rate settings). To adjust the hopper flow plates, screw the flow control rod ferrules in or out until the slotted holes are completely closed with the flow control arm set at "0", and are completely open with the flow control arm set at the highest/most open position. Also check to see that each side (each hopper flow plate) is adjusted equally. After adjusting, tighten the ferrule nuts snug and then back them off 1/4 turn. 4. Step 15, Check for Proper Tension on the Hopper Flow Plates, says to check this and check that. Well OK, but simply put, it could say "tighten the Flow Control Arm nut until the arm stays firmly in position at any setting". You may want to note that the tension from this nut is the Only thing that keeps the Flow Control Arm from accidentally sliding to a lower setting....the Flow Control Gauge, beefy as it is, will only prevent it from sliding to a higher setting. 5. The tires needed a bit of air and sure enough, I had to remove the tires for access to the valve stems since they are on the inside edge of the tires. This was simple enough, however, since the tires are only held on with a cotter pin that easily comes out with the pull of a finger. All in all, it's a pretty good spreader. If it were not for the sharp edges, the minimal paint job, and the parts not being bent correctly, I would have given it 5 stars. Good luck with yours!

BOTTOM LINE: A basic, relatively easy-to-put together pull behind broadcast spreader (made in the USA!). It easily holds the stated weight of whatever you're putting on your lawn, (though 130lbs will fill the hopper right to the very brim!). My tractor pulled it across flat lawns, some bumpy spots and a few low-graded side hills with no problems whatsoever. The fit & finish were very good, although there were a couple of tiny spots where the paint was scuffed. (But this is a fairly inexpensive basic lawn tool, not a pricey hotrod, so a flawless flashy paint job was not high on my priority list.) Speaking of which... some online photos make the frame color sort of look like a metallic copper orange. It's not. It's just plain orange, a little on the reddish side. THOUGHTS: I tried to save money and bought a pull behind broadcast spreader years ago thru Sportsman's Guide. It lasted exactly three uses before falling apart! I got exactly what I paid for. *SIGH* I was a little nervous about buying this Agri-Fab unit as I've read a few bad reviews from owners here and elsewhere. The majority of reviews, however, were positive - plus I still have an Agri-Fab aerating drop spreader that's well over 15yrs old and still holding up. The 45-0463 unit came well packaged in a fairly sturdy box. It was a LOT lighter than I thought it would be. The thing is tightly packed and will take a few minutes to unload. Do yourself a favor and have a large, clutter-free workspace to put this thing together in if you can! Make certain all the listed parts are there first, and read the entire assembly instruction booklet *before* starting. The instructions aren't as detailed as I would've preferred, but I was able to figure it out. (There's also an online video from Agri-Fab, to help make the job easier for those who are less mechanically inclined.) I took my time and was able to tinker it together in less than two hours. A basic socket set will greatly speed the assembly process! Above all: BE PATIENT! A lot of the issues other customers reported would seem to be more from rushing thru things without proper preparation or not following the instructions properly, IMHO. (Like NOT tightening all the hardware until you're instructed to do so!) If something is missing, call Agri-Fab. I had one bolt missing from the vacuum-sealed parts bag. Thankfully I was able to find a suitable replacement in my misc nut & bolts stash. The assembled unit looks pretty nice, hooks up easily and pulled with zero problems. (A hitch pin w/cotter securing pin comes with the spreader.) The adjustable discharge control unit is a very basic "set it & forget it" affair. I found that a setting right around 4 to 5 did a nicet job of spreading the recommended amount of product. I have a little over nine acres and first put down insecticide to keep fleas & ticks off our dog for the summer, then laid down a good coat of weed & feed right around the house to green up a few thin spots and wipe out the encroaching dandelions. Both products spread nicely; both the fine powdery insecticide AND the coarse grainy weed & feed - with no clumping or binding of the gear box, even with a full (heaping) load on the weed & feed. BTW... the gearbox is enclosed in a heavy black plastic housing, but the housing is held together, clamshell style, with three cotter-style pins for quick easy disassembly & cleaning/lubrication. It should also make replacement of any worn gear drive parts a breeze as well. Be aware that the broadcast spinner works whether going forward or backwards (it just changes direction), but that did not present any functionality issues when I did. Also, if you come to a stop and don't close the trap door beneath the hopper, whatever's in there will continue to trickle (or pour, depending on the setting) onto the spinner plate - potentially giving you an unintentionally huge overdose of chemical when you take off again, if you aren't paying attention. And some commonsense advice: rinse off your spreader after *every* use! That'll go a long way towards making it last a lot longer, plus the painted parts won't rust/corrode/deteriorate as quickly. No, this Agri-Fab model 45-05463 isn't the world's greatest spreader but for the price it seems to be a solid bargain. In fact, my only real gripe is that the accessories that Agri-Fab sells for this unit, (hopper cover, grate kit & deflector shield), should've been included with it. Oh well. One last thing: the unit is light enough to lift and hang up out of the way on a nail or hook on the wall of your storage shed or garage at the end of the season. Nice.

I've owned this lawn spreader for over a decade now, and it has served me well despite some signs of wear and tear like cracking tires. I appreciate the plastic parts, as they withstand the corrosiveness of lime and fertilizer much better than metal. Maintaining it by washing, drying, and coating metal parts with WD40 after each use has helped prolong its lifespan. The slimed tires have been a bonus since day one. I have a beautiful landscape with varying terrains, from grassy meadows to wooded areas. While the spreader handles most areas well, some aggressive spots require adjustments in material distribution for better traction and stability. Occasionally, items getting caught can hinder the spinner's function, especially on challenging terrain. The aging unit shows signs of paint flaking, and I've had to reapply slime this year, signaling a need for refurbishment.Despite minor issues like paint wear and occasional blockages, this spreader has been a cost-effective investment at just $15 per year. I plan to enhance it with an edge guard and explore seat activation for the next unit to improve functionality. Remember not to over-tighten the plastic components to prevent cracking.

I, like so many other reviewers, had the issue where the gears would stick or bind, causing the tire to stop rotating. Assembly was a nightmare because the only thing that comes pre-assembled is the main gear, axle, and drive shaft. Everything else has to be done by the buyer. Unfortunately, after troubleshooting for two hours and reassembling the entire thing three times, I noticed at the very end that the main drive was assembled incorrectly. That means that the only thing that the factory assembled themselves, they did it incorrectly. The first issue I noticed was that the wide black spacer for one side of the tires did not fit at all. I needed another half an inch or more of space to fit the spacer. But without the spacer, the second tire did fit the assembly, so we put the tire on without the spacer. Unfortunately, the gear would get stuck every once in a while while rotating. If I used it in this manner, it would lead to the issues that other reviewers are seeing, where the retaining piece of plastic would break or melt if it got stuck while going 4 mph on a tractor. That's when I noticed that in the picture, the drive wheel was on the opposite side of where I mounted it, so I had to turn the drive shaft 180 degrees. This change corrected the first issue I had run into, and now I could get that wide black spacer on both wheels. However, when I tightened the bolts on the frame, the axel leading to the auger became crooked, binding the axle in the frame. This was the enlightening moment. If the wheels were on the first way I mounted it, the axle leading up to the auger was off-center by half an inch and it caused too much friction in the frame and stopped the wheels from turning once in a while. But if I rotated the whole drive shaft to match the tires to the assembly picture, then the axel would be offset even more, by an entire inch, and the tire would not rotate at all. That's when I noticed that the gear was on the wrong side of the pre-assembled drive shaft. In the picture, both the drive wheel and the axel are on the same side, and the gear is on the opposite side. The proper assembly at the factory would allow the axel to be aligned straight in the center of the frame and auger, but with the gear that's half an inch wide sitting on the wrong side, the axel will always be off-center no matter which way you orient the drive shaft to the frame. The gear is held in by a tension pin, and even at the factory they only drove it through the shaft about 20 percent of the way. The pin is stuck in there and I couldn't get it to budge with a plier, so I can see why they gave up on pushing it through at the factory. At this point, I didn't want to bother trying to hammer out the friction pin to move the gear to the other side of the drive shaft, so I initiated a return.

Agra fab, wake up and smell the coffee. The fertilizer spreader works perfectly for dropping salt in snowy climates. You have to cut out every third tooth, because salt crystals are a little larger. But after that, you have a secondary use for your machine. F y I i've been through ten spreaders of different kinds and sorts, and this is the only one that works for dropping salt on my driveway. Ps clean and oil it really good at the end of the year otherwise it'll rust.

The spreader has fairly sturdy parts. Of note, the broadcast mechanism has metal gears and a solid axle. Assembly is fairly simple and straight forward and would have been easy and painless had Agri-Fab correctly assembled the axle and drive gear assembly at the factory. They/Amazon shipped the factory assembled parts incorrectly assembled. A call to Agri-Fab revealed they knew some of the spreaders had assembly issues and they promptly offered to send new expendable parts so the unit could be disassembled and reassembled by the customer. It took a week to receive the new parts--only to discover the wrong parts had been shipped. Another call to Agri-Fab and the response that they were familiar with the parts problem and would happily ship the correct parts. It took four days to receive the spreader and almost three additional weeks to receive the right parts. Upon receipt of the correct parts, the required repair and reassembly took 20 minutes. Customer service reps were friendly and helpful. That said, attention to detail/quality control were less than acceptable. Several points to note about the spreader and operations. First. Hitch height can be an issue. The hitch bar/tow bar needs to be approximately 14.5 inches from the ground at the tractor attachment point so the spreader barrel exit point distributes all fertilizer etc. to the broadcast disc. Hitch attachment points less than 14.5 inches from the ground will result in the spreader bowl not disgorging all fertilizer--instead leaving a fair amount in the spreader bowl. This adversely effects use of all product and results in uneven distribution of product on declining slopes. Second. The release handle is too short to easily reach and turn on/off while driving a Craftsman garden tractor. It is short by approximately 9 inches. It can be remedied with a 12 to15" by 1/2" by 3/16" piece of steel and several drilled holes into the existing too short handle. Absent such a remedy, one must stop the tractor and turn around 90 degrees in the seat to open or shut off the product flow--resulting in burned spots from over fertilization. Third. Agri-Fab says they do not offer suggested settings for various manufacturers products and there appears to be no reference table available. They suggest the buyer conduct his/her own test and through trial and error develop their own appropriate settings. And indeed, the way Agri-Fab has fabricated the sliding product "door" that may be best. The instructions tell you to line up the door at the halfway open point with the "adjustment nut" at "5". There is no registration mark on either the unit floor or the door. My experience has been that with the door adjusted as per Agri-Fab use .5 to 1 for most granular Scotts lawn products. Fourth. Agri-Fab does not offer hitch height adapters to insure the tow bar is parallel with the ground, that all product can be/is used and to avoid missing areas on downhill slopes. This point is worth considering if you are uncomfortable having to fabricate you own adaptor to raise hitch height approximately 9 to 10 inches. This is the right kind of spreader for large areas, but its effective use on large "lawns" as opposed to fields and meadows may be compromised by the second, third and fourth issues above.

Assembly instructions OK but make sure you do a parts count first and then follow instructions exactly- tightening nuts too soon may make it difficult to fit other pieces later. I came up short one hopper brace, probably because the shipping box was flimsy and the part just slipped out. Operates just fine, though on/off handle can be difficult to reach, and if you start the flow before putting your tractor in motion it will dump excess whatever it is you're spreading in one place, which might kill the grass. So it's a bit of a contortion act. Hopper will not empty completely if hitch position is low because material will slide toward the front of the hopper and not reach the dispensing slot. I have contacted the vendor about getting a replacement brace, we'll see how that goes. All that being said, it can put down more in an hour than a smaller spreader can do in a day. I can also use it to salt my driveway in winter, so that's double-duty for me.