Earthway Agitator Question

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Alan
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Earthway Agitator Question

Post by Alan » October 25th, 2013, 4:41 pm

Has anyone replaced or come up with a clever idea to get better efficiency than the original cotter key that's in the spreader. I want to spread some small particle sand-like material and this cotter key thing just doesn't seem to work that well.

Here's the deal, when the media gets below the level of the cotter key, obviously the key has no more effect on it, so the media won't be 'swept' into the discharge holes, so I have to shake it around and do the dance to get the media out.

Thanks,
-Alan

jmcphail
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Re: Earthway Agitator Question

Post by jmcphail » October 26th, 2013, 2:11 pm

I am interested in this too - I love my 2170 except for the last bit of any application, when I have to jiggle and bounce. The spreader, I mean. Like OP has described.

Maybe try to locate an extra-long cotter pin that could be bent in a squarish "U" shape?

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ez2luvlawn
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Re: Earthway Agitator Question

Post by ez2luvlawn » October 26th, 2013, 5:56 pm

The Earthway agitator is a very poor design. I also had the problems that you have experienced so I modified my agitator to work a bit better. Still not perfect but a whole lot better than the cotter pin design which is to small to pick up the material at the bottom of the spreader.

I took out the original cotter pin and then I drilled out the cotter pin hole that is in the center shaft to be a bit larger at a 1/8" hole diameter and no more because I was concerned over weakening the shaft. I then installed a 2.5" long machine screw in place of where the cotter pin used to be through the larger 1/8" hole in the center shaft and just used multiple nuts on the screw threads to keep the machine screw in proper position and offset properly. I also put loctite on the nuts to prevent loosening. I then put a piece of clear plastic hose over the nuts to make the agitator larger in diameter to stir more of the material in the lower part of the spreader tank better.
It takes some tweaking because if you make the agitator to much larger in diameter or to long in length the agitator will not rotate sometimes with different prill sizes of fertilizer that are heavier because the agitator will not rotate if it becomes to large and causes the drive wheel of the spreader to lockup.

I posted some pics to help visualize the modification. Hope this helps.
Image
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Alan
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Re: Earthway Agitator Question

Post by Alan » October 29th, 2013, 11:39 am

Thank you.

I've thought about using a cut wire coat hanger in place of the cotter key with possibly some heat shrink over it(to make the agitator larger in diameter). I'll take any feedback on this idea.

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jmcphail
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Re: Earthway Agitator Question

Post by jmcphail » October 29th, 2013, 2:18 pm

That seems like a good approach.
Alan wrote:Thank you.

I've thought about using a cut wire coat hanger in place of the cotter key with possibly some heat shrink over it(to make the agitator larger in diameter). I'll take any feedback on this idea.

Image
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ez2luvlawn
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Re: Earthway Agitator Question

Post by ez2luvlawn » October 29th, 2013, 9:03 pm

Good idea and may be worth a try. The only concern that I have with that idea is that I feel that the coat hanger wire will be to weak to stay straight when you fill your spreader tank with heavier weights of larger sizes of fertilizer prills. Fertilizers flow at very different rates and do create a lot of resistance against the cotter pin. The coat hanger may bend/wrap around the shaft and not stay in proper straight position???

Alan
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Re: Earthway Agitator Question

Post by Alan » October 29th, 2013, 9:10 pm

Good point. Maybe something stronger than a coat hanger, but with about the same diameter(or if required modifying the existing hole) that has more strength-threaded rod, regular rod type material available from Lowe's/HD will work? My thing is to have a -|- type design. The cotter pin design seams mostly one sided( |--). Thanks for the input.

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