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I just finished reading a good thread from last year, and it seems like Lesco from Site One (who might help calibrate...) is the way to go, but I want to double-check that for my situation (20k sq ft, much of it slightly sloped, and even the flat areas are a bit lumpy), is there anything else recommended that might cost less than a $400 to $500 Lesco but will be vastly better than my current one (which I have a very hard time pushing for whatever reason)?

I currently have an Earthway that I got on sale for around $80: https://www.amazon.com/Earthway-2030PPl ... B000XS3EFW about 3 years ago. Before that I was using a scotts pro deluxe: https://www.amazon.com/Scotts-Builder-E ... B001H1EQO2

As I have 20k sq ft, I need something with a good capacity, and as noted above, something easier to push.

The Earthway 2600APlus (https://www.amazon.com/Earthway-2600APl ... _86_bs_t_1) isn't that expensive, and gets better reviews than the one I have, but it says it only holds 40 lbs (I routinely need to hold 50+ lb bags). But might this style of spreader be a lot easier to push than my current one?

EDIT: I just found this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002N66D/re ... B07GV9816X similar to the above but holds 50 lbs But perhaps it's not worth spending $200 on something that will be 'ok', might as well spend $400 on something that will be great...?

I do have a tow behind that I use if dumping a lot of lime/milo (where it's not that important to do a perfect job), but it's not calibrated well/easily controlled (I bought it used and the mechanism is a bit of a mess), so I can't use it for most products.

Thanks for any thoughts/suggestions!

Earthway 2170. Holds 2 bags of Milo perfectly, and easy to push. Also has a metal pushrod to open the hopper, which won’t bind, stretch, or fray like a cable operated spreader. $249.99 at Northern Tool, however they frequently have coupons for $50 off $250+, so you can find something cheap to bump it over $250 and save. lol

Thank you. I'll look into the 2170

I have the 2030 right now as well. I can't imagine trying to use it on 20k as I feel it's not cutting it on my 5k. I have had 2 replacements from Earthway so far on it due to the tabs holding the spreader adjustment breaking off. I have a new in box Titan 50lb spreader I got in the offseason from Amazon ready to go for this year. It appears to be comparable to the Earthway 2150 but was half the price.

I advocate metal gearboxes. Most on the shelf at your big box are designed for those that do 4 apps a year etc. If you are running it weekly like many do here it will wear out fast.

Thanks all. I'm definitely not happy with the ease of pushing the 2030. It's been holding up/working fine, just hard to push. I actually prefer my old tiny scotts (possibly because I put a lot less weight in it, but possibly because of the angle/bar/whatnot makes it easier to push). I'll try to check out some better ones at local stores before spending any more money, and may see if I can get the tow behind fixed up a bit, though still wouldn't want to use it for precise applications as I can't really see how much is coming out as I go...

I have the Earthway 2600. 16K square feet. I’m pushing something through it just about every week. 3 years running and no issues. Pushes easily, good height of handles, easy to clean, lightweight, holds plenty of product, inexpensive. I use fertilizing days as cardio days, great little workout for the slightly older crowd.

Anyone have experience with something like this: https://www.shopgreendealer.com/John-De ... P3301.html ??

Any thoughts on whether the 50 LB Lesco (https://amzn.to/2Z0ybut) would be vastly better than my current Earthway (https://www.amazon.com/Earthway-2030PPl ... B000XS3EFW)? Or would I really need to go to the 80 lb Lesco (https://amzn.to/2WvOJgf) which claims to be "high wheeled" and is perhaps easier to push than the 50 LB?

Also, does something like the Lesco 50 LB really not even hold 2 bags of Milo?

I have a schmancy John Deere Spreader that has pneumatic tires and big hopper yada yada. I washed it down mostly every time I used it. The gearing is bound up and I need to take it apart and see if JD can get me parts for it.

My 10 year old Scott’s speedy green big box store rotary spreader with plastic wheels is still going strong with zero issues.

Go figure.

My John Deere spreader which looks like a direct copy of the Earthway 2150 has metal gearing and it rusted up
And needs to be disassembled as it’s bound up.

The plastic Scott’s one I’ve owned hasn’t skipped a beat and it’s had a lot of materials go through it over the years.

HoosierLawnGnome wrote: ↑

April 15th, 2019, 2:18 pm

I advocate metal gearboxes. Most on the shelf at your big box are designed for those that do 4 apps a year etc. If you are running it weekly like many do here it will wear out fast.

Yeah, I never spray mine down for fear of rust. I blow it clean with the stihl 600 at hurricane setting.

Same for my triplex. Water bad.

And I grease with marine grease.

My wife picked up a big 100 lb spreader for 30 bucks at a yard sale. I refurbished it in an afternoon and it runs like a champ.

Here’s picture of my spreaders. The much more expensive JD one I need to take apart the gear bad and sand off the corrosion from the frame and spray paint with rust encapsulater (Eastwood product)

I think it’s best to wipe it down with a damp cloth rather than hosing it down and water getting into the gear case.

I have about 17,000sqft of quite hilly lawn. The Earthway 2170 works well so far, but fully loaded is a bear to push even with the nice pneumatic tires. I tend to keep the fills less than 100lb capacity for this reason. Good workout though

I’ll disassemble mine this week to see why it’s bound up.
Hopefully they sell replacement parts for it and it’s not a paperweight now.

Been putting it off and using my other spreader time to stop procrastinating 🤪

Definitely won’t use water to wash down my spreaders anymore.

kentster wrote: ↑

June 1st, 2019, 10:03 am

I have about 17,000sqft of quite hilly lawn. The Earthway 2170 works well so far, but fully loaded is a bear to push even with the nice pneumatic tires. I tend to keep the fills less than 100lb capacity for this reason. Good workout though

ENVY23 wrote: ↑

April 13th, 2019, 12:22 pm

Earthway 2170. Holds 2 bags of Milo perfectly, and easy to push. Also has a metal pushrod to open the hopper, which won’t bind, stretch, or fray like a cable operated spreader. $249.99 at Northern Tool, however they frequently have coupons for $50 off $250+, so you can find something cheap to bump it over $250 and save. lol

Agree with that. Probably, it's the best decision for a medium lawn