Common Types of Fertilizer Spreaders Found in Louisiana
Typically, fertilizers are applied in granular state in order to be effective in the farm. A fertilizer spreader from Weeks Tractor in Natchitoches, LA can be used to perform this task. This will ensure accuracy and consistency of granular applications. These machines are available in various designs which are as follows:
Broadcast spreader
It’s the most conventional form and uses a rotating impeller placed beneath the hopper to disperse the fertilizer. Depending on the model you get, the impeller could either be powered a unique PTO or the machine’s own wheels.
Usually, PTO-style spreaders provide more room for calibration compared to the ground-driven models. Nevertheless, there are two main factors that may affect the application rate of your fertilizer and these include;
•Impeller speed which affects distribution width, and
•Ground speed
While most spinner spreaders use at least one impeller for distributing material, there are manufacturers who provide different kinds of disks and adjustable impeller veins for variations to be made, particularly for improving the application for certain kinds of fertilizers.
Since most spinner-spreaders operate using a single impeller, the alignment of the spreader’s pattern is oftentimes tilted towards one side. However, by making adjustments to your impellers, or other related spreader parts you can easily eliminate or minimize the rate of skewing on your machine.
Pendulum-style spreaders
It’s also a PTO-driven machine, but different from the broadcast spreader in that it uses a horizontally fitted chute which moves back and forth to disperse the material. Moreover, distribution patterns of this machine are usually less skewed compared to those of spinner spreaders. Nevertheless, material bulk-density and particulate size may still affect and alter the pattern uniformity.
The first step to using a pendulum-style spreader for fertilizer application is determining the consistency of the spreader’s pattern, in relation to the material being applied. It will show you whether the pattern is straight or misaligned, including any other issues that may affect the spread pattern.
To find out the distribution pattern, you can use regular cake pans or other similar-styled containers and put them in a level line across the width of the machine’s distribution path. These pans may be slightly spaced from each other, but ensure that the spaces between them are equal including the pan dimensions.
In conclusion, a spreader is a convenient farm machine that can be used to spread fertilizer evenly across the field. This equipment is mainly available in two designs which include; the broadcast spreader and pendulum-style spreader.
