Lime

Stringtown OK... how do I spread thousands of pounds of lime? 40 lb bags seems like a huge task!!

Im assuming you dont have a tractor and spreader...have a couple people in the bed of a pick up dumping/ spreading it while another drives through the pasture. Rotate who gets to take a break and drive.

Check with a Farmer's Cooperative. They usually put out bulk lime cheaper than it can be bought in bags.

buy it in bulk from your ag feed store and they usually throw in the hopper trailer at no cost

We bought an electric spreader that hooks into the hitch on our Polaris.

Also, check with any sand & gravel supplier. Ag lime is limestone graded 1/8" to dust. I verified this with both DeWitt County Producers and Sweet Home Sand and Gravel, my only two local sources. The only other choice in my county is bagged lime. In a nutshell, filling the lime requirement of a soil sample has always been a hassle for me with this not being farm country. According to my local Extension Agent, there are no active farm operations in our County. I've paid attention to this over the last several years during my travels, and the closest real farm country is about 30 to 55 miles from my place depending on the direction you head. This influences what is locally available for food plots, and I'm sure others face the dilemma as well.

When checking with the DCP, the minimum order is 25 tons. It comes directly from the source out of a quarry near Georgetown, and they drop it. They did not have a current price. The Gravel outfit said they could get it at any time, delivered with a single dump from either a 14 or 7-yard truck. That is approximately 15 and 7.5 tons respectively. $668/$334 and I would have to spread it.

I like comparing cost by 50 lbs (bagged), so that is $1.11/50. Buying pelletized lime from DCP is $8.69/50, and it is not always available. Okay, I know that Tractor Supply, Lowes, etc., etc. has it as well. We do have a TSC here and the others a bit over 30 miles away, and the pricing no different and it typically not available.

I've also looked into some refined Ag lime such as SuperCal 98G and at $6.80/50 delivered (ton) it is cheaper than the bagged product at my local Ag dealer.

As far as what I've done in my place when I moved here a dozen years ago and opened my food plots, I had the Ag supplier arrange the large truck. When plot maintenance required lime by soil sample, I used bagged, pelletized lime applied with my 3-pt broadcast spreader. This year I am doubling the acreage of my food plots, not their size, but additional plots so I'm facing all these issues with lime again.

Where I'm going with lime is that I think I will have my Gravel supplier deliver it via the 15-yard truck and spread it myself. That is not as easy as it sounds given that I've used a 3-pt broadcaster with the bagged stuff in the past. With the broadcaster on the back of the tractor and the bucket on the front, there is no way to load that lime other than with a shovel or another bucket loader of some type.

To begin with, I've never really cared for a 3-pt broadcast spreader. Calibration is spotty and there few that have the capacity or agitation of delivering lime. The best is probably the Herd 2440. I had an Armstrong Ag broadcaster and customized the agitator so that it would prevent bridging. Still, from a cab tractor, it is tough to open and close the feed gate. I added an extension to the opening lever, and if I use it to control activation, I must leave the back window of the cab open (the lime dust is awful). Use of the PTO controls the delivery but with lime, the gate must be wide open, so I do lose a lot of product at the end of my rows. Control, accurate delivery, and loading bulk material are going to cause me to give the broadcaster the boot.

I've researched lime spreaders, and there isn't, but a few made for small acreage, only two pull types that I've found. There is some old stuff available out there, but I'd rather buy something new as I haven't had much luck with used equipment. There is alway reason why it was sold, and it is generally worn out and typically painted over. I like the idea of using a drop vs. broadcast just to keep the dust and drift down.

What I'm considering is the GroundBuster 2000 Deluxe.



With a hydraulic actuator for the gate ($675), the price would be $5,270. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but it is my cost difference being 17 tons of bagged lime vs. bulk delivered. This unit would allow me to work from the cab but with every ton, I would need to unhook and fill it with the bucket. It does use a simple pin hookup, quick-coupled hoses on the actuator, and a Bulldog rotating stand. It would also serve for fertilizer application which my Ag store will bulk deliver.

They are going to provide a shipping quote to today from eastern PA, but I have a pretty good idea what that will be because of the shipping quotes I received on used equipment from across the country. As it turns out, they are about an hour and a half from my sister in law and this unit is palletized for a long bed pick up. I bet I can secure this deal by suggesting a visit!

My Ground Buster Spreader arrived yesterday while I was picking up my wildlife waterers. JR Metal had suggested that it be shipped to my Farmer's Coop as a loading dock at the receiving end cuts down on the shipping expense. DeWitt County Producers was happy to receive it on my behalf!







It is completely assembled, I just need to cut it off the pallet and slide the tow bar in place. I got it with both the lime and fertilizer grates, a hydraulic cylinder on the grate opener, jack stand, and fitted box tarp for road transport.

Yeah that's pretty nice. The hydraulic gate is gonna be handy.

Talk about spreading some corn.

That's a great idea!

A couple more pictures now that it is off the pallet.

Put the fertilizer grate on it this morning. It took about 10 minutes to switch the two. Two plates with three nuts/bolts on each and then the threaded bolt through the actuator along with the nut on the back of it. Easy peasy!





This switch from fertilizer/lime is only available with the larger Ground Busters; the 1K and 2K capacity spreaders. I'm going to store it resting on its back side on top of a pallet so that I move it around my barn with a hand pallet jack as needed. Takes up less space with the tow bar out of the way.

Probably should not have highjacked this topic and started one specific to the GB. Sorry