z spray fert bridging

[greenerpastures]

With all the posts on this machine, perhaps this is pertinent.

I have operated a z spray since November and have been amazed at its productivity on spraying apps. We just began granular ferts here last week and I have experienced some difficulty with bridging of fert in the spyker hopper. I visited with spyker a couple of times on solutions. I did install a screen and have tried different types of agitators, but none really helped. The fertilizer would feed through your standard lesco pusher.

It soon became evident that the fert contained too much moisture to properly feed especially in humid conditoins. Yes it is a urea based nitrogen fert. No, it is not SCU what I normally use, but that is a different matter that soon will be rectified. Finally, I tried some year-old SCU fert that had been in the back of the shop. It spread beautifully.

My supplier now has 8 pallets of fert that could be bought cheap. The hassle has delayed us a week. Hope it can help others avoid the problem.

[James Cormier]

Im not a huge fan of spyker spreaders, thats one thing about the zspray I dont like,

How does the machine open the spreader , is it cable or shaft?

Is the opening in the spreader one slot or holes (like the lesco)

Lesco makes a nice drop in screen for there 80lbs spreaders I use them in my pg's there alittle small but its better then the flat screen that comes with the machines.

[cemars]

I'll answer for greener pastures. The Z-spray has a slot, not holes. The slide is operated by a cable just like the PG's. I have a theory on why this bridging seems to occur more often in Z's and PG's than push spreaders and it is the agitator arm. On the mechanical machines the agitator moves faster and continuously regardless of the wheel speed. Could this be attributing to the problem by reducing the integrity of the product? What do you guys think?

[James Cormier]

I havent found bridging, or clumping to be a problem in either machine that I have (centri & ultra ) I think it maybe a product problem?? Ive got some no name product for some suppliers, you know I m doing this huge site and need some dirt cheap fert, So they go out back and get some weird stuff, just to get rid of it.

The one thing I like about lesco is there products are first rate, I also buy from Carovail, and there straight fert is good stuff.

My centri has a small metal arm that spins around in circles, my ultra has the normal lesco z thing that shakes back and fourth. Both seem to work fine for me.

Maybe the spyker set up( spins in circles ) does break up the material almost turning it into powder, that would clog faster than pellets.

[greenerpastures]

All above are correct, and after conversations with spyker, I think they recognize it to be a flaw ---- and it can be a very serious one if you have three athletic fields to do before gametime and you are sitting there poking in your hopper with a stick ----- very professional huh. Anyway, polymer-coated or SCU products only from now on for the z.

Spyker said they were "considering" revamping the agitator. I doubt it would be much of a problem on the smaller z jr., but I have not run one. But I do really like the hydraulic drive that Rich uses on the unit and the quick pattern adjustment.

[6inline]

I'll also agree about the bridging problem with the Spyker electric units being a pain. Especially with about 100# of fertilizer in the hopper. One observation when comparing to a push spreader (ie. lesco, earthway, & others) the bottom of the hopper is seldomly kept on a level plane. Allowing small particles to be constantly forced out by starting out , stopping and bouncing of the spreader. Whereas the bottom of the Spyker hopper is level with a large area in front of the shaft just collecting finer particles at all times. SCU products occasionally bridge also but infrequently! (About once every 10 to 15 bags put through unit). Although an inconvenience; I can spread more fert per day than by pushing!!!

[greenerpastures]

After a couple weeks of spreading with the z I am still having the nagging bridging problem. I still blame the majority of it on horrible quality control by Pro-Mate fertilizer marketed by Helena Chemical. For some reason, SCU blends are out of stock right now, even though I ordered back in winter. Tried a 15-5-10 blend and it was so dusty I could hardly see and then it began to bridge. My question is if anyone has found this to be an ongoing problem or just my bad lots of fert. I still like the z enough that am considering a z jr. just for spreading (I would hope the smaller hopper is more efficient). With a quality fert, I have spread 60 bags in a workday with the z.

[cemars]

Try removing the agitator to fix the bridging problem. I had the same issue and removed the agitator with no noticeable consequences. Another suggestion is to empty the spreader completely every 2-3 fills to check the bottom of the hopper.

[get rich]

I had the same problem with a round of fert and returned all 7 pallets. They said bad product, not enough drying agent in a batch of bags. Refunded 7 new pallets next day. Never had the problem again. Some people spray the inside of the hopper with pam or some type of silicone spray to keep the product flowing down.

[greenerpastures]

get rich-

What blend were you using?

[morturf]

If it is dusty stuff there will be an accumulation of that dust at the bottom of the hopper especially if you are using an agitator. These "fines" are what pack together while you use the machine bumping around the yards and in the trailer/truck. If you are using a rotten product, TAKE IT BACK! The more dust the more likely it will bridge. I have put more than 350 tons thru my z's and I have only had the problem with 1 ton of a product I was testing. Needless to say I didn't buy it either......
Good Luck,
Mike

[goforgreen2]

Urea is extremely volatile within the first 24 hours of application, breaks down extremely quick then stabilizes. Why not spray it?

[greenerpastures]

Morturf, your experiece has me feeling a little more optimistic. New truckload is supposed to arrive Tuesday with new product and take back the old. It is becoming apparent that with the instability in fert prices, suppliers here were holding off on formulating new product until all inventories were exhausted. The tail end of these stocks were horrible in quality.

Sprayables are just not economical or practical for the majority of my business which is acre+ estates and commercial properties. Product has to be control-release also to cover my span in between apps. Yes, here I got duped into accepting the wrong shipment because I was in a bind for product. I am going to be putting out some trials with CORON a high-end 28% N slow-release liquid on an athletic field. Salesman claims I will love it, but the price is going to be a challenge to market to the customer. I would prefer to apply liquid ferts on athletic fields with my 20 ft boom sprayer because of its accuracy and consistency. Sprayables would be a challenge with a z due to its low volume nature.

As a side note, Texas A&M has gone out on a limb and began to suggest N only on north Texas soils which are generally inherently rich in P and K. Part of this effort is at reducing phosphates in runoff etc. I have never been a real fan of urea due to its instability in the nitrification process and its susceptibility to moisture absorption in storage , but its economics has necessitated its use.

thanks for all the input.