Advice on Compost Spreader

[Kiril]

Originally Posted by onebreezer

How long does it take to spread three wheel barrow loads of material evenly? I can spread three wheel barrow loads worth of material in three minutes and three seconds including loading using a conveyer truck and a turfco metermatic. You will never get material down as evenly by hand as you will by machine. It is like trying to cut your lawn with a pair of finger nail clippers. You cannot imagine the difference.

Will it fit through a 40" gate?

[onebreezer]

there are some gates that it will not fit thru. I have taken off the chain guard from the side so it will fit thru most. We do over a hundred back yards a season and find only three or so that won't fit

[onebreezer]

we will sometimes unscrew the gate from the post or take a section of gate down if it can be done qickly enough. we will do from 8000 to 10000 foot a day with one machine working

[Barefoot James]

Lawn Solutions will have the best available compost spreader - EVER in 2010. If you can't wait your only options are Turfcos and Eco Lawn. Yes kiril it will fit through a 40 inch gate.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

Cant wait to see it

[starry night]

Originally Posted by onebreezer

we will sometimes unscrew the gate from the post or take a section of gate down if it can be done qickly enough. we will do from 8000 to 10000 foot a day with one machine working

Are you correct in the figures you mentioned? Each of the lawns we care for are that size at least.

[Barefoot James]

I think he means 80,000 to 100,000 sq ft a day. One of his trucks at 1/4 inch can probably do 30,000 sf - so he does 3 loads a day??? Just guessing here. Even to lay down some seed and cover with compost @ 1 inch would do about 8,000 sf and that would take his set up about an hour? onebreezer? help here?

[onebreezer]

Not sure what you are asking. We topdress and core about 8000 sq foot a day. We usually use two guys. One to topdress and the other to core aerate at the same time. But one guy can do it. We get our load, arrive in front of the property, unload and unhook the trailer, roll it back, one guy starts topdressing, the other guy puts out some fliers, then aerates behind the topdresser, we hand fill low areas, fill in around trees, drag if nessicary, load up, clean up, leave a sign in the yard and a bill at the door, go home. Two guys can do 8000 in a 4 to 8 hours with out break downs. Depends on distance, amount of hand work needed, how far the truck is from the grass, break downs, speed of workers. Our average lawn size is 8000 sq foot.

[phasthound]

Originally Posted by onebreezer

Not sure what you are asking. We topdress and core about 8000 sq foot a day. We usually use two guys. One to topdress and the other to core aerate at the same time. But one guy can do it. We get our load, arrive in front of the property, unload and unhook the trailer, roll it back, one guy starts topdressing, the other guy puts out some fliers, then aerates behind the topdresser, we hand fill low areas, fill in around trees, drag if nessicary, load up, clean up, leave a sign in the yard and a bill at the door, go home. Two guys can do 8000 in a 4 to 8 hours with out break downs. Depends on distance, amount of hand work needed, how far the truck is from the grass, break downs, speed of workers. Our average lawn size is 8000 sq foot.

That doesn't sound like very good production. I can aerate, seed and topdress 8000 by myself in that time. I use Earth & Turf 100sp http://www.earthandturf.com/100sp.htm and have to shovel compost from truck into topdresser. I don't work as fast as I used to, I'm 58.

[starry night]

Originally Posted by phasthound

That doesn't sound like very good production. I can aerate, seed and topdress 8000 by myself in that time. I use Earth & Turf 100sp http://www.earthandturf.com/100sp.htm and have to shovel compost from truck into topdresser. I don't work as fast as I used to, I'm 58.

I agree Barry. I'm 66 and capable of coreing and composting that size lawn in a full day.(shovel and wheelbarrow) But to me, that's too slow for enough production.(Not to say I could do that five days a week. ) I have two young employees and would be upset with them if it took them longer than about 3 to 3 1/2 hours with a machine. AND it would cost me too much.