Who'd Like a Decent Hand Spreader- Listen Up Earthway

[PlantscapeSolutions]

Originally Posted by grassman177

what i like best about the scotts is the arm rest. makes a world of defference when doing very large shrub bed apps.

what are us pros gonna do?

maybe we should all call scotts together or something? ( like it will do any good though)

I actually called Scotts about a year ago. Too big of a company to listen to just one customer. Quality is job none.

[grassman177]

that is what i am afraid of. when my handygreens break, i will have to find something else and this thread has me worried about finding a decent tool

[White Gardens]

Great thread!

I'm kicking myself for breaking my older Scotts hand spreader. I hope I can find a new one that won't break. I was going to buy another Scotts, but I might keep looking around after reading this.

[TLS]

Originally Posted by Hissing Cobra

Have you tried Earthway's 3400 handheld spreader? We sell this model at our John Deere Landscapes location for around $15.00 each. Here's a pic.

I just bought one of these this Winter. It was going to replace the older SQUARE hopper Earthway that I've used for years.

Problem with these Earthway's is that the fertilizer gets UNDER the spinner platter and JAMS it up. I had this problem with the older square one, and took a gamble that they addressed this issue on this newer one. NOPE!


I'd pay $50 or more for a small compact heavy duty hand spreader that won't jam up with fertilizer.

These work OK with seed, as seed cant jam it up.

[PlantscapeSolutions]

Alright guys I want everyone to contact Earthway at www.earthway.com/contact and to tell them you want a quality hand help spreader. Tell Earthway to spend the R&D money and you will buy it. I told them it would be well worth it for us professionals to invest $50 or more in a good commercial quality hand spreader. Lets all work together and see if we can pester Earthway enough to show them we are serious about this.

I've called them a few times in the past and you can do the same thing if your as serious about this issue as I am. The Earthway number is 800-294-0671. If I were close to Bristol Indiana I'd stop by and plead my case in person!

[EarthWayJK]

Hi guys,
I'm the person that can help you at Earthway - I'm Jeff Kendall, VP of Sales & Marketing, and responsible for new products. Our hand spreaders and all that I am aware of are not designed for your type of use. What I mean is they are designed for the typical occasional homeowner use. Another major consideration is cost – has to sell under $20. It’s not perfect and I would like to make it perfect, but cost has to be a consideration because we make them in Indiana, not China like 95% of all the rest.
The impression I am getting from the posts, is that you guys need a heavy-duty hand spreader designed for daily use. OK, let’s go thru the specs: Capacity – current model 3400 is 110 cu. in, is that OK or do you want larger? Operation – trigger OK, do you need right hand/left hand crank? Features – all plastic like current models (I saw a post with stainless gears – think $$$$$), neck strap if the capacity is larger. What else do you need? I’m here to serve, but to develop a new spreader, it’s not for the meek – or the poor.
Send me an email with your “wishes, must-haves, and don’t-needs” and I’ll see what we can do jkendall@earthway.com
Also, do me a favor, just send an email it's a much faster way to communicate with us at this time of the year than it is by calling.

Jeff

[PlantscapeSolutions]

I had talked to Jeff in the past year and we're emailing back and forth right now. I hope we can make something happen this time. This posting might just get some results! Keep posting on here if your on board with this idea.

[Puttinggreens]

My wish list has been e-mailed to Jeff. Anybody else?

[kbrashears]

Greasable, sealed gear housing.
Rebuildable.
Ergonomic.
Stainless/non corroding.
Designed to be able to scoop fert out of a hopper for spot applications.
Rate settings.

I'd pay a premium for something like that.

[TLS]

I emailed him as well.

Here's the abridged version.

Keep it simple.

Keep it plastic.

Keep it durable.

Keep fertilizer prills from jamming the impeller.

A few tweaks is all they need.

I haven't ever adjusted the rate settings on either model for over 10 years.

I'd rather NOT have it grease-able. Just a sticky mess waiting to happen. Sealed gears is all thats needed.