6 Best All Season Spreaders For Small Farms Old Farmers Swear By
From seed to salt, these 6 all-season spreaders deliver. Discover the durable, time-tested models that seasoned farmers trust for year-round small farm tasks.
A good spreader is one of the few tools on a small farm that never gets a season off. In spring, it’s laying down fertilizer for the garden or overseeding a thin pasture. Come winter, it’s your best defense against an icy driveway, slinging salt or sand with precision. This isn’t just a lawn care tool; it’s a year-round workhorse that saves your back and your time.
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Choosing a Spreader for Year-Round Farm Chores
The first decision isn’t about brand, but about type. Your choice boils down to how you’ll power it across your land: by walking, by towing, or with a tractor’s power take-off (PTO). A walk-behind is perfect for large gardens, tight barnyards, and winding paths. If you have an acre or more to cover, a tow-behind model pulled by a lawn tractor or ATV is a massive time-saver. For those with a compact tractor, a 3-point hitch spreader is the most efficient option for pastures and larger plots.
Hopper material and capacity are your next considerations. Polyethylene (poly) hoppers are rust-proof, which is a huge advantage when dealing with corrosive fertilizers and salt. Steel hoppers are tough but demand religious cleaning to prevent rust-out. Capacity, measured in pounds or cubic feet, dictates how often you stop to refill. A small 50-pound walk-behind is fine for a garden, but you’ll want 150 pounds or more for a two-acre pasture to avoid constant trips back to the barn.
Don’t overlook the small details that make a big difference. Pneumatic tires are far superior to plastic wheels on rough, uneven ground. An enclosed gearbox protects the moving parts from dirt and moisture, drastically extending the life of the spreader. Finally, look for a simple, robust rate-setting mechanism. Complicated levers and cables can seize up and become a constant source of frustration.
Earthway 2150: The Walk-Behind Workhorse
The Earthway 2150 is the quintessential walk-behind spreader for a reason. It’s simple, relatively inexpensive, and tough enough for the demands of a small homestead. Its 50-pound capacity is ideal for fertilizing a half-acre garden, spreading grass seed around a new chicken coop, or salting the path to the woodshed.
What makes it a staple is its maneuverability. You can easily navigate tight corners, garden rows, and uneven terrain where a tow-behind would be clumsy. The semi-pneumatic tires handle bumps well, and the rate control is straightforward. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done reliably season after season.
The main tradeoff is scale. This is not the tool for fertilizing a five-acre hayfield; you’d be refilling it constantly. But for targeted applications and properties under two acres, its simplicity is its greatest strength. It’s the perfect first spreader for someone just starting out.
Agri-Fab 45-0463: Tow-Behind Versatility
When you graduate from pushing to pulling, the Agri-Fab 45-0463 is a solid first step. This tow-behind broadcast spreader hits the sweet spot for many small farms. With a 130-pound capacity, it lets you cover a couple of acres of pasture or lawn without stopping to reload every ten minutes. It hooks up easily to any garden tractor or ATV with a simple pin hitch.
Its key feature is an enclosed gearbox. This protects the gears from dust, moisture, and fertilizer granules that can grind them to a halt. This single feature is what separates it from cheaper, big-box store models that rarely last more than a couple of seasons of real farm use. The large pneumatic tires also provide a smooth ride over bumpy ground, which helps maintain a consistent spread pattern.
This spreader is a true multi-tasker. Use it for spreading pelletized lime in the fall to adjust soil pH in your pastures. In the spring, it’s your go-to for fertilizer and grass seed. It’s a significant upgrade in efficiency from a walk-behind model, turning an all-afternoon job into a one-hour task.
Brinly BS36BH for Larger Plots and Pastures
For those managing several acres of pasture, large food plots, or a small orchard, the Brinly BS36BH is a serious step up. Its 175-pound capacity is its main selling point, dramatically reducing refill time on larger jobs. This is the kind of tool that makes managing five to ten acres feel manageable rather than overwhelming.
The Brinly is built for rougher ground. It features a heavy-duty poly hopper, a fully enclosed gearbox, and large pneumatic tires with a wider stance for stability on slopes. What really sets it apart is the patented auto-flow feature, which stops the material flow when you stop the tractor, preventing wasteful and damaging piles of fertilizer or seed.
This isn’t just a bigger version of a lawn spreader; it’s designed with small-scale agriculture in mind. The directional spread pattern control is also useful for protecting flower beds, water sources, or sensitive areas from receiving material. It’s a workhorse designed for someone who needs to cover more ground, more often.
Lesco High Wheel Spreader: Built to Last
If you want a walk-behind spreader that you can pass down to your kids, the Lesco is the one. While often seen on the back of professional landscaping trucks, its durability makes it a smart investment for a serious homesteader. The entire frame is typically stainless steel, making it nearly impervious to the rust that kills lesser spreaders.
The oversized tires are the other standout feature. They make pushing a full 80-pound hopper over rough, muddy, or frosted ground surprisingly easy. This is a huge benefit when you’re trying to get an early start on spring fertilizing or dealing with icy conditions in the winter. The gearbox is legendarily tough, and the entire unit is designed to be repaired, not replaced.
The upfront cost is significantly higher than other walk-behinds. However, if you’ve already broken two or three cheaper models, the math starts to make sense. This is a buy-it-once tool. It’s for the farmer who values reliability above all else and sees equipment as a long-term investment, not a disposable commodity.
Meyer Hotshot-85: A Professional Grade Pick
The Meyer Hotshot-85 straddles the line between a heavy-duty walk-behind and a light-duty vehicle-mounted unit. This professional-grade spreader is built for contractors, but its features are incredibly useful on a small farm, especially one with long driveways or significant winter weather. Its 85-pound capacity and stainless steel frame put it in the same durability class as the Lesco.
What makes the Hotshot unique is its versatility. You can use it as a standard push spreader, but it also comes with hardware to mount it on the back of an ATV or UTV. This dual-functionality is perfect for someone who needs to precisely salt tight walkways on foot but also quickly treat a quarter-mile-long farm lane.
This is an investment in efficiency and reliability. The spread pattern is incredibly consistent, and the components are built to withstand daily, commercial use. For the small farmer who also runs a side business plowing snow or managing a few properties, the Meyer Hotshot-85 can be a tool that pays for itself.
CountyLine 3-Point Spreader for Small Tractors
Once your operation includes a compact or sub-compact tractor, a 3-point hitch spreader becomes the most logical choice. The CountyLine models sold at Tractor Supply are a common and effective entry point. These units connect directly to your tractor’s 3-point hitch and are powered by the PTO shaft, not by ground wheels.
This PTO drive is a game-changer. It eliminates issues with wheel slippage on wet ground, ensuring a perfectly even spread pattern regardless of conditions. You can cover many acres quickly, with hopper capacities often exceeding 500 pounds. This makes fertilizing a 15-acre hayfield a single-pass job, not a multi-hour chore of constant refilling.
These spreaders are simple, durable, and effective. They are designed for spreading seed, fertilizer, and even sand. While they lack the precision for small, tight areas, they are unmatched for efficiently covering open ground. For anyone managing more than 10 acres, a 3-point spreader isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.
Spreader Maintenance for Year-Round Reliability
A spreader’s worst enemy is neglect. Fertilizer and ice melt are highly corrosive and will destroy metal components with shocking speed. The single most important maintenance task is cleaning it after every single use. A pressure washer or a hose with a good nozzle is essential. Pay special attention to the axle, gearbox, and the shut-off plate mechanism.
After it’s clean and dry, a little lubrication goes a long way. Put a few drops of oil on the axle where it passes through the frame bushings. If your gearbox has a grease fitting, give it a pump of grease once or twice a season. For the hopper itself, a light spray of silicone or fluid film on the inside can help material flow smoothly and makes cleanup even easier.
Before storing it for any length of time, check the tire pressure on pneumatic models. Store it indoors, out of the sun and rain. A spreader that’s cleaned and stored properly will last for decades; one left outside with fertilizer caked in the hopper might not make it through a single season.
Ultimately, the best spreader is the one that fits the scale of your land and the power you have available. Whether it’s a simple walk-behind for the garden or a PTO-driven unit for the pastures, this tool is a true force multiplier. Choosing a durable, well-made spreader and giving it five minutes of care after each use will repay you with years of reliable service, saving you time and effort in every season.
