6 Best Pull Behind Fertilizer Spreaders For Atvs for Small Acreage Success
For small acreage success, an ATV spreader is essential. We review 6 top pull-behind models, comparing capacity, durability, and spread pattern for best results.
You’ve spent hours clearing that back pasture, and now it’s time to bring it to life with a good dose of fertilizer and seed. Doing it by hand is out of the question, and your little push spreader will get swallowed by the first rut it meets. This is the moment a pull-behind ATV spreader proves its worth, turning a back-breaking, all-day job into a quick morning task.
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Choosing the Right Spreader for Your Small Farm
The best spreader isn’t always the biggest or most expensive one. The real question is what you’ll be spreading. Pelletized lime, granular fertilizer, and fine clover seed all behave completely differently, and a spreader that excels at one might fail miserably at another.
Think about your terrain, too. If you’re working on smooth, level ground, most standard tires will do. But for bumpy, uneven pastures like mine, you need large, pneumatic tires to keep the spreader from bouncing around and delivering an uneven application. A poly hopper is fantastic for resisting corrosion from fertilizer, but a steel frame is essential for long-term durability when rattling across a field.
Finally, consider the hopper capacity in relation to your property. A 100-pound capacity sounds like a lot, but if you’re putting down 40 pounds of fertilizer per acre on a 5-acre plot, you’ll be stopping to refill constantly. Match the hopper size not just to your acreage, but to the application rates of the products you use most often.
Agri-Fab 45-0463: The Reliable All-Rounder
If you’re looking for a dependable workhorse that just plain works, the Agri-Fab is hard to beat. It’s the kind of tool you can lend to a neighbor without a long list of instructions. It’s simple, effective, and built to handle the basics of small-farm life without any fuss.
With a 130-pound capacity and large pneumatic tires, it’s well-suited for a few acres of pasture or a large food plot. The enclosed gearbox is a key feature, protecting the moving parts from the dust and moisture that kill cheaper spreaders. This design choice means more time working and less time trying to unclog seized-up gears.
This is the perfect spreader for the hobby farmer who needs to spread fertilizer in the spring, grass seed in the fall, and maybe even some ice melt on the driveway in winter. It doesn’t have a lot of fancy precision controls, but for general applications, its reliability is its greatest strength. It’s the F-150 of ATV spreaders: not exotic, but always ready to work.
Brinly-Hardy BS36BH for Consistent Coverage
The biggest frustration with many broadcast spreaders is waste. You make a turn and accidentally dump a pile of expensive fertilizer, burning a spot in your pasture. Brinly-Hardy tackles this head-on with its autoflow feature, which is a game-changer.
The design is simple but brilliant: the flow gate automatically closes when you stop the ATV and reopens when you start moving again. This single feature prevents the most common and costly spreading mistakes. It’s especially useful for irregularly shaped fields or when you’re working around trees and other obstacles that require frequent stops.
Beyond that, Brinly-Hardy is known for its directional spread pattern control, which helps you avoid throwing fertilizer into flower beds or waterways. The glass-filled nylon gears in the gearbox are also a notable upgrade over the pot metal found in many budget models, promising a much longer service life. This is the spreader for the person who values precision and hates wasting material.
Buyers Products ATVS100 for Heavy-Duty Use
Some jobs just require a tougher tool. If your plans involve spreading more than just standard fertilizer and seed—like sand, rock salt, or heavier feed—you need a spreader built for abuse. The Buyers Products ATVS100 is that tool.
Its design prioritizes durability over finesse. The heavy-duty polyethylene hopper is completely rust-proof, and the steel frame is built to withstand jarring trips across rough ground. It also comes standard with a rain cover, a small but incredibly practical feature that protects your material from an unexpected shower.
This isn’t the most precise spreader on the list. Its controls are basic, but its strength lies in its ruggedness. Think of it as a utility tool. It’s perfect for maintaining a long gravel driveway in the winter or spreading bulk material where pinpoint accuracy isn’t the primary goal.
Chapin 8620B: Precision Spreading Control
When you’re working with expensive or delicate seeds like alfalfa or certain native grass mixes, precision is everything. Dumping too much is not only wasteful but can lead to poor germination. The Chapin 8620B is designed specifically for these scenarios, offering a level of control most other broadcast spreaders lack.
The key is its innovative gate control and dual-impeller design. This system is engineered to handle very fine materials without clogging and to provide a highly consistent, predictable spread pattern. It features specific gate settings for different materials, taking much of the guesswork out of calibration for common tasks.
Is it overkill for spreading a generic 10-10-10 fertilizer? Probably. But if you manage multiple food plots with diverse plantings or are trying to establish a wildflower meadow, that precision is invaluable. This is the tool for those who measure success in germination rates, not just coverage area.
Field Tuff AS-12V: A Great Electric Option
Most pull-behind spreaders are ground-driven, meaning the speed of your ATV dictates how fast the spinner turns and how wide it throws material. This can lead to uneven coverage if you speed up or slow down. The Field Tuff AS-12V solves this problem by using a 12-volt electric motor.
By wiring directly to your ATV’s battery, the motor spins the broadcast plate at a constant speed, regardless of how fast you’re driving. This gives you a perfectly consistent spread width from start to finish. You control the application rate with a simple lever, but the coverage pattern remains the same whether you’re crawling up a hill or cruising on a flat.
The tradeoff is having another electrical component to manage. You need a decent ATV battery, and it adds a bit of complexity. However, for anyone obsessed with getting perfectly uniform results—especially on hilly or varied terrain—the consistency of an electric model is a massive advantage.
Swisher 19920: Commercial-Grade Performance
For the hobby farmer with a bit more ground to cover or who simply believes in buying something once, the Swisher 19920 brings commercial-grade features to a manageable size. This spreader is a significant step up in build quality and is designed for frequent, heavy use.
Everything about it feels overbuilt, from the heavy-duty ball-bearing axle to the robust gearbox. With a 150-pound capacity, it can handle larger jobs with fewer stops. The spread pattern is notably wide and even, a direct result of its well-engineered spinner mechanism, allowing you to cover more ground faster.
This is not a starter spreader. It’s an investment for someone with 5 to 15 acres who relies on this tool multiple times a season. If you’re tired of replacing cheaper models every few years and want performance that rivals professional landscape equipment, the Swisher delivers.
Calibrating Your Spreader for Perfect Results
A top-of-the-line spreader is worthless if it’s not calibrated correctly. This is the single most overlooked step, and skipping it is like trying to bake a cake without measuring the flour. You’re guaranteeing a poor result.
The process is simple. Find a tarp and measure out a 100-square-foot area (10 feet by 10 feet). Set your spreader to the recommended setting on the product bag, fill it, and run it over the tarp at the speed you intend to use in the field. Weigh the material that landed on the tarp, and then do the math to see if it matches the recommended application rate for your acreage.
You must do this for every single new product you spread. Pelletized fertilizer flows differently than granular lime, which flows differently than fine seed. A five-minute calibration check saves you from wasting money on excess product or suffering the consequences of under-application. Don’t guess—measure.
Ultimately, the best ATV spreader is the one that fits the unique demands of your land and your goals. By matching the machine’s capabilities—be it rugged durability, precision control, or consistent coverage—to your specific needs, you’re not just buying a piece of equipment. You’re investing in a tool that will save you time, reduce waste, and contribute directly to the success of your small farm.
