Agri-Fab 45-0463 130 lb. Tow-Behind Lawn & Garden Broadcast Spreader for Seed,Fertilizer,Salt,Ice Melt; Easy to use Flow Control from Seat of Riding Lawn Mower

Received my Agra Fab 130 pound spreader today. Assembly took me one and a half hours and there were absolutely no problems doing it. All the parts were nicely packaged and complete. The quality of everything in this product is excellent.the instructions were exceptionally well done. The illustrations were excellent and led me through the assembly step-by-step with easy to follow directions. The instructions even include a full scale diagram of all the hardware like nuts, bolts, washers, bushings, etc. this enables you to place things like bolts directly on the drawing and not have to figure out what size they are. For example, if it says, use bolt B, then just place your bolts on the diagram and find the ones that matches.I've seen other reviews where people complained about the instructions, but they must have been old reviews. If the company ever had a problem with instructions, they don't anymore. These are some of the best instructions I've seen on any piece of equipment I've ever assembled and I've done a lot of them. The instructions even include a link to a YouTube video. I didn't watch the video because the instructions were perfect. My advice is to read the instructions carefully and do what they say. For example, assemble everything, but don't tighten the bolts. get everything put together and when it's all done, go back and tighten up all the bolts. Follow the assembly exactly as the instructions say, and you will not have any problems. Also, when done open up the gearbox and add some more grease to the metal gears, and inflate the tires to the recommended pressure on the sidewall (30 psi). The instructions also recommend towing at 3 mph (100 feet in 23 seconds.) it says to not exceed 6 mph because it can put too much strain on the gearbox. The design of the spreader does not shut off the flow when coming to a stop, so the directions say to reach back and shut off the flow manually, so it doesn't spill on the ground. I do wish the design included an automatic shut off when coming to a stop, but it doesn't. This is an excellent product and I am more pleased than I thought I would be.

I followed the directions carefully and specifically, but still had issues. The spacer for the wheel was too long and would not allow the hole alignment for the cotter pin to the axel. Had to cut the spacer down to fit. I could tell that there was too much tension on the shaft driving the impeller after assembly by pulling the spreader by hand. ( this may be why one user complained about always sheering cotter pins in the axel) Had to "slightly" drill out the lower holes in the bucket, insert a lock washer between the bucket and the frame before re-inserting the bolt to raise the rear of the bucket a tad and that solved the tension problem. Bottom line, parts did not always align properly. Had I not been pretty astute mechanically, I would have returned it. Have not tried it out on the lawn yet, but now seems fully functional and a decent unit once I solved the assembly issues. If it works as well a some reviewers have reported I will be happy not to have to use my walking spreader on my two acres.

I bought this spreader to seed and fertilize 10 acres. 2400 lbs fertilizer and 150 lbs grass seed. It did everything I needed. Was easy enough to assemble and held together well. My pasture is pretty rough but there was no issue with tipping or spilling. I loaded it over 100 lbs at a time with fertilizer and set it on 5 to get a rate of around 300 lbs per acre. The seed was trickier and you will need to experiment with each type of seed. Over all I am pleased with the spreader. I cleaned it after use, two days later, and corrosion was already settling in. There are alignment issues with the shaft the spreader plate is on but the didn’t impact operation. One of the tires got a flat, maybe sand spurs, but maybe not. It would be good if the wheels came off easily. I may “improve” certain things that would make it easier to fix it or just buy a new one when it does. For the price I would buy another one if I needed it.