# Bought a Boss TGS 800 for small lots want to run bulk ideas?



## wiseguyslawn (Feb 28, 2008)

I picked up a boss tgs 800 for some of our small lots to throw on one of our pick ups. Nice spreader, low use, dual motors, has the paddle feed for bulk.

Preferably wanted an electric v box but could not find one used in decent shape for the right price.

Anyway question is this spreader will probably only go through a ton a storm, but wanted to get some ideas on how to load it sufficiently with bulk salt.

I've heard of putting a tarp down and shoveling into spreader with a scoop. Loading garbage cans full, etc.. 

Any ideas would be helpful. I'm still going to have my eye out for a nice used vbox but for now I want to get by with this spreader.

Thanks


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## procut (Dec 1, 2004)

I used to use a SnowEx 1875 and spread about that amount. I would start with a full hopper and then I scrounged up a few of the heavy recycling tubs that the city gives out the residents. I think I had four of them full of salt in the box. I had a mini scoop shovel I would shovel them down 3/4 of the way or so and then I could lift them and dump the remainder into the hopper. I did this for a year or so and eventually said to heck with it and just thew a scoop or two out of the bulk pile with the tractor/loader into the box and shoveled it in with a scoop shovel.


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## RMGLawn (Jan 2, 2012)

What about this? I have a yard dumped in every storm and shovel it into my TGS07 with a material shovel. You can replace the top with a tarp but I used a piece of plywood with hinges.


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## Hegartydirtwork (Oct 26, 2009)

I have a beat up chest style aluminum tool box that I store bulk in and shovel into my tgs07


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## magnatrac (Dec 22, 2006)

Glad to hear I'm not the only one shoveling bulk into a tgs07. I have chemical totes that I cut open and put hinged lids on. They work great,however I did build a wood box that fits side to side over the wheel wells and it will hold just over 1.5 yards. I will be honest I'm getting tired of shoveling salt. At the start of last season I only needed 1 hopper of salt but we picked up enough work that I can spread a couple of yards depending on conditions. I usually fill my spreader with the loader then work out of the tote. It's extra work shoveling the salt but it beats throwing 80 lb bags around and paying for bagged also. If it ever snows this season I will get a small electric v box , if not my spreader is paid for


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## RMGLawn (Jan 2, 2012)

magnatrac;1903228 said:


> Glad to hear I'm not the only one shoveling bulk into a tgs07. I have chemical totes that I cut open and put hinged lids on. They work great,however I did build a wood box that fits side to side over the wheel wells and it will hold just over 1.5 yards. I will be honest I'm getting tired of shoveling salt. At the start of last season I only needed 1 hopper of salt but we picked up enough work that I can spread a couple of yards depending on conditions. I usually fill my spreader with the loader then work out of the tote. It's extra work shoveling the salt but it beats throwing 80 lb bags around and paying for bagged also. If it ever snows this season I will get a small electric v box , if not my spreader is paid for


How much salt can you hold in the totes. I like that idea as I could probably unload close to a full one with a compact tractot


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## MR. McBEEVEE (Nov 21, 2008)

*5 gallon buckets*

I used to fill my pickup with 5 gallon buckets then dump the salt in them with the loader and if needed add another layer of buckets. its a lot quicker to fill the spreader with the buckets than with a shovel. If you don't have a loader, just fill them on the ground and lift them in the truck. I would buy the buckets for .50 - $1.00 a piece. This worked great until we went with v box.


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

A loooong time ago we used Fisher 1000's and ran bulk threw them and tried several ways. We didn't use them for very long. Here's what we did and what worked and didn't

Large blue totes with lids from Walmart (2ft x 4ft) those kept the weather out as best as possible but was a pita to get the lids on again after being frozen and bowed out and they became brittle and broke and re filling them was a long process, plus they didn't hold much and 2 took up the whole bed and we usually got about 1/2 a ton or so between the two totes.

Salt just dumped in the bed and cover with a tarp- easy to fill but usually everything froze up before it was used up.

5 and 7 gallon buckets- seemed to work the best, lids stayed on and were weather tight but if you get a batch of wet bulk it still froze up so your left with a few buckets of ballast. Still a long process for filling but much cleaner. One down side is you'll need 49 5 gallon buckets and they won't all fit in a bed, that's why we mainly used 7 gallon buckets and even then it wasn't a full ton of salt.

The whole process with a tailgate spreader is a PITA compared to a v box! jumping in and out of the bed is dangerous, (unless you have a swing away type spreader), takes a lot more time to use and is just more of a hassle. IMO, a tailgate spreader is for the guy who salts maybe 1-3 small lots and goes through maybe 1-4 bags per lot. I would bite the bullet and buy an electric v box, it's so much better! There's been a few on here for sale recently.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

I just had a ton dropped in the bed prior to the storm and shoveled it in.


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## magnatrac (Dec 22, 2006)

RMGLawn;1903623 said:


> How much salt can you hold in the totes. I like that idea as I could probably unload close to a full one with a compact tractot


The totes in the picture can hold 1.5 yards . I can put a board down low across the opening and that let's you get more in. Simply shovel it down some then pull it out and it's easy to reach in the bottom to empty the tote. I have a couple other totes that I cut the top off even and removed a foot out of the middle. Those work great and leave a better view out the back but only hold about a yard. We set up 5 toes last season in the beginning so we could store a little extra salt on hand but ended up building a 10 yard wood bin once supply's started getting tight. What is nice is I can fork out the totes when im done and store any extra in the barn nice and dry. I still lay a tarp in the bed of my truck to catch any salt I spill when shoveling. The totes store salt over the summer also. We filled 3 to the top and shrink wrapped them. They sat outside all summer and the salt stayed perfectly dry.


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## allagashpm (Sep 29, 2012)

I laid a large tarp down in the bed and shoveled. It was big enough so I could fold it back over and cover the material. I was going through quite a bit and got a used vbox instead. The saved labor in my opinion is worth the extra cost.


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