# which type of walk-behind spreader for sand/salt on personal driveway?



## BeerTooth (Dec 26, 2017)

We just got a pretty bad ice storm here is southern New Hampshire last week, with poor timing for removal (blew off the snow, then turned to freezing rain overnight and turned into a 1/2" bonded sheet of ice).

I need to get some sand down for traction, plus a bit of salt to get the melting underway. I would like to keep the salt to a minimum, as I know the runoff is not good for trees, shrubs, and anything else downstream in the watershed.

I'm thinking of blending a 3:1 mix of sand and salt. Do you think this will be effective to prevent the sand from freezing into a solid block in the hopper between uses? I will probably use this setup 4-6 times per season. I will keep the hopper covered to keep most water out, but I know any un-used sand will absorb humidity over time. I'm not militant about maintaining a pristine driveway, but I recognize when it has become a safety hazard, and no melting temperatures in the forecast to help me out.

I see two types of walk-behind spreaders: the drop-spreader and broadcast spreader. My driveway is about 50 feet long, 10 feet wide, plus a turn-around about 40'x40', plus a brick sidewalk, 3' wide x 30' long. My snow blower is a 28" wide cut and that is fine for making a single pass on the sidewalk. It looks like this is the limit for a drop spreader, which would be fine. A broadcast spreader looks like it can be adjusted for a wider throw, but it might be overkill for my driveway, with uneven coverage. I see some broadcast spreaders have an adjustable box/plate for diverting the granules.

I see some people using a regular old Scott's lawn spreader for salt, and others shelling out $400 for a purpose-made broadcast salt spreader. So can I get away with buying a cheap lawn spreader and just mixing 3:1 sand/salt in the hopper? Are plastic parts better to minimize corrosion of metal? Or will the sand grit destroy the plastic? Will the chute get jammed with the different size particles? Are the drop spreaders adjustable flow rate like the broadcast spreaders?


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## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

for the amount you need to do, hand broadcast it, cut the bottom off a 5 qt oil jug and use it to broadcast it by hand
i would use cal cl (such as peadlow) over rock salt
that said chapin make a nice 100 lb unit available at runnings for about 250 that would work for summer lawn spreading also


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Ditto, I would just throw it to you see the coverage your looking for.


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## seville009 (Sep 9, 2002)

Like leolkfrm says, it’s much easier to just do it by hand. I use a thicker plastic jug (because it holds up over the years). like you’d use for juice, and keep salt stored in a rubber trash can with a rubber lid. Stays dry all year. Just fill the jug, and walk around shaking it. Have to fill it three or four times, but you can put down exactly how much you want where you want.


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## toyotaboy (Sep 23, 2011)

i use a earthway broadcast spreader its about 250 or so i usually get 4 or so years out of it until it rusts. just open and close it for the amount you need in that area. like stated above i also use that in the summer months for fertilizer. you will be able to hold more than a jug unless its only a spot here and there then use the jug way cheaper


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## BeerTooth (Dec 26, 2017)

toyotaboy said:


> i use a earthway broadcast spreader its about 250 or so i usually get 4 or so years out of it until it rusts. just open and close it for the amount you need in that area. like stated above i also use that in the summer months for fertilizer. you will be able to hold more than a jug unless its only a spot here and there then use the jug way cheaper


well that's a bummer about it rusting out. Are there any spreaders with all-plastic parts to avoid this failure? 
I mostly want to spread sand, so maybe I'll get a spreader for sand, and just toss the salt with a bucket, to avoid the corrosion of metal parts.


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