# Push type salt spreader for sidewalks. Opinions please



## ducaticorse

I have several accounts this year which require salting of several hundred feet of sidewalk. I am looking for a well built walk behind that will handle commercial work. I was thinking of putting a spreader on my cat 463, but I think I would like to try a slightly less expensive set up first. At the longest, the walks are 200 feet per respective location as far as capacity is concerned.


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## peterng

I'm going into my 4th season with the Meyers Hotshot. Might get a couple of more years out of it but it has seen a fair amount of use. I like it. I heard it is made for them and it is a more generic landscape spreader.
Pete


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## ducaticorse

Does anyone dare to give me an unbiased review of the unit sold by the site sponsor "discount snow stakes? Looks pretty good, and is reasonably priced $179 as far as im concerned...


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## blazer2plower

Never used it I have a Shindaiwa RS75 and love it 5 years old plastic Hooper and a stainless steel frame. Not cheep I thank it was 250.00. Now they are around 275-300


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## leolkfrm

get a plastic 5qt oil jug with the big handle so a gloved hand fits...leave the cap on and cut the bottom half off...find a smaller plastic bucket that will carry about 15#'s of ice melt.....tidy cat bucket works well....now you can spread to the needs of the job....light where there isn't a problem and heavy where the water sets..and save material


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## eastcoastjava

i run a lesco broadcast with an 80 pound hopper, it has a poly hopper and the frame is stainless steel with large tires. i think i got mine for around 300, and well worth it. i do drive sand walkways with it, but i am in the process of making a box so it broadcast straight out. wash it out each storm and its ready to go, plus i use it year round for fert


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## havenlax18

The best one is the earth-way HIGH output ones (blue in color). Cheap also.


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## Ne1

The blue Earthway HO in my opinion is junk. They are built cheap and the hoppers are very thin. For what they cost you could pay a little more and get a stainless Lesco spreder.


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## 2_Djinn

Ive used the cheaper earthways (round hopper) with the defectors. If you can get a good deal on these they have worked good for me. I need a new spreader this year and am apprehensive about getting nice spreader for salt.


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## havenlax18

Ne1;1509838 said:


> The blue Earthway HO in my opinion is junk. They are built cheap and the hoppers are very thin. For what they cost you could pay a little more and get a stainless Lesco spreder.


I had to reinforce mine with new bolts and some spray paint. Other then that they spit out salt better then my lescos and agri-fabs. I have andersons and they work very good but cost 500 a spreader.


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## TPC Services

Earthway and the buyers salt dog you get from northern supply are junk!!! The open gear has issues staying in contact with the teeth. They are both made by the same company. I agree with The other guys that have said lesco. Have three of them and have never had a issue with them. Wash them out after every use and They will last you years. You can sometimes pick them up a little cheaper off Craigslist


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## lawnlandscape

ducaticorse;1508818 said:


> Does anyone dare to give me an unbiased review of the unit sold by the site sponsor "discount snow stakes? Looks pretty good, and is reasonably priced $179 as far as im concerned...


 We bought 1, it was an absolute nightmare!!! Never worked right. Problems with it literally every single time we tried to use it. After the fourth storm we contacted them and wanted to return it. (Still looked brand new) they would not take it back. We threw it in our dumpster 3 weeks after we got it.


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## perrysee

i just use a scotts lawn spreader cheap and easy to use ,all plastic ,so no rust, cheaper to replace too


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## thelettuceman

lawnlandscape;1570112 said:


> We bought 1, it was an absolute nightmare!!! Never worked right. Problems with it literally every single time we tried to use it. After the fourth storm we contacted them and wanted to return it. (Still looked brand new) they would not take it back. We threw it in our dumpster 3 weeks after we got it.


Have to agree with lawnlandscape

Sometimes it is not the spreader but what you are putting into it

Go for the plastic bottle cut out as mentioned in this thread. I wish I did instead of buying that spreader.


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## JayN.E

I have a snowex drop spreader and love it. It might be up there in price when comparing to the others though.


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## Antlerart06

I run a spiker for years But this year put a 12 volt spreader on the ATV 10x faster 
My sidewalk crew can plow and drop icemelt at same time


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## yardguy28

this is my first season doing a commercial lot and I went with a blue earth way with edge guard and top cover. ran me $400 but its an all around spreader so it should be worth it. 

I know guy on here thinks there crap but I disagree. it's a very good solid spreader that will last me years. much better than the others I've seen and have available to me.


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## trustyrusty

We use the blue Buyers Ice Buster which is identical to the black one offered by Discount Snow Stakes and also you will see it sold under other brands as well. We got a brand new one this year and in less than 2 months the hole in the bottom of the hopper where the spinner shaft comes through had worn out to about twice its original diameter causing everything to be loose so it wouldn't shut off and the handle was loose due to too small of hardware and the bolt holes egging out.

We have had all the above issues with others. Once they get to that point all it takes is an hour in the shop and a few dollars in parts to turn them into a solid reliable spreader. Epoxy a large fender washer in the bottom of the hopper and a stainless bushing on the shaft and beef up the handle with larger bolts and you'll be off to the races for a good long while. If the bushing wears out just replace it. I wish these were better quality but we buy them anyway because they seem to have the best working / most adjustable deflector kit of any we've used. The red Earthway deflector kit has little notches that click to hold the deflector where you set it and the little notch breaks off so the deflector just falls down into the full down position and we haven't figured out a way to fix it short of replacement.


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## yardguy28

I'll have to check but I don't think my earth way deflector kit has notches at all. in fact I think it only has 2 settings. "open" or "closed".


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## V_Scapes

I use a 50lb Spyker spreader which i also use for fertilizer. Ive had it for about 3 years, little to no rust after moderate fert use. this is the first year ive used it for salt, i run dry calcium chloride with CMA through it with no issues.


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## yardguy28

nope no settings. 

either you raise it all the way up or you fold it all the way down. no in between. not sure why you'd need settings. 

the point of the deflector is to keep sale from going right, left or forward. why do you need settings for that.


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## White Gardens

Anybody use a good drop spreader for bulk salt?

Looking at a few, but not sure which one is the best. Thinking a drop spreader would be the best bet with bulk material.


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## yardguy28

please explain your reason. I personally find drop spreaders for anything outdated.


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## White Gardens

yardguy28;1572384 said:


> please explain your reason. I personally find drop spreaders for anything outdated.


Less moving parts, better control on just sidewalks.

That and I hate trying to run standard bulk salt through a broadcast spreader. I like the idea of the auger/feeder in a drop spreader better.

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## yardguy28

this is the first season I've had a parking lot or anything to salt and I haven't ran into any problem running salt through the broadcast spreader I purchased. 

I don't know about less moving parts. I can only think of 2 things that move on a broadcast spreader. the wheels and the spinner oh and the lever to open and close the feed opening.


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## mtstclair

The blue earth way high output spreaders are best I found they spread bulk clearlane pefect I have a salt dogg and lesco and they just do work with it


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## yardguy28

mtstclair;1572533 said:


> The blue earth way high output spreaders are best I found they spread bulk clearlane pefect I have a salt dogg and lesco and they just do work with it


maybe that's why I don't have trouble with spreading salt because I have the very spreader you are talking about.


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## snocrete

White Gardens;1572170 said:


> Anybody use a good drop spreader for bulk salt?
> 
> Looking at a few, but not sure which one is the best. Thinking a drop spreader would be the best bet with bulk material.
> 
> ........


Epoke is the only drop spreader I've heard great reviews about...but you'll have to spend big $ for it.


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## Nick417

*All Season Work Horse - Salt Spreader*

Here at US Discount Products we offer a quality walk behind salt/sand/seed spreader.

Some information about it:

Salt Spreader has rust proof stainless steel gear and cogs. Salt Spreader also has rust proof stainless steel bolts. One-piece welded handle bar and hopper seat to make spreader move stable. Sides, front and back deflectors help control spread width.

Hope this helps!


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