So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Monday, February 1, 2016

Facts Concerning A Lime Spreader

By Paul Turner


A spreader refers to a farm equipment used commonly to spread lime on a piece of land. Besides spreading lime, the device may also be used to spread other substances such as seed, sand, fertilizer, or ice melt among others. A lime spreader usually acts as an alternative to drop spreader in that, instead of dropping its contents, it spreads them over a piece of land. Other names that may be used to refer to the equipment are broadcast or centrifugal fertilizer spreader.

There is a lot of variance in different aspects of these devices. Sizes vary a lot. There are small units which can be carried in hand when working, which others are very large that they need a tractor to tow them. Those that are towed are used for commercial purposes. They can spread material on large pieces of land within a short time. Hand-held versions work best on small pieces of land like lawns and private gardens.

Hand-held devices incorporate a hopper that can contain up to several liters of lime. They operate via hand cranking. Another slightly larger version is the push unit. Push units have spinning disks that are powered by gearing to the wheels. The largest units are commercial spreaders, which are designed to fit on utility farm tractors. These models get mounted to a three point hitch of a tractor and get powered by its power take-off shaft.

Spreaders have a similar functioning mechanism regardless of their size. They contain a material hopper placed over the horizontal spinning disk. Spinning disks have 3-4 fins that are attached to them. The hopper drops material onto the disk, which spreads them away with the help of the fins. This mechanism of working is used more commonly in small devices used on residential applications.

An alternative functioning mechanism that is employed in mid-sized commercial spreaders involves employment of a pendulum spreading mechanism. A pendulum spreading mechanism is preferred in commercial devices because it enhances consistency of spreading. Some spreaders contain directional fins, which control the direction in which the material is spread from the equipment. Usually the direction can be altered to achieve the preferences of a user.

A power source is necessary to spin the disks. Hand cranks are used in hand-held models to spin gears. Tow-behind brands have shafts which rotate gears. Shafts are rotated by the wheels of the equipment. Gears then rotate the gears which spray contents of the hopper.

In tractor-mounted models, the driver operates the spinning of disk because of a mechanical power take-off shaft that is linked to the tractor. In some cases, a 12-volt motor may be incorporated in the spreader. The motor spins the disk, which disperses the contents of the hopper. More modern working mechanisms are being incorporated in modern models to improve efficiency.

The hopper is for holding material and it is made from various materials. Among the most commonly used materials are plastic, stainless steel, and painted steel. The strength of stainless steel makes it preferable for use on hoppers on commercial models. Besides strength, stainless steel is also resistant to corrosion from granular fertilizer.




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