Help - manure spreader problem

[SusanO]

I hope mine is repairable. It looks like the hub? ( not sure what you call it - at the end of the axle that connects the rear tires) has bent and sheared off part of the hub cap?

That side tire is a bit low but don’t know why that would break the spreader.

Symptoms: started squeeking then screetching when it was backed up. I lubricated EVERYTHING I could get to. Doing this whether or not the spread option was engaged ( it is ground driven). Then while spreading in field that tire locked up. Disengaged the spread option and it was fine. Started spreading again and got back to the barn with it. Re-lubricated.

Spreading today. Does half the load and locks up. Shears off hub cap. I look and see that the hub? thing is bent and pressed against tire. Cannot lift box that engages spread option - it is stuck.

Going to unload rest of manure with pitchfork and get it back to barn.

Is this fixable? I bought it used for $1200 and got two good years out of it. Still I hate to trash it - except for this the spreader is in good shape. It is hard to find fix-it people out here. I need one that works!!!

I will try to post pictures Monday and will call Mill Creek to see if they have any ideas. But there are people on here that are more mechanically minded than I am.

[hosspuller]

Guess: Bearing has failed, and stub axle is kaput. It’s fixable if you can get the parts from Millcreek.

[SusanO]

Hosspuller that sounds like what it probably is!!! I will call Millcreek. It is an OLD model that sat in somebody’s barn for years before I bought it so I am not sure parts are still available.

If not fixable - sell it for scrap? hate to throw it away just for that.

[Christa_P]

Where are you located? If you ask around most areas have some place that will do small repairs.

[SusanO]

I am in Bubba County Alabama outside of Bubbaville ( west central Alabama). I will check around - I am not aware of any repair places around me but I will ask my farrier. He seems to know better than me. I probably need him to look at it anyway since he is fairly mechanically oriented.

[moving_to_dc]

You may also want to look at “generic” parts from TSC or similar feed/supply store. We had a Millcreek for a while. Replacement parts from Millcreek were 3x the price of TSC parts. I don’t have much faith that the Millcreek parts were of much better quality than TSC to justify the price.

[hosspuller]

Use this site to identify your model.

https://www.millcreekspreaders.com/v/vspfiles/assets/docs/Millcreek-Spreader-ID.pdf

While generic parts may be available… Unless you have familiarity with hardware, buying from Millcreek gives you assurance they will fit and work. That’s the value of OEM parts, though they be costly. (but not always in my experience)

[SusanO]

Thanks! I am positive it is a Model 75. The thing that has broken is the orange thing in the middle of the wheel on the side of the spreader cables. Something has locked up and the cover ( orange thing) broke. Wheel will turn but you can not raise the mechanism that makes the spreader function engage. The metal thing that was covered by the orange thing looks to be broken too. I guess this is the stub axle.

[nashfad]

ASK AT YOUR LOCAL FEED STORES OR FARMER’S CO-OP FOR A REPAIR PERSON…MILL CREEK SHOULD HAVE AN OWNERS MANUAL FOR IT…HUBS HAVE TO BE PACKED WITH GREASE…PERHAPS THE GREASE WORE AWAY…GOOD LUCK…KEEP POSTED HERE

[hosspuller]

SusanO … Save the repair person some time and yourself some money, by getting a parts break-down for your spreader. Knowing part numbers makes getting the correct items easy and quick.

[SusanO]

Nashfad I bought it used so no owner’s manual but I think I can buy one online. And no - I greased what I could find but I didn’t know the hubs needed to be packed in grease. I guess I am learning things the hard way.

I figured out a work-around. Cleaned stalls into a cart, hooked cart to Garden tractor, drive to far end of pasture, take cart off and dump. Re-attach and drive back to barn. Worked yesterday. today I do that and when I get ready to drive back to barn garden tractor won’t crank. Just dead. New battery this Spring. So now tractor, spreader and garden tractor/ mower are all sitting on the far side of the pasture!!! And it is hot as He@@ here.

Thank God I do not board horses!!!

[SusanO]

Asking at the Co-op is a good idea. I didn’t think about that.

[goodhors]

As you fix the spreader, do open the other tire hub, disassemble the whole wheel and bearing lineup. Clean the bearings of old grease, check for wear while clean. Those parts are as old and used as the drive side hub, so can need replacing too. Better to do this while fixing the broken hub, over letting hub also die of dryness. Use good quality grease and lots of it when repacking bearings into the wheel and axle. Kind of like keeping horse trailers up for use. Sitting or in use, hubs need good grease so they work as needed. Put spreader on a maintenance schedule for greasing and chain/bar checking. Depending on use, local moisture, once or twice a year is reasonable for checking all the moving parts, taking it apart to reach deeper fittings. Catch things before they go bad, lIke a bad lInk, or bar rust-thru failure with a full spreader load! I hate when that happened!!

I second getting a manual and blow up of spreader, showing parts numbers, so you can order what you need for repairs or spare parts to keep on hand. We keep extra chain links ( generic fit fine there) and spreader bars that husand makes, so it is easier to change or fix as needed… I would go with MC parts so you know they will fit right. Cheaper than JD parts! Going cheap or generic can require lots of matching one part to another, mechanical knowledge and skills. Best left to experts who often say “You want brand name pieces for this!”

Hope spreader fixes up easily.

[hosspuller]

Here’s the manual, no need to buy it… it has a parts break down. The axle is listed in fig A1. It may not be the axle that broken though.

A lesson to all following thread … Any bearing that squeals is damaged. grease and oil don’t fix problems, once started. They just prevent wear.

Have a person with some skills look at it. It IS fixable. Just depends on cost. Good luck.

http://www.millcreekmfg.com/document…75G-Ground.pdf