It happened again. That dreaded “thunk” sound when out spreading. Looking back, I see the beater bars still churning, but nothing flying out. I go to the back of the spreader to check it out and what do I find? The main chain laying on the ground and a paddle thrown out behind the spreader!I hate this spreader. Now we have to order and have them install a whole new apron chain. Has anyone else had this happen? Upon closer inspection, it was a break at the connection of the bar to the chain and pretty heavily corroded. It’s an 8 year old 80 bushel H and S. I’d say we spread about every 5 days. Does anyone have any tips for protecting the chain? What do you do in the winter? Right now, we are planning to move our spreader back into the aisle again, which I hate. But it keeps the manure from freezing and breaking the other small chain(can’t think of the name of it, but it’s the one housed on the side). Now I know why all barns have a manure pile somewhere on their property. It’s just a matter of time! I will be making one tomorrow when I shovel out the completely full and broken spreader and also add in today’s tubs that didn’t go in the spreader yet, as well as all future tubs until the part comes in and is installed.AAARRGGHH. Please give me any tips. Any, at all. Please. Slightly desperate here. TIA
More grease?
With a manure spreader if you want it to last you have to not use it as a giant “muck bucket” and have to at least wash it out after every use. And you have to grease/oil the fire out of the chain, gears, etc. after you wash it. You can ask me how I know these things! 
G.
[QUOTE=Guilherme;8288725]
With a manure spreader if you want it to last you have to not use it as a giant “muck bucket” and have to at least wash it out after every use. And you have to grease/oil the fire out of the chain, gears, etc. after you wash it. You can ask me how I know these things!
G.[/QUOTE]
Boy that is the truth!!
Urine and manure corrode things, and it is corroded faster if left sitting in the spreader more than a short time, like an hour or two! I am amazed your chain lasted 8 years with your kind of usage.
Have YOU ever looked at a chain, to replace the links? Or ordered new bars because just ONE broke? You can just replace a single bar, or a few links in the chain, for low cost, if you do it yourself or have a handy SO, maybe teen age kid to help you. The links hook on each other pretty easily, you just have to take up the slack with a come-along, to get the end of chains over lapping to allow hooking together.
We buy used spreaders, links break, bars wear out. They have to be replaced, usually is then good for quite a while before needing some other links replaced. We have a large coil of links, husband makes the spreader bars up himself with links on the ends, for when we should need one.
We empty the spreader almost daily. Now and again it might sit overnight with bedding in it, no time to empty. Not very often though. Floor, chains, bars, all last LOTS longer with daily emptying of the spreader. None of us want to be out fixing the spreader in cold or rain, snow, so we make every effort to dump it daily and extend the life of all it’s parts. Spreaders are not plastic, can’t take that urine, ammonia, eating on the parts when you leave them sitting full of dirty bedding.
You might want to save your old chain for parts, instead of having to buy a whole new one when the links or bars break in the future.
I love that “Not a muck bucket” comment!!
I get it- not a muck bucket! I suspected I might get some hints that meant more work for me!!lol! But you are all absolutely correct- we have been using it to store our muck until spreading time. So other than spread every day- do you store your filled tubs somewhere and then dump them and spread? And flies aren’t out of control? I guess it’s really not very different from storing manure in the spreader, now that I think about it. For some reason, my hubby balked at that idea. And Guilherme-do you really wash it after every use? Really? I’m impressed! And apparently, a little lazy:D
I used to board at a barn that did not spread every day but stalls were mucked into an existing muck pile (which they used to get hauled away, give compost away to farmers, etc.). On spreading days, the spreader was loaded up. I’ve only seen muck go straight into a spreader at places where there are enough horses to fill it every day and spreading gets done daily.
Just out of curiosity, how many 5 day sessions does it take to eat the metal?
We bought ours about 8 years ago. And have been using it as our muck tub that whole time. Other chains on the side have been repaired a few times, but nothing too major or complicated until now.
That’s longer than I would have guessed. I was thinking a year or two.
Ours is used as a giant muck bucket that gets emptied about once a week, sometimes it goes two weeks. It’s a 70’s era NH.
Last week DH welded together one of the bars. We’d had this thing about 13 years (paid $425 for it)- it’s on it’s 2nd completely new chain. We got lucky with the 1st chain-our local dealer had a roll of chain that had been hanging around forever- and it only cost ~$150.
Two years ago we thought the spreader was dead but then DH went to an auction and bought a forage wagon at auction and tore it apart. The chain was in great shape. DH replaced the floor of the spreader, fabricated new bars and put the like-new chain on for less than $150. (Great buy that forage wagon- enough chain for 3 spreaders and good hay wagon running gear for $240)
Spreader is dying now, though. The box has nothing left to weld to. On the hunt for a new one…
ETA: we’ve never had a lick of trouble out of any of the drive chains, and they’ve only seen grease a few times since we’ve owned the spreader.
