How do I....

[Kiwi Pete]

Not very easy to attach a spreader that's full I'd have said?

Not too bad if it's sat on a pallet, usually enough wiggle/flex to help get it lined up. Still a bit of an asbestos compared to an extra tractor but it used to beat an 8 mile walk to get one we had a big gantry thingy but I never trusted it, it used to creak with a beefy hanging on it let alone 4 tons of fert
That was a tractor with hooks, not captive ends, mind

 

[DaveJ]

I know I'm lucky with a fert depot a mile and a half down the road, but is the simplest solution on the kind of quantities @jemski is using not to fetch the fertiliser from the merchant in the spreader?

 

[M-J-G]

Hire a handler for a day for a few quid, or come to an agreement with a neighbour

Someone bringing you bags to the field will have the job done in half the time.

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Sky hooks

If you use one of them ,might as well use them to spread it too.

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Buy in bulk , and use a shovel.

 

[jemski]

I did think about getting a quad spreader and just bucketing into it.

My spreader is a real beatch to get on and off, and I wouldn't want to do it with it full, here on my own.

Don't have any farming neighbours that close by. I used to use the golf course tractor (and usually one of them to load me) but that's closed and tractor sold - only a small tractor that would really struggle to lift the bags. They use mine now for any heavy work.

 

[rob1]

I did think about getting a quad spreader and just bucketing into it.

My spreader is a real beatch to get on and off, and I wouldn't want to do it with it full, here on my own.

Don't have any farming neighbours that close by. I used to use the golf course tractor (and usually one of them to load me) but that's closed and tractor sold - only a small tractor that would really struggle to lift the bags. They use mine now for any heavy work.

Easiest and safest way is to get a bag lifter then, often on ebay

 

[mushnt grummmble]

I dont get the issue with hitching on and off
How many of you can manhandle a 7 furrow plough "to wiggle it into place"

 

[GTB]

Still a faff I know but if your spreader was on an A frame it would be much easier to take on and off. You'd still have to disconnect and re-connect the pto and hyd pipes every time though.

I think a bag lifter or quad spreader are the most sensible (and safest) options.

 

[tw15]

I did think about getting a quad spreader and just bucketing into it.

My spreader is a real beatch to get on and off, and I wouldn't want to do it with it full, here on my own.

Don't have any farming neighbours that close by. I used to use the golf course tractor (and usually one of them to load me) but that's closed and tractor sold - only a small tractor that would really struggle to lift the bags. They use mine now for any heavy work.

You have a loader on your tractor i take it Jemski if so why not get an old free standing silo and cut it down as to make a hopper on legs . You can cut a few bags open and fill it and then reverse your spreader under it to fill the spreader . Recon you could pick up a older feed silo for a few quid ( always cheap at farm sales ) . you could use it for sheep nuts as well to fill a snacker or quad trailer. If you want send us a message i might know of a silo going very cheap that will do .

 

[jemski]

I dont get the issue with hitching on and off
How many of you can manhandle a 7 furrow plough "to wiggle it into place"

It's just really awkward - there's no space to get in between the tractor and spreader to connect everything.

 

[jemski]

You have a loader on your tractor i take it Jemski if so why not get an old free standing silo and cut it down as to make a hopper on legs . You can cut a few bags open and fill it and then reverse your spreader under it to fill the spreader . Recon you could pick up a older feed silo for a few quid ( always cheap at farm sales ) . you could use it for sheep nuts as well to fill a snacker or quad trailer. If you want send us a message i might know of a silo going very cheap that will do .

Ooh I like this idea! I could do with something easier than the grain trailer for storing feed.

 

[GTB]

Ooh I like this idea! I could do with something easier than the grain trailer for storing feed.

Not sure about the logistics though..

Will your loader lift high enough to lift a bag into a hopper that's high enough to back a spreader in underneath it?????

 

[turbo]

If you have got grain to handle why not use an old auger to fill your spreader,they are as cheap as chips at sales

 

[Happy hillbily]

Not many Practical Farm Ideas readers here ? This last edition had a 6 wheel trailer with two hangman brackets on the back of the trailer with two feet that go down to stabilise the trailer, maybe @farmideas could post a pic, I know a bit of an overkill for 6 bags a year though.
@hillman s Idea simple and strong, and if the fert spreader isn't big enough for a full bag, make an upside down T shaped slot on the side of the bag, and once the spreader is full use a wedge made out of plywood to stop the flow, still have the one my Grandad made when the 500kg bags came out in the 80s, and the new vicon would only hold 1.5 bags, handy if I just need a couple of hundered kg to finish a field.

 

[mushnt grummmble]

It's just really awkward - there's no space to get in between the tractor and spreader to connect everything.

you've seen these??http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TEAGLE-TE...222056?hash=item1a2a715ca8:g:8GwAAOSwdGFYwU2n

 

[Red Fred]

I had the same trouble this year so I just put a bag on the rear end of the big bale trailer, parked so as to get it as high as pos, put a bit of old carpet over the end so as not to scratch my spreader, and let it flow in . I cut the bag in several places as it went down to keep it under control and bucketed the last bit. It didn't appear dangerous and was almost as quick as using the other tractor.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I don't use much at all - maybe half a dozen bags a year...

Would it not be cheaper to sell your spreader and just get a neighbour to spread that amount for you?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

It's just really awkward - there's no space to get in between the tractor and spreader to connect everything.

Yep
No way past a lotta
BT DT got the stripey shirt!

 

[Jerry]

For small paddocks and orchards where I can't get the tractor through the trees than I use my slug pelleter. Surprising how quick you can spread a bag of Fert.