One-Horse Manure Spreader

One-Horse Manure Spreader LIVESTOCK Horses/Mules Farmer’s Equipment and Repair’s horse-drawn manure spreaders’ popularity surprised company owner Vernon Hershberger Buyers like the powder-coated sides the triple beater design and the ground drive clutch The 25 and 35-bu spreaders are equipped with either shafts for a single horse or a tongue for a team It is the one-horse option for both spreaders that really grabs today’s market “When I first went to market with my 25-bu spreader I figured I would be lucky to sell 15 to 20 of them ” says Hershberger “Instead I sold 65 in the first year and a half With the price of draft horses being sky high people are looking for ways to do more with buggy horses ” Hershberger’s 25-bu spreader is designed for use with a single light buggy horse Demand quickly developed for a larger spreader that could be pulled by a team of buggy horses or a single draft horse Changes included making the box 2 in narrower and adding 5 in to the length While he kept the poly floor he replaced the poly sides with powder-coated metal “The biggest change was the gear drive ” says Hershberger “Ground drive spreaders usually use an arm to lift the chain off the sprocket or lower it to put the spreader in gear We use a clutch system so the chain stays on the sprockets It eliminates a major wear point ” Another big change in design that makes the use of a light horse possible is the raised tongue/shaft hitch Conventional tongues and shafts usually connect to the vehicle at the axle This puts all the weight of the hitch on the horse The raised design has them connecting to a tube hitch that rises 12 to 14 in from the axle where it is welded to a 36-in cross member “With the raised hitch the horse carries half the weight of the hitch The rest is transferred to the spreader ” says Hershberger The 3-beater design also helps facilitate the single horse draw Hershberger explains that a single beater or even 2 beaters tend to chew up the manure and pitch out chunks “Three beaters spread straw and manure pack much better and unload easier ” says Hershberger Both spreaders are available in 2 and 4-wheel rubber or steel wheel designs The 25-bu spreader with 4 steel wheels is priced at $3 850 and the 35-bu model is available for $4 050 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Farmer’s Equipment and Repair 3589 State Route 643 Baltic Ohio 43804 ph 330 897-1106

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