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Fertilizer Spreader Built From Old Fire Truck
“I looked for an old fire truck for quite a few years because I knew it would make a real nice running gear for a fertilizer spreader,” says Michigan farmer Chuck Timm. “I finally found an old pumper truck on a 500 Ford chassis.”
  Timm brought the truck back to his shop and spent about two months creating his one-of-a-kind fertilizer rig. First he removed the pumping equipment and sold it to a neighbor for $500. Then he dismantled the drive train, suspension and wheels to accommodate flotation tires. “I built rear wheels for the extra large Terra tires that I acquired from an old 3-wheel self-propelled fertilizer spreader,” says Timm. “Then I re-built the drive train and suspension to mount the over-sized wheels.” On the front he added 7-in. blocks to level the frame, and built new wheels for the high floatation 385/65R22.5 steering tires.
  Timm bought a stainless steel 3-ton fertilizer box from an old pull-type spreader, scrapped out the running gear, and mounted the box on the truck chassis. Fertilizer is metered out by the truck pto and a ground drive wheel that he raises and lowers with a hydraulic cylinder. The spinner is driven by a 5 hp. Honda motor.
  “The spinner is set up to give me a 60-ft. swath,” says Timm, “and I use GPS in the cab to show me the right amount of overlap. I can travel 10 to 11 mph with a full load, which is a decent speed if fields aren’t entirely smooth.”
  Timm says the 500 Ford has a 330 cu. in. engine with a large manifold for extra cooling. “It’s a little underpowered for the size tank we have, but we’re not out to set speed records. We can cover a good 40 acres an hour, and with the large tires and just a 3-ton tank, we’re not compacting the soil, which is important.”
  Timm says he spent about $5,000 in out-of-pocket costs for the spreader, which included buying the truck, fertilizer tank, 4 tires and the GPS. “Even with two months of labor on top of those costs, I’ve got way less into this than buying a truck-mounted commercial spreader,” says Timm.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chuck Timm, 6690 Nicholson Hill Rd., Hubbard Lake, Mich. 49747 (ph 989 727-3676).



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2014 - Volume #38, Issue #3