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SE Neb | I borrowed a New Holland 512 from a neighbor as we have never had a very good spreader and he had this one that needed a little work but had always been a good spreader for them. The discussion was that if I wanted to get it going that I was welcome to use it which sounded like an ok idea to see how it worked and possibly buying it.
Well it showed up and it was half full of manure and had been for several years as they didn't have cows in the lot so they didn't need it. It got that way from being loaned out and the feller not giving a darn how he returned it. So on to the rest of the story I unloaded the dang thing with a shovel and proceeded to fix it's problems. I discovered that it had a rotten floor but someone had done an ok job of putting a sheet of steel in it and so on to the rest. First problem was that it had seemed to not be on a first name basis with a grease gun and so it needed a new hanger/bearing for the beater on the drive side. Next thing was to grease it up and free things up to give it a test run. Well not so fast the powershaft was stuck but after a major soaking and a little encouragement I got it loosened up and got the ole 3020 hooked up and ran it for a while.
Well things looked up so down to the pile we went loaded a couple buckets just to see how it went. Well darned if it didn't work quite well and so on we went about 6-7 loads into it the chain decided to grab the floor and pile up, back to the shop we went. Well after a trip to town to get some links and a little heating and beating things were back on track and after a few test runs we took it back to the pile and started in. Well about half way through the load things went bad again, seems that one of the slats got bent in the middle right at the back under the beater and tried to jump the chain off, so back to the shop and more attention. Well after loosening everything up and getting the slat back straight things don't look to bad. But this to the field for a load or two and back to the shop is not worth a dang.
Sorry for the long story but I am to the point that I really think that it needs a new floor chain but heck if I am going to install a 500.00 plus dollar chain in someone elses spreader. Which leads me to the underlying question is a NH 512 spreader worth spending much on or are they just a PIA and I should run fast and look elsewhere... BTW we usually only need a spreader about this size for maybe 60-80 loads per year so I really don't want to spend a fortune on one but a money pit is not my idea of fun either.............. :-) |
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| I'd tell the neighbor it worked ok, buy you're not interested in buying it. Anything left with "stuff" in it that long, is going to be a never ending problem. Lack of grease is probably another story itself. Depends on your pocket book, and available time. A NH 185, or similar size spreader would cut way down on your spreading time. Don't think a 3020 would handle a 185, unless its dry or fluffy stuff. Not sure tho. |
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Lincoln County. NC | We pulled a 676 and 679 both with a 3020 365 days a year 'back in the day'. Same size as today's 185.
Edited by RickB 11/3/2010 05:37
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western Pa | They were a decent spreader, in they're day. But that baby could be 20 years old. Sounds like the floor is catching somewhere. If it is bending bars going across back either your crooked or off on your link count somewhere. |
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| The apron cross slats can get so weak from rust that they literally bend just from trying to get the load moving. Because they are bent just from moving the load, then they catch either on the beater going out the back or trying to come back around the front sprockets. BTDT.
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New Ulm, MN | it was left with $hit on it. Time for a new chain. Id find a differnt one. |
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SE Neb | "The apron cross slats can get so weak from rust that they literally bend just from trying to get the load moving." That idea is what brought me to the line of thought that a new chain was my best option to fix the dang thing. Not to mention the floor is really rough and I am betting the manure really pulls hard across it that is also not helping me at all..
So the next question is what is a good spreader for umm.... well lets go with 5,000.00 or is there such a thing for that kind of money. I know I know you get what you pay for but for the limited amount I figure on using it sure doesn't excite me to spend much more than that.. BTW Thanks for the feedback.. |
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| If you have a good NH dealer nearby, the NH design is not all that bad IMO. There were thousands of them made and I think most parts probably interchange between the different sizes and different models so parts will probably be available for a long, long time. For the most part, NH just slapped a new model number on and called them "new" spreaders. I have worn out a 679, then a 680, a 185 and now I am on my second 185. All those numbers are the same size, just made in different eras. Most would be hard pressed to find much of a difference in the 679 which was probably made in the 70's to the new 185 I got two years ago. I think the same would be true of the smaller spreaders, for the most part they are only shorter versions of the 185. I don't know how many horsepower a 3020 is, but I hauled many loads with an IH 706 which is probably around 80 hp? and had no problems.
The problem I have seen and experienced through the years is that a manure spreader is one of the few places it may make sense to buy new because of the crazy prices most dealers around here ask for used NH spreaders when compared to new. IMO, most of the time, a used spreader is on the lot because it was giving its previous owners fits, or they knew it was about to start giving them fits. Who trades off a perfectly good box spreader that is in good working order on a new one for no reason? Most of them I've seen on the lot, you can push a screwdriver through the side if you wanted to and they are still asking half the price of a new spreader. The spreader is 90% used up and they still want $5k+ for it when you can buy a new one for $10K?
If you shop around, I would think you could get a new 155 for maybe not a whole lot more than $5K and if you take care of it, it will last a long time for 80 loads a year.
How are the sides and beater on the one you are using? If the sides are still solid with not a whole lot of rust and the beater is not missing paddles or soon to be missing paddles, maybe you can buy it cheap, put a chain in it and away you go. From my experience a NH spreader is good for one replaced apron, meaning the rest of the spreader is pretty much shot by the time you go through two aprons. If you have to replace the apron a second time, you might as well get a new spreader because the sides, floor and beater are probably not far behind. |
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Pittstown, NJ | I bought a brand new Pequea 175 this spring for $7000. http://www.pequea.com/spreaders/manure-spreaders |
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| to much money for it. |
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New Holland Manure Spreader
