ATV Manure Spreaders

I am toying around with the idea of getting a small spreader for the quad (4x4 Honda Foreman 500). I currently pick stalls with the skid loader (beats the heck out of pushing a wheelbarrow!) and make a manure pile then spread with the tractor & big spreader when the pile gets to a good size.

I was thinking if I used the quad it would be nice to just pick & spread as I go instead of having a pile. It would also mean only putting hours on one piece of equipment instead of 2 and would only have to dump gas in one piece of equipment. It would also be something I would be comfortable letting my boarder use, she does partial care and cleans her own stall. The only downside I can think of is that I won't have a bunch of broken down manure for all of my friends & family to use on their garden come spring.

So, anyone use one? What brand? Do you like it? Is it worth the investment when I already have a tractor & spreader?

I think your outlay will be over $1000. Since you have the small loader do you partially turn the manure pile once or twice over the summet? Makes better compost. Burn some in a barrel when the bugs are bad.

It gets spread about once a month-ish except for winter when I let it sit for spring compost.

Trying to decide if it's worth the investment if for nothing else but my time I would save, less work for me since I do all of it myself. If I could just haul it and spread it when I pick daily that would save a longer work day down the road spreading with the tractor. And something my kiddo could do eventually making a lot less work for me

Have you used one? How good of a job do they do? I found a used one (it's aluminum) listed for $450 so it wouldn't be a huge ding as far as costs go.

It's something I am really considering.

With a big spreader, you create a pile and then when it's large, you go scoop up the pile, load the spreader and so forth... it's a job!

An ATV spreader could be left hooked up unless the ATV was needed for other purposes and if the barn aisle is large enough, you could clean directly into the spreader.

My thought would be to try it out and if it works, you could sell the large one since you'd no longer use it.

I've been looking at small manure spreaders too. Unfortunately, most of the small spreaders that are lower priced do not have a lot "chewing" action to break down the clumps. IMO, you would almost have to compost the manure first with any of those models. The one small spreader that I found on-line that did put out a ground up product was approx. $2600. Not a small investment.

Yes, I have this one:

Newer Spreader

Love it.....does just what it's supposed to do.

I bought mine used off craigslist and paid $400 for it.

I bo't an inexpensive plastic cart that dumps about 10 years ago. I fill it only 2/3 with wet manure. I run it to the top of a hill and tip it out. It takes only a couple of minutes to scatter it with a rake or shovel. By going to the hill top rain will wash some of the nutrients downhill so a greater area benefits. The cart was $125 new. It's earned it's keep.

Sounds amazing...