John Deere Fertilizer Spreader | Review

By Todd Fratzel on Lawn Care, Product Reviews

John Deere 175-lb Pull-Type Spin Spreader

John Deere Broadcast Fertilizer SpreaderLast year I purchased a John Deere tow-behind fertilizer spreader for my John Deere X300 riding mower. I’ve used the fertilizer spreader to spread both fertilizer and lime and it’s saved me some serious time walking around the yard pushing a spreader by hand.

Spreader Features

This particular model features:

  • 175 lb box capacity with a volume capacity of 3.5 cubic ft
  • All stainless steel interior hardware, shaft and agitator to prevent corrosion
  • High speed, 6:1 reduction glass-filled nylon gears provide the widest spread pattern at the slowest speeds
  • Fully enclosed gearbox eliminates down-time and maintenance
  • Autoflow feature stops the flow of materials automatically to prevent burns
  • Directional spread-pattern control feature provides positive shut off along sidewalks and driveways

Product Review Notes

First let me say that I’ve always been quite impressed with John Deere products and that’s why I bought this spreader. Overall I’m satisfied with this fertilizer spreader especially it’s large capacity. I can put three 40 lb bags of fertilizer in it at once and do almost a full acre on one load. The following are my thoughts on the good features and features that might need some improvements.

Quality Features

  • Tires – Great air filled turf tires that run great on rough terrain.
  • Tow Assembly – Easy to hook up to my mower and drive away.
  • Hopper – Holds up to three 40 lb bags of fertilizer, almost enough to do a full acre in one load.
  • Stainless Steel Parts – Any equipment that gets wet and comes in contact with fertilizers needs the superior performance of stainless steel.

Poor Features

  • Location of Fertilizer Flow Control Lever – The control lever is located above the tow bar so you can reach it while you’re driving the mower. The location seems to be a good spot until you go down a hill and start up another and the back of the mower seat hits the lever and opens it wide open spilling fertilizer out at a very fast rate. They really need to locate this better to prevent this problem.
  • Adjustability Of The Flow Gate – It’s quite difficult to adjust the flow of fertilizer at low application rates. As the gate gets closer to being completely closed it has a hard time maintaining a steady flow.

Overall Product Thoughts

Even with the two small issues I have with this spreader I’d recommend it to others. As usual John Deere makes great quality products that will last. I’ve heard some folks say that they had trouble with the spinner at the bottom breaking but I’ve yet to see that. So if you’re looking for a large capacity, towing spreader for residential use then I recommend you take a look at this model. It costs just over $200 and I find it to be a good value.

About the author

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

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6 Comments

  1. Fred says:

    Todd,
    Great post… I don’t have nearly this amount of property (yet!) but when I do I’ll certainly consider the JD spreader (and all the JD equipment you’ve recommended)… Sounds like their engineers should be listening to *you* about the two drawbacks you cite, which I’ll agree are relatively minor…

  2. peio revuelta says:

    I am a farmer and growing vegetables to sell. For more efficency i use fertilizers but while using them it is important to
    keep it healthy because some fertilizers contain corruptive elements so i try to read everything about fertilizers and try
    to keep my product healthy. I am grateful for those who gives information about fertilizers and anyone who
    uses fertliziers should read about it, i also found another good guide which should be read too i think;

    http://agricultureguide.org/

  3. Jacques says:

    I have a problem adjusting the flow pattern. It seems that it spread more to the right when sitting on tractor. I tried adjusting it but have a hard time getting it right. Would you have a video on how to adjust so that I’ll have an even spread
    Thank you for your time

    Jacques

  4. Jacques says:

    Do you have a solution for my problem on my John Deer Spin Spreader?

  5. Ron Crudge says:

    i have model TY25012
    gears gone
    do not use much but for price would like to replace gears….
    what parts do i need and where can i get?

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