Customer Reviews

Earthway Commercial 100-Pound Tow Behind Spreader 2170T

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The EarthWay 2170T is the same as their 2170 walk behind model. They have eliminated the handle bars and added a tow hitch. Assembling the unit was a bit tedious but directions were through and complete. They do need to be followed very carefully. The unit itself seems to be sturdy and I like the enclosed gear box and the flow control mechanism. I think the unit is somewhat top heavy when loaded with 100+ lb. of fertilizer. Mine tipped over twice when one of the wheels went in a rut. A wider wheel base would function better on rough ground. The flow control handle winds up on the side of the upright away from the operator when being towed. This could have been set at a more convenient angle. I have not used it much yet but aside from the narrow wheel base it looks like a good unit.

This is my third spreader in 18 years. It replaces a Scotts tow-behind and this one is far superior. The hopper is thick plastic (polypropylene?), including the screen (nice touch), and all bolts that attach to it are stainless steel. That is a good thing because on my Scotts, they rusted even though the unit was taken care of. It assembles well in about 30 minutes but be sure to read all the instructions. Since the bolts are very similar in size, measure them to ensure you use the right ones in the right place. On a sad note, the unit arrived with one of the side handles missing but two emails later, Earthway sent me a new one (actually two), free of charge. Earthway's customer service was very helpful once a dialog was established. I should point out that this unit comes with a tow extension which I needed for my John Deere tractor. Another nice feature is the setting adjuster has a setpoint that can be tightened. This allows me to close the grates on the hopper (for instance when going over the driveway), and then return to the desired setting when I hit the lawn. The Earthway spreader is very sturdy and I believe I will get many years of use with it. The only suggestions I have for the designers is that the next model have a wider wheel width to reduce tipping - the unit is somewhat top heavy but the double plate hitch helps with that.

When searching the internet for a spreader you are quickly aware that the Earthway prices are very attractive. However, you will find that you earn a good discount when you ASSEMBLE IT YOURSELF.

There are MANY parts and they were all there in the right quantity. I suggest you lay out all the parts so you can easily see them.

The instructions for assembly on a scale of 1 to 10, are a 5. That's not good.

Go slow and if it doesn't look right, it's probably not... I had to redo the assembly of the tires to the axle. Some of the other framework assembly took some serious picture studying to get it right. Back up and correct mistakes, don't think it will probably be ok like it is.

Once done this is what I thought:
Nice tire size and plastic bucket size. Better to buy the bucket & tires oversize so it won't tip over on hillsides. Been there done that.
Bucket, rotating spreader, and, material shut-off parts are all plastic. Hardware inside the bucket is stainless steel. All good.

The control to open/close the spreader is a little far back to conveniently reach when in operation. That could be improved. You can improvise some sort of extension as I did.

The assembly instructions could be much better. I'd buy it again.

I tried an economy model Agrifab 85lb. tow-behind spreader for ONE DAY and the (all plastic parts) cable control mechanism functioned poorly and eventually broke. The Agrifab feed flow was inconsistent. I returned the Agrifab unit.

This Earthway (2170T) spreader is a huge improvement over the Agrifab in regard to design and material and well worth the extra cost.
The Earthway feed cable control device is all metal and can be adjusted to remain very precise and consistent.
The Earhway framing, axle, and wheel assemblies are a sturdy design.
The Earthway out flow has three holes of varing sizes where the Agrifab has only one so that the Earthway gives a more even and consitent feed.
The Earthway also has a "stirring" device that rotates and stirs the granular product right over the feed exit holes thus keepnig any clods from clogging the exit holes.
The Earthway also has a wide mesh screen that shields the bottom half of the hopper and this keeps any large debris from entering the exit hole and stirrer area.

I'm very pleased with this Earthway spreader, it may very likely outlast me if I keep it clean, oiled and out of the weather.

The spreader works well when assembled. No problems. I like the fine feeder adjustment with the jam nut arrangement.

The negative part is I had to make a trip to the hardware store to purchase 4 bolts that were missing from the parts package. I could have called Earthway's 1-800 number, but I really wanted to get fertilizer on the yard on the same day.

Regards,
Martin

For this price, this spreader is all we could have hoped for. Once we purchased a pin to attached to our new Husquvarna mower, we were speading fertilizer like a pro. The spreader appears very well built and we expect to get good use of it. Highly reccommend.

I purchased this spreader already assembled to tow behind my z mower once we moved to a three acre lot in 2004. Some areas of the lot are rough but I have never tipped this spreader. It does a great job of evenly spreading seed and fertilizer, if I only load one bag at a time. I have abused this spreader and left it outside in the elements which finally beat the life out of it and caused it to fail. Had I taken care to rinse it and store it inside after each use, I have no doubt it would still be operating like new. It is a rugged piece of equipment and as I read reviews of other similar spreaders, I will buy this model again.

I bought this unit after surveying all of the choices at the local hardware and home improvement stores. There was only one model that I may have considered buying one unit that I found at Tractor Supply, the TBS6000RD from Precision Products Inc, but they weren't open when I went by their store (http://www.amazon.com/Precision-Products-TBS6000RDS-130-Pound-Broadcast/dp/B000PSUS0Y). As for this unit though, it comes 75% assembled, and I was able to assemble the rest of it in about 15 minutes. Besides the towing extension, the only other parts in the box were the two bolts/nuts for the towing arm/actuator arm, the arm itself, two bushings for the wheels, two cotter pins for the wheels, the wheels, and the sifting tray. I only had to look at the instructions once for about 3 minutes! If you have any mechanical abilities whatsoever you will not have any problems performing the final assembly, and I only needed two 7/16 wrenches and socket, a ratchet, and a pair of pliers to bend the cotter pins. There was a minor issue aligning the two bolts on the actuator lever arm, but it was nothing serious and need no alterations. The only changes I'd make to this unit is to use wider tires, and make the wheelbase wider as others have stated. You will need to buy a hitch pin as noted by another reviewer. For a quick spin in the driveway I just dropped a 3" 3/8 drive extension in the hole and off I went. The spreader tracks well, and did not come in contact with my John Deere X304 4-wheel steer in a full left or right turn (provided tow extension was used). I found the actuator lever easy to reach from the seat of my tractor. So, I'm not really sure what another reviewer was complaining about. One major reason I chose this unit was because the actuator is activated through use of mechanical rods and not a cable. I was concerned that over time the cable would corrode internally and need frequent servicing or replacement. The actuating rod was a breeze to adjust too. The bottom portion is fixed, and the top portion has a threaded end to accommodate adjustment. What I did was fully open the mechanism, and then put the lever in the corresponding position and lock the jam-nuts down. So easy a caveman can do it! One last recommendation would be to include the optional rain cover like Precision does with the TBS6000RD. I was able to find one for $15.99 at Red Hill General Store in Hillsville, VA. Although I haven't actually spread anything with this unit yet; I have little to no doubt that it will perform the task well. The only reason I didn't give it a five star rating is because I'm not crazy about the tires used, the wheelbase width, and I feel that for the price that they could include the optional rain cover.