Customer Reviews

Scotts 73730 AccuGreen 3000 Deluxe Drop Spreader

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

 

 

This spreader does not work well with regular granular fertilizer. The bottom opening is plastic and jams frequently. It did not last two seasons (small yard) before the plastic opener handle broke. It's in the dumpster now.

I have owned the Scotts 3000 spreader for 5+ years. Unfortunately, the plastic opener handle broke last week. I contacted Scotts customer service asked if it was possible to purchase a replacement part. To my surprise, the representative said Scotts would send out a new handle assembly at no charge! Fed Ex brought it today. WOW! Scotts has earned my respect and customer loyalty.

I've owned for about 7 years and I've had parts replaced twice by Scotts without charge.
1 was the handle, the other the micrometer. And they will send your money back if you are not
100 % satisfied.

I see here many of the ratings say the handle breaks. I figured out what was causing
this. There is a trigger lock underneath and if you don't move it out of the way
you tend to put excess force on the handle to open the hopper to apply product, so after a couple
of years of this it will give way. It's not a great design, but if you learn how
to work with it, it's fine.

It does seem to work accurately with fine to medium product, but not so well with course product.
For drop spreaders, however, I don't think there's anything else out there that's any
better.

Also, it's frustrating when I get a (non scotts) product that shows a delivery rate in pounds per 1,000 sq
ft, (like "apply at the rate of 25 lbs per 1,000 sq ft" and there's no conversion available
to convert this into the numbers on the micrometer. At least not that I can fine.

I just wish there was a better drop spreader out there, but I don't think there is.
(I hate to say this is the best drop spreader out there, but that would be misleading)

Just like N Morgan above, my trigger handle broke. I contacted Scotts via their website inquiring about replacing it, got an email asking about the style of my calibration barrel (apparently there are two), and a week later FedEx dropped an entire new handle on my porch. Incredible. Replacing it and re-calibrating with their instructions took about three minutes. Wasn't too happy when the handle failed, but everyone is always trying to find ways to keep costs down, and at the end of the day it's not so much about where you failed, but how you repond to it. Very impressed.

ASSEMBLY: I bought this Scotts spreader many years ago at Home Depot. Normally I would not buy from a big box store. But since this is just a simple little item, I really didn't care. The biggest plus for me was that this was already assembled for me and ready to go! However, if it is not already assembled, the site claims assembles easily in three minutes without tools.

HOPPER CAPACITY: The Accugreen spreader is 21" long and has a capacity of 10,000 square feet. This spreader has a agitator inside with bumps on it, which are used to grab the fertilizer and drop it to the ground.

OPERATING: All I have to do after filling up the hopper with fertilizer, is adjust the flow control setting. The setting I use will be determined by the amount of fertilizer I am using as per my yard size. If you are unsure of the proper setting to use, do not worry about it. Every bag of fertilizer has instructions on the back stating this information.

Using fertilizer, I found that this spreader did a excellent job, it spread the Weed & Feed very evenly. While operating, I like to walk slowly so as to give the spreader a chance to drop enough fertilizer onto my lawn. If you walk really fast, expect it to miss spots. As the hopper gets low, I have to shake the hopper to get the rest of the fertilizer to fall downward. I thought it worked awesome and do not have any regrets!

Using Insect Killer, If you read my "lawn roller" review, you may recall me telling you that the best weapon against the moles is a insect killer. Kill the insects, and the moles leave! You can also buy insect killer for lawn spreaders, it is also a dry based product but with one difference. I find that the insect killer is made up of larger granules then that of the more powder based Weed & Feed.

While operating the Accugreen spreader, I noticed that it did not have a single problem laying down the insect killer. It worked just as expected, grabbed the granules, and spread it down on my lawn evenly. I could not have asked for anything better. The product worked great, got rid of the insects, and in turn, got rid of the moles from hell! lol

CONCLUSION: I think that this is one of the best spreaders for the money, and its not really that expensive! It spreads fertilizer very evenly, I had no problems with it. I am very happy with the product and will buy again! If you have a small yard and don't mind pushing a spreader around, I highly recommend this one. If you have a yard larger then 1/4 acre, I suggest buying a tow behind model for a tractor.

Just bought it today. I was worried about proper calibration at first, but once I found the instructions online (none provided by local place from where I bought it) I found that it was properly calibrated already. This spreader seemed to drop about the total amount that I expected. Overall, I was pleased with it.

Calibration instructions can be found at:
[...]

Those instructions are:
Adjust the micrometer setting to 6. Flip spreader over. Use your foot to squeeze the trigger against the handle. The front edge of the shutoff bar should be aligned with the calibration line engraved on the bottom of the hopper. To adjust alignment, use a small wrench to turn the black calibration screw at the lower end of the control wire leading from the micrometer insert.

And a different document says:
The spreader settings are guidelines only. The spreader should be calibrated prior to application to ensure accuracy. The spreader settings are based on a walking speed of 5 km/hour (3.1 miles/hour). Walking faster or slower than 5 km/hour will alter the spread width and application rate. Exact rates are dependent upon the spreader itself and the accuracy of the person operating it.

The Good news: I purchased the 3000 Deluxe Drop spreader new and used Scotts fertilizer the first time. When I followed the directions it did an excellent job and the amount of fertilizer applied was right on the money. The bad news: The next time I used the spreader I purchased another brand of fertilizer, this fertilizer had larger sized granuals. The large sized seemed to plug the spread and and I was unable to make it work. My advice would be to purchase another spreader or stick to Scott's fertilizer.

Don't trust the drop rate setting on this spreader. It seems to work predictably with only with Scotts products that have finer grains...but generally cost much more. Non-Scotts fertilizers having larger granules or beads don't pass through the bottom freely. As a check, I set the drop rate per the setting on fertilizer pkg; a popular brand; and also weighed out the amount needed for my back yard at the recommended lbs per 1000 sq ft. It took SIX passes to distribute the measured material over the yard. For the front yard, I opened the setting all the way, and it still took multiple passes to distribute the proper amount for the footage. I guess I'm stuck with it; broadcast spreaders are too spotty and the 3000 seems to be the only push-type spreader still available.

The release handle on this spreader is a piece of junk. I used this thing three times and the release handle broke off. Genuine Junk.

If you consider yourself sane, do NOT buy ANY of Scott's spreaders. I just trashed my second one. It works great out of the box but then dump it in the trash. You MIGHT get three seasons of use out of it but probably not. I bought one in the spring for my 1/2 acre yard. Took care of it and it worked for Fall feeding. This Spring, it broke in the middle of the project.

I guess keeping it clean, by directions, and protected out of the weather did not help it last.

I would have given this (and ALL Scott products) a zero rating, but that is not allowed. Save yourself a lot of time and hassle - run away, run away.