# Renting an eco lawn top dresser



## Dlux4life (Oct 10, 2020)

I have 6 yards of sand / peet moss mix to spread after I overseed. I rented an eco lawn top dresser thinking it will make it faster.

Anyone ever have any experience with one? Looks fun.


----------



## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Nope but I'm following.

Looking to rent one for my Sand leveling project.

Let me know how it goes!


----------



## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I always wished I had a place nearby to rent stuff like that.


----------



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Dlux4life said:


> I have 6 yards of sand / peet moss mix to spread after I overseed. I rented an eco lawn top dresser thinking it will make it faster.
> 
> Anyone ever have any experience with one? Looks fun.


Can I ask what it cost to rent? I have lawn leveling project I'm planning in sept


----------



## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

https://youtu.be/Xk7vsGU5q-k

There is a close up of the machine in this video. Looks like a breeze to use.


----------



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

I found one in St Louis Mo. for $150/ day. Just got to fig out how to pick up and return in 24 hrs. Prob gonna do it the old fashion way.


----------



## lbb091919 (Apr 26, 2020)

NJ-lawn said:


> I found one in St Louis Mo. for $150/ day. Just got to fig out how to pick up and return in 24 hrs. Prob gonna do it the old fashion way.


This is interesting. Where at in STL?


----------



## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

NJ-lawn said:


> I found one in St Louis Mo. for $150/ day. Just got to fig out how to pick up and return in 24 hrs. Prob gonna do it the old fashion way.


Some of the rental places around here will charge you a single day rate when you pick something up on a Saturday and return it on Monday because they are closed Sundays.


----------



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

lbb091919 said:


> NJ-lawn said:
> 
> 
> > I found one in St Louis Mo. for $150/ day. Just got to fig out how to pick up and return in 24 hrs. Prob gonna do it the old fashion way.
> ...


https://www.bluebirdcomposting.com/store/university-gardens/

Actually I think it was$70/day at this location


----------



## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> I found one in St Louis Mo. for $150/ day. Just got to fig out how to pick up and return in 24 hrs. Prob gonna do it the old fashion way.


If you seriously road trip from NJ to STL to rent this I'll chip in a good amount to use it for a few hours.


----------



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Ware said:


> NJ-lawn said:
> 
> 
> > I found one in St Louis Mo. for $150/ day. Just got to fig out how to pick up and return in 24 hrs. Prob gonna do it the old fashion way.
> ...


Good to know…..all we have near me is Home Depot rentals. They actually have some good stuff. I had my eye on a articulated lift……50 footer. To trim some trees but it's about $500/day. I have to get a neighbor to go in to be worth it.


----------



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

JerseyGreens said:


> NJ-lawn said:
> 
> 
> > I found one in St Louis Mo. for $150/ day. Just got to fig out how to pick up and return in 24 hrs. Prob gonna do it the old fashion way.
> ...


😂😂😂😂


----------



## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> > NJ-lawn said:
> ...


🙋‍♂️. I'm in NJ and always interested in projects like this. For example, I would also split that lift with you to trim my two large trees out front. We should be friends haha.


----------



## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

I rented one in Charlotte. Made spreading the sand simple. Wish I would have also rented a dingo to load it. With both pieces of equipment it becomes a pretty easy job. A level rake and a drag mat (with equipment to pull) and you're cooking with gas.


----------



## Dlux4life (Oct 10, 2020)

Sooooo…I had the sand delivered. Go 30 min to the rental place and the told me it had a flat tire. Wtf. Had plans tonight that I needed to cancel to start spreading the sand by hand….literally out of a wheel barrow. I've never been more pissed. Got half the front done in 4 hours. So maybe another 4-6 hours tomorrow.


----------



## Austinite (Oct 4, 2018)

I'm surprised no one has made a "Residential Friendly" version. Or maybe they have and I've never seen it.


----------



## Hapa512 (Mar 22, 2020)

Dlux4life said:


> I have 6 yards of sand / peet moss mix to spread after I overseed. I rented an eco lawn top dresser thinking it will make it faster.
> 
> Anyone ever have any experience with one? Looks fun.


I own a Eco 250 that I use for my lawn leveling business. I think you would no problem spreading yards of material, I think its even better that your mixing the sand with the peat moss. The eco doesn't do too well with wet material, so if the sand is dry that should help with the broadcasting.

I've thought about renting my ECO during the off season myself, just not sure how much per day?

Good Luck with your project


----------



## wiread (Aug 27, 2019)

if you value your equipment, don't rent it out!


----------



## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Hapa512 said:


> Dlux4life said:
> 
> 
> > I have 6 yards of sand / peet moss mix to spread after I overseed. I rented an eco lawn top dresser thinking it will make it faster.
> ...


I'd only rent this out to lawn enthusiasts or friends that you make on these forums. I definitely wouldn't rent it out to the general public.

$150 a day sounds like a friendly deal.

What do these run for new? Also they must be well built because I never see folks trying to sell theirs on the secondary markets.


----------



## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

JerseyGreens said:


> ...
> 
> What do these run for new? Also they must be well built because I never see folks trying to sell theirs on the secondary markets.


Roughly $5k if I remember correctly. But I might be getting it confused with the Earth and Turf too.

No secondary market? - Well, how many people actually know the proper use for a piece of equipment like this? And would be willing to commit to the storage space requirements? You are limited to spreading clean, screened materials or you risk damaging the equipment. And there are much less expensive ways to spread peat, seed, fertilizer and other "everyday" materials.


----------



## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

MasterMech said:


> JerseyGreens said:
> 
> 
> > ...
> ...


I would get one if I was reno-ing acres upon acres of reel low cut lawn.

Few guys are doing that this year and it just came to mind. I'm not buying one of these but would be interested in seeing their depreciation curve.


----------



## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

JerseyGreens said:


> MasterMech said:
> 
> 
> > JerseyGreens said:
> ...


These things are far too small for golf-courses and many sports fields. That equipment is typically much larger and mounted on or towed behind utility vehicles and tractors. The depreciated examples of that equipment are in every Weeks auction in recent memory and all over the other used turf equipment sites.

These small self-propelled units are sweet, but niche units for residential contractors that do lawn leveling and compost spreads. Of which there are relatively few. I would expect any that show up on the used market would vary wildly in price depending on the unit's condition and the buyer.

I wonder what SiteOne does with the Earth and Turf units they rent? (drop-spreader type)


----------



## Hapa512 (Mar 22, 2020)

JerseyGreens said:


> Hapa512 said:
> 
> 
> > Dlux4life said:
> ...


Yeah, it would not really be worth it to rent out for $150.00. That's not really worth my time and risk, I have however lent my 5" steel drag to a friend that I met here. I guess as long as they are lawn guys like us I wouldn't have an issue and it doesn't disrupt my business. I try not to work on the weekends.

I paid close to 8K brand new out the door. I was going to order another one being that they said that the price would be increasing next year. I would love to buy a Earth & Turf spreader but they won't even call me back. I've called several dealers and no dice. I'm guess the supply issues is causing problems?


----------



## crussell (Mar 12, 2018)

MasterMech said:


> These things are far too small for golf-courses and many sports fields. That equipment is typically much larger and mounted on or towed behind utility vehicles and tractors. The depreciated examples of that equipment are in every Weeks auction in recent memory and all over the other used turf equipment sites.
> 
> These small self-propelled units are sweet, but niche units for residential contractors that do lawn leveling and compost spreads. Of which there are relatively few. I would expect any that show up on the used market would vary wildly in price depending on the unit's condition and the buyer.


I used an Eco Lawn for topdressing our baseball infield - About 14k SF. Honestly it worked great but I spent more time going back and forth to the pile to reload with the tractor than I did actually top dressing. Something with just a bit larger capacity would have saved a lot of steps, but it does save a lot of back breaking work not having to spread by hand.

My dream is to find a Pro Gator with a Dakota mounted top dresser :thumbup:


----------



## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

crussell said:


> MasterMech said:
> 
> 
> > These things are far too small for golf-courses and many sports fields. That equipment is typically much larger and mounted on or towed behind utility vehicles and tractors. The depreciated examples of that equipment are in every Weeks auction in recent memory and all over the other used turf equipment sites.
> ...


Heck, I was happy with the TurfCo towable we dragged around behind an old Jacobsen SV Utility Truck. The top dresser was worth waaaay more than that old SV, but the SV didn't owe us a dime.


----------



## Dlux4life (Oct 10, 2020)

Nothing like touching up the last of your leveling project where you spread six yards of sand with your bare hands because the rental company rented you a broken top dresser only to see Connor ward getting one for free to use to level his lawn. Such is life!


----------



## jsams22 (Apr 20, 2021)

MasterMech said:


> crussell said:
> 
> 
> > MasterMech said:
> ...


You know anyone in the upstate willing to rent a top spreader?


----------



## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

jsams22 said:


> MasterMech said:
> 
> 
> > crussell said:
> ...


None that would rent to a homeowner without buying the material from them as well. (SuperSod) It has been a couple seasons since I've tried though.


----------

