# Spreading sand with a fertilizer spreader



## Austinite

I'm curious if anyone has tried this. I saw a YouTube video of a guy using a drop spreader, and it looks pretty good. Nice and even spread. I have the same Scotts Drop Spreader which would be fine for my small front yard. It only has a 25 lb capacity.

Wondering if a spreader like the Earthway 2150 would work to spread such a fine grain? I know they are commonly used to spread salt but that's not as fine as sand.


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## thesouthernreelmower

I haven't ever been able to spread sand in my Lesco. It just bridges the holes. It would have to be really dry sand.


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## osuturfman

You can buy bagged, kiln dried sand in 50 lb bags or 2,000 lb supersacks. Can't use wet sand.


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## Shindoman

I used a drop spreader to drop bagged dry sand on artificial turf once. It worked ok but it was a small area. 
I bought this for topdressing my yard a couple years ago. Works fantastic as long as your sand is not soaking wet.


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## Ware

^^^ Those are nice!


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## Austinite

Shindoman said:


> I used a drop spreader to drop bagged dry sand on artificial turf once. It worked ok but it was a small area.
> I bought this for topdressing my yard a couple years ago. Works fantastic as long as your sand is not soaking wet.


Nice. Yeah I saw that but looks like it's only sold in Canada. Looks similar to the Har-Tru with a bigger handle. The Har-Tru comes with a hefty $1200 price tag.


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## Shindoman

Looks like they have a US dealer network. 
http://www.sportsturfmagic.com/dealer.html
I paid $900 cad. That works out to about $675 usd.


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## Mightyquinn

Topdressing sand with a spreader is a losing proposition unless it's over a very small area and like others have said that the sand needs to be fairly dry. Even though I have never tried it in my Spyker I think I would do a fairly decent job since it has a gate at the bottom that can be fully opened unlike the others that have the holes.


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## osuturfman

http://www.artificialgrassaustin.com/installtools/kiln-dry-silica-sand

#16 silica would be the recommendation.


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## ABC123

Anybody have any experience with this one? Looks to have the same agitator as above.

https://mkrittenhouse.com/us/self-propelled-mini-topper-top-dresser


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## Shindoman

ABC123 said:


> Anybody have any experience with this one? Looks to have the same agitator as above.
> 
> https://mkrittenhouse.com/us/self-propelled-mini-topper-top-dresser


Looks identical to the Bannerman other than it is self propelled. I find the Bannerman is not that 
hard to push so why pay an extra $3000 for that option?


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## N LA Hacker

https://mkrittenhouse.com/us/lesco-drop-spreader

I got this at the auction where I got my greensmaster. I got it and a lesco broadcast spreader for $60. I need to rebuild the drop spreader. They let it rust shut.


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## Austinite

N LA Hacker said:


> https://mkrittenhouse.com/us/lesco-drop-spreader
> 
> I got this at the auction where I got my greensmaster. I got it and a lesco broadcast spreader for $60. I need to rebuild the drop spreader. They let it rust shut.


Wow, 120 lbs. That's awesome, and 36". This might be exactly what I need. Thanks for posting!


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## gene_stl

https://www.turfexproducts.com/walk-behind-spreaders-sprayers/push-spreaders/ts95


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## viva_oldtrafford

A spreader like the 2150 should do the job. We use a lesco spreader (80lb cap) and we have no problem putting out our fall topdressings. As one user pointed out though, the sand has to be very dry, otherwise it just bridges. I think we typically run with setting G or H and we knock out 50lb bags in no time.

e: exactly like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hnPxjUU-hw


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## MasterMech

Wow, @viva_oldtrafford, that looks great for a light top-coat mid season. After aeration or for leveling, we went after 'em with one of these.


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## crussell

Mightyquinn said:


> Topdressing sand with a spreader is a losing proposition unless it's over a very small area and like others have said that the sand needs to be fairly dry. Even though I have never tried it in my Spyker I think I would do a fairly decent job since it has a gate at the bottom that can be fully opened unlike the others that have the holes.


I bought the "top dressing kit" for my Spyker 120#.

The kit is meant to cap the penetration where the shaft enters the hopper, so that fine grains (sand) don't find their way down into moving parts/bearings.

The problem with this, is that the it eliminates the agitator. I tried it once with sand, but even with the gate open all the way, it would bridge. Like others said, it would need to be very dry.

I will probably try it again this year without the top dressing kit, and keep the agitator in place.


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## Austinite

viva_oldtrafford said:


> A spreader like the 2150 should do the job. We use a lesco spreader (80lb cap) and we have no problem putting out our fall topdressings. As one user pointed out though, the sand has to be very dry, otherwise it just bridges. I think we typically run with setting G or H and we knock out 50lb bags in no time.
> 
> e: exactly like this


Bingo! This is what I was wanting to confirm exactly. I understand the dry sand bit, that's not a problem. Thank you for posting! I think I'll try my 2150 this season.


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## jabopy

How yah gona dry that amount of sand you will be wanting,? I'd have trouble. Don't think bags of dried sand would be affordable!!


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## Delmarva Keith

My spreader has been a wheelbarrow, shovel and a 3' landscaping rake. Has never clogged or failed. This year I upgraded the wheelbarrow to a 4 wheeled towed dump cart. Saves the back a little and also never clogs or fails. :mrgreen:

Spreading sand in a spreader needs bone dry sand. I've done it and it can be done ("disposable" big box Scotts spreader works fine) but dry sand is too expensive. Around me, washed mason's sand is $40 per yard delivered. Dry sand is $225 per yard.


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## Austinite

jabopy said:


> How yah gona dry that amount of sand you will be wanting,? I'd have trouble. Don't think bags of dried sand would be affordable!!


Well, I don't plan on doing multiple sq yards of sand. I just need to lightly top-dress some areas. I don't see myself spending more than $30 or so on sand.


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## adgattoni

Austinite said:


> jabopy said:
> 
> 
> 
> How yah gona dry that amount of sand you will be wanting,? I'd have trouble. Don't think bags of dried sand would be affordable!!
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I don't plan on doing multiple sq yards of sand. I just need to lightly top-dress some areas. I don't see myself spending more than $30 or so on sand.
Click to expand...

That's like 10-15 bags or so.. Wouldn't you be better off just dumping them bag by bag and leveling them with a landscape rake? Seems like you would just be spreading an even amount of sand across an unlevel surface, whereas to level you would want to put more sand in the low spots and less in the high spots.


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## Austinite

Well that's the point, it's very spotty. I don't want sand everywhere, it's counter-productive. Most of it is flat except a few spots that I can go over with a few bags f sand, and a spreader will do great to spread evenly. When I do the back yard,, yes, I'll be ordering several yards of screened loam and dumping it everywhere. But not for my small front yard


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## MasterMech

adgattoni said:


> Austinite said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jabopy said:
> 
> 
> 
> How yah gona dry that amount of sand you will be wanting,? I'd have trouble. Don't think bags of dried sand would be affordable!!
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I don't plan on doing multiple sq yards of sand. I just need to lightly top-dress some areas. I don't see myself spending more than $30 or so on sand.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> That's like 10-15 bags or so.. Wouldn't you be better off just dumping them bag by bag and leveling them with a landscape rake? Seems like you would just be spreading an even amount of sand across an unlevel surface, whereas to level you would want to put more sand in the low spots and less in the high spots.
Click to expand...

You've just nailed the difference between top-dressing and leveling. Most of y'all are trying to level, top-dressing would be a semi annual maintenance practice.


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