Seed spreader for Polaris Ranger

Albuds

Senior Member
Looking for recommendation on a good quality spreader for use on my Ranger. Something rugged enough to hold up over time. Will use primarily to spread seed. Thanks.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I'll throw my experience out there. "We" as a club are/were very hard on pull behind spreaders and would tear the gears up in them by doing 90 mph over ruff ground. We bought cheap and we bough expensive, but the way we used them still gave us the same end result. If you can load the spreader in the back of the ranger, when you're done vs running it to the next plot, that could save the gears.

I got to the point of buying a 3 point hitch, pto driven, Herd seeder and I love it, but that's not what you're looking for.

Over the last few years, I've bought different varieties of seeds and some were getting extremely small, so small that some of the seed was slipping past the gate on the Herd seeder, so I bought this electric Fimco model. I've used it a couple of times, only for seed, never for fertilizer and will never wash it down. Only use compressed air or a rag, for clean up, and the times I've used it, it's worked well. So far so good! Maybe some others on here who have used it and have a different opinion.

http://www.fimcoindustries.com/ATV-DMS-12V.html
 

antharper

“Well Rounded Outdoorsman MOD “
Staff member
I’m on my 2nd one of these from agri supply , pretty cheap and works great for me , but as Canuck said I try not to pull it in between plots , just put in back of truck or on top of disc behind tractor , holds about 300lb of fertilizer , this one is going on 6 or 7 years
 

GeorgeShu

Senior Member
Check out the Earthway ATV mountable spreaders. Have used mine for about 10 years with no problems. Its electric driven, mounts easily to a rack, manual adjust seed opening, works nicely. Have only used for seed, never have run fertilizer thru it.
 

davidhelmly

Senior Member
I'll throw my experience out there. "We" as a club are/were very hard on pull behind spreaders and would tear the gears up in them by doing 90 mph over ruff ground. We bought cheap and we bough expensive, but the way we used them still gave us the same end result. If you can load the spreader in the back of the ranger, when you're done vs running it to the next plot, that could save the gears.

I got to the point of buying a 3 point hitch, pto driven, Herd seeder and I love it, but that's not what you're looking for.

Over the last few years, I've bought different varieties of seeds and some were getting extremely small, so small that some of the seed was slipping past the gate on the Herd seeder, so I bought this electric Fimco model. I've used it a couple of times, only for seed, never for fertilizer and will never wash it down. Only use compressed air or a rag, for clean up, and the times I've used it, it's worked well. So far so good! Maybe some others on here who have used it and have a different opinion.

http://www.fimcoindustries.com/ATV-DMS-12V.html
I've got the exact same Fimco, I have used it for 5-6 years and it has been flawless and like Canuck I've never put fertilizer in it.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I'll add that the electric seeders, will broadcast seed, about 3+ feet off the ground, which is great for over seeding a, for example, perennial clover plot. Just a little higher off the ground than the pull behinds.
 

Elkbane

Senior Member
I have two of these seeders and have a mount for them on the FRONT bumper of my Kawasaki Mule.
https://www.amazon.com/Moultrie-ATV-Spreader-Electric-Feedgate/dp/B000VE4P9W

The electric plug fits into a 12v recepticle on the dash board.

There are 5 settings to control seed flow, then you use speed over ground to get the dispersion right.


Have used them since 2014 and have been really satisfied with them. I used the mounting bars and some U bolts to mount them in front where I can see how it's throwing seed - that comes in handy especially with clover seed.
Elkbane
 

shdw633

Senior Member
I have two of these seeders and have a mount for them on the FRONT bumper of my Kawasaki Mule.
https://www.amazon.com/Moultrie-ATV-Spreader-Electric-Feedgate/dp/B000VE4P9W

The electric plug fits into a 12v recepticle on the dash board.

There are 5 settings to control seed flow, then you use speed over ground to get the dispersion right.


Have used them since 2014 and have been really satisfied with them. I used the mounting bars and some U bolts to mount them in front where I can see how it's throwing seed - that comes in handy especially with clover seed.
Elkbane

I was going to recommend this but I have the manual one that I have had for over a decade and have really enjoyed it but like I said it's manual and I didn't think it would work well with the Ranger. I have to get a new one as the motor of mine has rusted up on me and thought about the electric feed until I read the reviews. Have you had any issue with the seeds clogging up the funnel. I never had that issue with the manual one.
 

Elkbane

Senior Member
The only problem I've had was when I drove through some high standing weeds with it and had debris lodge between the operating plate and the housing, which stuck the seedgate shut. When I tried to open the seedgate with the electronic control, it stripped the gears that operate the opener. If I had this mounted on the rear as it was designed, I doubt that would have happened. Moultrie sent me a replacement which was easy to install. Now I just avoid driving it through high standing weeds with the seeder mounted.....

The only problem I've ever had with seed logding in the flow holes was when I once tried to spread unhusked oats trough it. Everything else; buckwheat, peas, wheat, seed oats, brassicas, clover all work fine. From 2014-2016 we seeded 8 acres a year with it. Since 2016, 14 acres a year. I have two of them because they are so invaluable to my planting process, that I can't afford not to have one. WHen we get ready to plant, we can't have a critical component failure.

Elkbane

PS We just spread seed with this. We use a PTO driven spreader on a tractor for fertilizer.....
 

Albuds

Senior Member
Thanks to all of you for your recommendations and comments. Has anyone mounted the Fimco unit on a Polaris Ranger or similar UTV? Seems like the hitch receiver mount would leave the loaded hopper very unstable and subject to significant movement and problems. Option would be to mount on the tailgate but this would be bouncing around and securing the spreader would be an issue.
Would also like to know if there are any problems mixing different types of seed and spreading together as long as seed sizes are similar.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I like the 2 x 8 idea best! :) But straps can secure things too. I think Moose makes the Fimco unit ... they are identical


spreader.JPG

Spreader 1.JPG
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I mix seeds and don't think too much about it, however, the heavier seeds will make their way to the bottom and lighter seeds to the top. That is true of any spreader. You can always stop and give it a stir with your hand then go back at it.
 

shdw633

Senior Member
I would recommend that you travel with it loaded as I tore up my mount pretty bad and the front rack of my atv doing that. Go to the plot, load up what you need, run it out and move on to the next and repeat. Just my experience.
 

fishingtiger

Senior Member
I welded a bracket to my ranger front bumper and this works great.
 

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river swamp rat

Senior Member
I have the Fimco. I made a board up to strap down in the back of my ranger or I can hook it up to tractor. Now that I have 3 tractors it hasn’t got used as much. I was talking the other day about using it again
 

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