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JohnColo 
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Joined: 03 Apr 2020
Location: Niwot, CO
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 Topic: Manure spreader floor
Posted: 19 Dec 2020 at 12:28am |
Last summer I bought a bunch of equipment from a friend who quit farming after his place got flooded in 2013. One of the pieces is a smaller single axle pto manure spreader. It's had sand/dirt in it since it was flooded and the floor which looks like plywood is shot. I'm wondering what I should replace it with, wood, more plywood, steel, plastic on top of something else??? Anyone got a good idea? Thanks!
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HD6GTOM
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Location: MADISON CO IA
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Posted: 19 Dec 2020 at 1:47am |
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John, I ordered a 3/4 - 4x10 sheet of plywood for my old case spreader. Unfortunately I never got around to putting it in last summer. I had Togo to a mom and pop lumberyard to get it. Dang this getting old, I cannot remember the name of the plywood. It is made for stuff like a spreader floor
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Lars(wi)
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
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Posted: 19 Dec 2020 at 6:40am |
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It depends if you are going to use as a manure spreader or not. Does it have the floor conveyor and beaters? If originally wood floor, it was probably a tongue and groove, with tight grained such as hickory.
If it’s gunna be a wood hauler or junk trailer, what ever is cheap and fits will do.
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DMiller
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Posted: 19 Dec 2020 at 6:45am |
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Most would not consider but a great deal of wood flooring 'expected' to get wet is Cypress. Damned near to rot resistant, does not soak large amounts of water for some strange reason, does not swell and lasts seemingly forever. Last Manure Spreader I worked on(Forty Years ago) was just that, as the fella that had it ordered a replacement floor(T&G) and was marked Cypress.
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ac fleet
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Posted: 19 Dec 2020 at 12:23pm |
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marine grade plywood is used by some guys. I just used whatever was handy. The cypress sounds good but not to be found around here.
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dr p
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Location: new york
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Posted: 19 Dec 2020 at 2:45pm |
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I replaced one on old new idea spreader this summer
. Marine plywood is great but really expensive. I am putting new wood in a 110 spreader right now and a saw mill to cut locust for me
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shameless dude
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Posted: 20 Dec 2020 at 12:19am |
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what are the cross stringers under the floor? i had a steel floor in one of my old spreaders and the floor was getting real thin, i had 6 inches of plate steel welded to the sides for the chain to travel on, that spreader is still active, was done about 20 years ago, floor is still thin but still there. the cross bars that carry what ever you are spreading sit about a 1/2 in above the floor between the plate steel i put in, but still mostly empties everything out as the material will still push it out. what brand spreader?
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Coke-in-MN
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Posted: 20 Dec 2020 at 8:14pm |
Might check with some gravel haulers who use end dump tractor trailers , friend buys the used liners from them to put into his short trailers and tandem dump trucks . Polypropylene bed liners aren't cheap to buy but they hold up well - drove a end dump this fall with lined bed - everything slid out without sticking - finished job driving a tandem dump , same results - clean box at end of day . Drove that tandem couple years back for several months and even hauling in the cold everything came out when dumped
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JohnColo
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Posted: 21 Dec 2020 at 1:17pm |
I went out an measured it, the floor is 4' X 10' 6". It is plywood. Machine is an S&H which started in Sioux Falls, S.D. then was bought by Schwartz from Lester Prairie, a bit east of Hutch, They then moved everything to Sioux Falls, S.D.. Schwartz was bought out by SMC which was bought out by Alamo, which makes lots of brands such as Brush Hog, Dixie Clipper, etc.
I may put in a steel floor with a plastic liner, cypress would be nice but probably hard to find in this part of the country.
I have a plastic liner in one of my roll off containers, I try not to haul sharp stuff with it. I see H & S has a plastic floor in it's spreaders so I guess it works ok.
Edited by JohnColo - 21 Dec 2020 at 1:40pm
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ac fleet
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Posted: 21 Dec 2020 at 1:20pm |
poly comes in all thicknesses but very expensive to buy. it would probably work in spreaders. All of Meltons trailers had that stuff in them---I hated it with a passion since hot rock didnt come out worth a damn! --- also you couldnt haul demolition with them. I always had to pull old mongoose, ( a round bottom built like a tank 3/4" steel jobber)!
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Martinka
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Joined: 10 Apr 2021
Location: Australia
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Posted: 10 Apr 2021 at 3:19am |
Ahhh man, that is kind of nasty. I do not actually think that plywood is the best choice in this case. I actually think that a steel sheet would be much much better. I had a similar issue actually, and for the first time I have replaced it with a plywood sheet, however it was really terrible. The floor was really bad. I had no idea how to fix it all. I actually had to call for the services of niftytilecleaning.com.au so they would actually do it and recommend me another material for the floor, and they have done their job really nice.
Edited by Martinka - 14 Apr 2021 at 12:24pm
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 10 Apr 2021 at 5:53am |
some options.... 1) outdoor plywood..... may last a few years,dependig on wood quality and treatment.
2) outdoor plywood with a PVC coating lasts a lot longer(used as forming table for concrete tabletops.)
3) stainless steel should last forever
If you're going to USE the spreader, I'd go SS. Might be cheaper than plywood these days ! SS could be formed by local fab shop or....look for used SS restaurant prep counters. couple of 2' wide units become 4' wide easily.....
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DiyDave
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Posted: 10 Apr 2021 at 5:29pm |
If you want it to last, scrounge up some used Trex deck boards. That stuff never rots! 
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allisbred
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Posted: 10 Apr 2021 at 9:38pm |
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I just put a floor in my NH spreader, problem was thickness for trex( and I was not sure how the drag would do) Poly is great but was a terrible price from NH (3k)and would need a few more supports added. I ended using ship lapped oak and soaking the hell out of it with linseed oil for a few hundred bucks. I plan to coat again with tung oil here in a few weeks(gave the linseed some time to soak in) and give it a hard finish.
Edited by allisbred - 10 Apr 2021 at 9:41pm
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allisbred
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Posted: 10 Apr 2021 at 9:52pm |
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SST is a great choice, just make sure it’s pretty thick. My father covered his heavier NI spreader years ago with SST sheeting and the T chain links wore through which caused it to be totaled. The 200 had no mercy and there were no clutches built in!
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WF owner
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Posted: 11 Apr 2021 at 7:26am |
When I was a kid, the "oldtimers" (which we are now!) used five-quarter tongue and groove southern yellow pine to replace a rotted floor. I have also seen them use larche.
When the spreader wasn't being used, the floor and lags were given a liberal coating of a combination of kerosene and used motor oil. This was also done to hay wagon floors (slippery as he!! when wet!). I never saw a floor need to be replaced the second time. |
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JC-WI
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Posted: 11 Apr 2021 at 12:50pm |
If I were to replace a floor, (have several spreaders that need floors), I would not lay steel down, but wood or wood covered with plastic. Specially if you think about using them in the winter were you encounter sub zero days. Had to scrape the steel sides and the sometimes even the wood floors, but weren't as bad as the sides were... and that was even when using oil on the when I got back from spreading or before usingthe next time. mixed used engine oil and diesel and sprayed the stuff on, poured it on, or brushed it on... but made sure the chains had a good dose and the slats. Floor material, I have been thinking of going to boat builders and hopefully getting a full sheet of marine grade plywood and gorilla glue and some hard plastic sheeting and then glue that on to the plywood and put a leading clip over the front edge so slats don't catch the plastic.
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Tbone95
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Posted: 12 Apr 2021 at 9:02am |
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One has to wonder if the rest of the spreader is worth much money invested into a floor rebuild? We have had cattle (and been spreading poop) my whole 55 year life, and I believe we are on spreader number 3 as of 1 month ago. We had a small New Idea, the floor rotted out. We got a New Holland with fiberglass floor we've been using the last 20 some years, was used when we got it. Got a new apron chain for it ~ 8 years ago. Last fall, the beater bar disintegrated, parts unavailable. The floor is still good. Just got another used New Holland, $3000, in terrific shape. Has a poly floor. Hopefully will last through my cattle career.
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DiyDave
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Posted: 12 Apr 2021 at 5:28pm |
 allisbred wrote:
I just put a floor in my NH spreader, problem was thickness for trex( and I was not sure how the drag would do) Poly is great but was a terrible price from NH (3k)and would need a few more supports added. I ended using ship lapped oak and soaking the hell out of it with linseed oil for a few hundred bucks. I plan to coat again with tung oil here in a few weeks(gave the linseed some time to soak in) and give it a hard finish. |
You can always run the trex through a planer, if you are concerned about thickness. Stuff goes through a planer like sh!t through a goose! Just be sure to check for metal, if its used trex!
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Dakota Dave
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Posted: 13 Apr 2021 at 12:57pm |
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We did dads case ground drive back in the 70's used rough sawn 1" oak soaked with used motor oil. Used about 5 gallons over several treatments. We rebuilt the unloaded chain at the same time. Had to weld cross bars to the nolonger avaliable chain links. Was still good last time I saw it a few years ago. The drive parts were long gone and the steel sides were rusted out but the floor was solid.
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