BCS Spreader

Description

BCS Compost Spreader

Compost between successions is one of the best things a grower can do for yields, and moving it by wheelbarrow and rake is one of the slowest. The BCS spreader replaces that work with a 30 inch-wide stainless-steel box that meters an even layer onto the bed. It is built in New Holland, Pennsylvania by Earth and Turf, a company that specializes in spreaders.

Sized for 30 Inch Beds

The spread width is 30 inches, matched to the common market garden bed, and the wheels sit about 36 inches apart so the spreader straddles raised beds up to 6 inches tall. Thirteen end-gate settings meter depth from 1/8 inch to 1 inch. BCS’s testing found that a full load at 3/8 inch covers about 100 linear feet of bed.

Ground-Driven Belt

Its lug tires drive a full-width heavy-duty rubber conveyor that carries material to the front and drops it evenly. Because the belt is driven by the wheels, the spread depth stays the same whatever speed the tractor travels. A lever on the operator’s side stops the belt for turns and transport so nothing spills at the row end. The lug tread grips on dirt paths and turf alike.

Spreader Capacities

• Box: 6.5 cu ft struck level, about 9 cu ft heaped
• With expansion kit: 10.7 cu ft struck, about 15 cu ft heaped
• Maximum load: 1,000 lbs
• Assembled size: about 63″ long x 45″ wide x 27″ high
• Materials: compost, sand, calcined clay, fine wood chips, topdressing

Hitching and Tractor Fit

The spreader needs a curved coupler: the small version on the 732 and 739, the large version on the 749, 750, 779, 852, 853 and 889. BCS recommends 5×10 wheels on the tractor, and notes that on the 750 the spreader cannot be hitched while the 33 inch HD tiller is mounted. It is not charted for the 710 or 718. Coverage is three years residential and one year commercial.

Spreading Wet Compost

The spreader is designed for dry, granular materials. Very wet compost bridges in the box and comes off in lumps; screen or turn the pile a few days beforehand so it flows. Sports turf managers use the same machine for infield clay and topdressing. Growers who spread long beds should add the BCS spreader expansion kit, which BCS says covers a 100 foot row at 3/4 inch depth.