Best Pull Behind Spreader to Tow Behind Mower/ATV – Broadcast Fertilizer
Welcome! This article contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.
Can you believe our top 5 best pull behind spreader are all made in the USA!? How great is that! This 2020 tow behind spreader review gives you the best pull behind fertilizer spreaders for small yards and large yards.
Best Pull Behind Spreader Top 5
- Brinly 175lb BS36BH Pull Behind Broadcast Spreader. This is the best pull-behind spreader for large yards. It has a decent 175 lb capacity with a 12 ft spread width and two years limited warranty.
- Agrifab Tow-Behind Spreader 45-0463 (Broadcast) The best pull behind spreader for small yards. 130 lb capacity with the same 12 ft broadcast width and 3 years limited warranty.
- Chapin 8620B Pull Behind Spreader. Stops spreading automatically when you stop, 11 incremental settings, and 14″ heavy-duty tires. Hopper capacity of 150 lb. This spreader does not do lime.
- Agrifab 45-0530 Tow Behind Broadcast Spreader. This is an absolute bargain for a tow behind fertilizer spreader. It comes in around $65! It has an 85 lb hopper which covers about 1/4 acre.
- Craftsman Pull Behind Spreader. This 110 lb spreaders covers aprox 1/3 of an acre with a full hopper. Slightly smaller spread than the other pull behind spreaders at 10ft.
I’ve added a table below for a quick overview, with the Brinly Tow Behind Broadcast Spreader coming in on top. I appreciate a large capacity hopper and the Brinly 175 lb tow behind spreader and the Chapin 150 lb tow behind spreader are the biggest in this spreader review. For small yards, you can’t go past the Agrifab 85 lb, it’s only around $65 on Amazon!
Sure beats fertilizer by hand I say. Just hook the spreader up to your lawnmower, garden tractor, or ATV and off you go. A beer wouldn’t go astray while the spreader does the hard work for you 😀
1. Brinly 175lb BS36BH Tow Behind Broadcast Spreader
The Brinly BS-36BH is our best tow behind spreader in this review. It’s a real quality piece of machinery, built in the USA. The Brinly factory is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana and they’ve been producing quality agricultural products since 1839! Their first plow was made by “Little John Brinly”, a blacksmith who had a shop in Kentucky around 1800. That’s some history!
This pull behind spreader has the largest capacity of all our spreaders today. With a 175 lb hopper, you won’t need to go back to refill all the time, which is perfect for larger yards.
Brinly recommends it for yards over 1 acre in size. It will suit pretty much any lawn tractor, including zero-turn mowers because of its universal, single-pin hook up. It fits any models with a rear hitch plate, including riding mowers, garden tractors, and ZTR mowers.
If you’re wondering about your zero turn mower, here’s what Brinly recommends:
Q: Will this work with my ZTR?
A: If your zero turn accepts a hitch pin it will attach. If you tow with a zero turn mower you’ll want to be mindful that the spreading speed is 3 MPH and the towing speed is 5 MPH.
It can spread fertilizer, salt, sand, and ice melting products. The hopper is made of poly, super strong and durable. Doesn’t rust either which is a plus. The interior hardware is made of stainless steel. It has a Patented Directional Spread Pattern Control, which helps you accurately spread products of various weights, like seed vs fertilizer.
When you stop your lawn tractor, this spreader automatically stops as well because of a unique feature called Autoflow™. No need to manually turn it off, it does it all for you so you don’t waste any product nor burn your grass.
The only thing I don’t like about this tow behind fertilizer spreader is that it is rather top-heavy. If you’re on uneven ground, pay close attention to it. You might want to fill it 1/2 full or even 1/3 as the customer below did.
“I put 120 lbs of weed n feed in it and off I went. The flow control worked flawlessly when turning on and off. I will agree with some reviewers that it’s a bit top-heavy, as I had to carefully work across a 10% grade. I did this with the hopper only 1/3 full just for that reason, and it worked fine – this is the only significant design change I would make to the unit.”
“The only shortcoming I saw with it is I wish the wheelbase was a little wider. With 175 lbs in the hopper, it is very top-heavy. We managed to turn it over once with a full load. Note that was on an off camber hill, rough ground while turning with a full load spreading lime on our deer food plot. I doubt that most home owners will ever come close to turning it over on a normal or near-normal yard. I am very pleased with it overall and I’m glad we bought it.”
Another problem is that it leaves quite a lot of product behind. This is not a big deal for me as I’m on 10 acres, so the little bit that’s left at the bottom is a drop in the ocean. However, if you’re on 1 acre, this can make a difference. People have been “bouncing” the spreader to get the last out:
“Sturdy, well built, relatively easy assembly , but the bottom is too flat giving the material a ‘ledge’ to sit on and thereby not feeding out the bottom slot consistently resulting in an uneven spread. Granted this occurs near the end of the run when material content is lower, but you still need to use what you put in the hopper ! You can reach back and bounce the unit by hand while driving, but resulting dispersal of material is still sketchy.”
Buy the Brinly tow behind broadcast spreader on Amazon:
Pull behind broadcast spreaders can be helpful if you’ve installed a new lawn too. Or after hydroseeding!
2. Agrifab Tow-Behind Spreader 45-0463 (Broadcast)
The Agrifab 45-0463 is my second best pull behind spreader. It’s made in the USA which gives it a huge leg up for me. It has a 130 lb capacity which gives you a coverage area of 25,000 sq. ft!
You can use this pull behind spreader for fertilizer, seed, or ice melt. It has a decent spread width of 12 ft, which will cover a lawn pretty quickly. Tow this spreader behind your lawn tractor, it has a hitch that’s compatible with most mowers.
The Agrifab 45-0463 has a tough and durable commercial-grade gearbox with aluminum-beveled gear. This spreader comes with a 3-year limited warranty.
It’s the best pull behind spreader for small acreage and broadcast spreading. As this customer mentioned:
Not being a youngster anymore I was looking for something I could pull behind my lawn tractor to fertilize about an acre of lawn. I found it with this broadcast spreader. I was able to completely fertilize my lawn in about 20 minutes and another 10 for some grub control in a specific area. I can’t believe how smoothly it went.
Some users had a bit of trouble assembling the tow behind spreader, but once up and running it was a joy to use:
I purchased this all behind my Zero radius lawn Mower. I have about 3 acres to fertilize and seed. I spread 200 pounds of fertilizer the first day and it worked perfect
- Learn more about the Agrifab 45-0463 fertilizer spreader
- Buy the Agrifab tow behind spreader on Amazon:
Recommended: Best Pole Saws | Husqvarna vs Stihl | Tools Reviews
3. Chapin 8620B Pull Behind Fertilizer Spreader
This tow behind fertilizer spreader has a decent 150 lb hopper capacity. Like the Brinly, it stops spreading when you stop so you don’t waste anything and you don’t burn your lawn. It has 11 incremental settings for precise application and 14″ pneumatic, heavy-duty tires.
The heavy-duty trailer hitch is tough and fits most lawn mowers, lawn tractors, and zero-turn mowers.
The problem with this spreader is that it does NOT do lime. We don’t need lime on our current farm but on our old farm we applied lime by the ton. It doesn’t do pelletized lime, lime powder, or Agri lime. So, I guess, don’t buy this spreader if you want to spread lime with it!
You can spread seeds, fertilizers, and weed control products.
“Directions very clear and I had no trouble putting together. I put a 15000 and 10000 sq ft bag of weed n feed in the hopper all at once and spread about 8 foot swatch at a time at a fairly low speed. I spread the 25000 sq feet in about 1/2 hour and it is evenly spread and my lawn looks great. Worth every penny and only wish I had more property to maintain .looking forward to next application.”
“Very very happy with this spreader. I have fairly steep hills in my yard and was able to negotiate them with no tipping issues at all. Love the auto stop feature for the release of material when you stop your lawn tractor. No need to keep reaching back to start and stop the flow. Reservoir holds a lot. Good quality, good value.”
Another issue I have with the pull behind spreader is its uneven spread. It shouldn’t be uneven, the manufacturer says, but many customers have this same issue. An even fertilizer spread is important to me and it’s hard to get it right on this unit:
Used the unit yesterday for 1st time to spread Scotts Turfbuilder with Halts and was very disappointed with the uneven flow of fertilizer. Started with unit on setting 4 based on chart in manual, but the flow of fertilizer kept stopping, even though I was careful to breakup any clumps when poured into hopper.
- Learn more about the Chapin Spreader
- Buy this pull behind fertilizer spreader on Amazon:
- Learn more about the Agrifab 45-0530 spreader
- Buy the Agrifab 45-0530 spreader on Amazon:
Recommended: Best Bushcraft Knife under $200 | Primitive smoker DIY
5. Craftsman Pull Behind Spreader
This spreader has a 110 lb capacity so it’s mid-range in this pull behind spreader review. It’s got a universal hitch pin attachment so you can hook it up to most lawnmowers. It broadcasts most pelletized materials like fertilizer, weed control, seeds, and ice melt. You can reach the on/off switch from your seat you can turn it off at the right moment.
This Craftsman pull behind spreader is made in the USA in Sullivan, Illinois. It’ll cover about 1/3 of an acre with a full hopper (17,500 sq ft). It has a slightly smaller spread than some of the other best fertilizer spreaders above, broadcasting to max 10 ft.
As with all the others, the hopper is tough poly. This is a nice spreader all round. It only really made it to the number 5 position in this best pull behind spreader review because of its stiff competition. I like a bigger hopper so I don’t need to go back and forth. If you don’t mind smaller, this is a great option, as is the smaller Agrifab spreader.
Some customer reviews for pros and cons:
“The bucket is oversized for the chassis. Wheels need to be farther apart. Only can be used on flat terrain. Full bucket on slight hill is a MAJOR PROBLEM! Bucket must be at least half empty to use on slight incline, no more than 15 degree or cart will topple. Hitch tube is way too weak to support any weight on an angle”
“This is a pretty good piece of equipment. I just put nitrogen on about 5 acres of uneven pasture with this machine and it did a fine job. I used an ATV to pull it around. The information that comes with it says the lever control can be operated from the ATV. Not so unless you have a passenger sitting on the back.”
“It took a little while to figure out the instructions but once it was assembled, it worked great. Well built and sturdy”
Best Pull Behind Spreader Winner
I’m a little bias here because I’m on 10 acres. For a large yard, I’d absolutely go for Brinly. You can’t go past the excellent hopper size, a high-quality product made in the USA, and I appreciate the Autoflow technology. All the 5 best pull behind spreaders in this review are really decent, you can’t go wrong. Just look at the size of the hopper.
If you’re on a smaller property, I’d still go for the Brinly, but the Agrifab 45-0463 would be a serious contender. The Brinly might just be that little bit too big for a smaller yard. And it leaves a bit of fertilizer in the bottom too, which is not great when you’re applying smaller amounts of fertilizer.
So, to sum it up:
Best Pull Behind Fertilizer Spreader for Large Yards:
Brinly broadcast spreader BS-36BH
Best Pull Behind Fertilizer Spreader for Smaller Yards:
Agrifab broadcast spreader 45-0463
Let me know which pull behind broadcast spreader you went with and how it’s working out for you! Leave a comment below 🙂
Thanks for an experienced review, Elle. So, all these row behind spreaders, except the Chapin, will do a good job spreading any form of lime, as well as the seeds and fertilizers, correct?
Hi there Dave!
Lime is a tricky one because it’s very alkaline – definitely wash out the tank, hose, and nozzles really well after use. Also keep in mind it has to be liquid lime, not the granular or powder form. You’ll need a tow-behind spreader for anything that’s not liquid.
The Northstar sprayers have extra-thick, UV-resistant tanks and are suited to pretty much any chemical. I’d say they’d have no problem with lime. The John Deere sprayer is suitable for de-icers (which can be pretty corrosive) so I’d be confident using it for liquid lime as well. We don’t recommend the Chapin, even though it probably will do lime without problem. Its build quality just isn’t up the par with the others, and it’s not like it’s a whole lot cheaper either!
None of them spray seeds, only liquid stuff. Fertilizer is no problem for any of them.
These things can really make your life a lot easier!
Hope that helps!