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Scott's Elite Spreader

10K views 69 replies 10 participants last post by  Yard Nazi 
#1 ·
Okay, I know it's not a mower but it is a walk behind and I would guess most everyone uses some type of a spreader, either a tow behind or a push type. So I have been using a Scott's metal drop spreader for as long as I have used Lawnboys, about 35 years. I gave my bigger Scotts metal spreader to my DIL when I obtained an old, mint condition, 1964 Scott's metal drop spreader that had belonged to my neighbors folks. It works great on the smallish yards that I take care of however when applying product that has to go on wet vegetation, the grass, unless it is cut short ahead of time, drags on the bottom of the spreader and causes the product to get stuck.
So here is my question. Has anyone purchased one of the Scott's Elite spreaders, the new one with the dual rotors and the edge guard? I don't want to stop using my old Scott's and I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a full commercial grade model. I have mixed feelings about this unit and apparently so do a number of reviewers. Scott's assures me they have a no quibble guarantee for up to 5 years so I don't feel like I would be left holding the bag. I would like to use this for applying the weed and feed to wet vegetation and maybe use it in the winter to apply ice melter.
In checking prices I found there is a local seller on Craigslist that has a year old one for sale for $50.00. I find that in general prices are in the $90 to $110 range locally. I did find, however, that doitbest,com has them listed for $69.99 with a ship to store offer so about $74.89 with tax. From a cosmetic standpoint alone I do like the look of it, although not a primary reason to consider it.
Let me know if anyone has any experience with this model. Not looking for advice on what others to buy or not buy. Thanks, Bill

 
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#5 ·
Seems like a lot of low reviews for the Scotts Pro EdgeGuard. Have you guys had any issues like wheels falling off or spinner not turning with material in the hopper?
 
#6 ·
Hi Gents! All the comments and input are appreciated however I had hoped that someone out there in MTF land had actually purchased one of the Elite models and would have some real world feedback. I stopped at the local Farm and Fleet and Theisen's and they both stock them however neither store had them on display. I had wanted to look at one again as it has been over a year since I first saw one in person. The Theisen's store said they would get one put together for display if I wanted to view one again. Theisen's has them for $89.99 plus tax and Farm and Fleet has them for $109.99. I can still order one through DoItBest for $69.99 plus tax with their ship to store. I think I will try to view one tomorrow and then order one and see if I like it. Bill
 
#8 ·
I did find it interesting that the reviews of the EG Pro seem highly biased against from users in the US, while quite favorable from those overseas... I dunno. Anyhow, mine's never given any trouble. I do like the heavier-duty rubber tires, which seems to be the exception these days.

If I were doing it again I'd give the twin-turbo a shot fo' sho'.
 
#9 ·
Well I pulled the trigger and ordered the Scott's Elite twin rotor spreader through doitbest.com for $74.17 including tax. I did find out some interesting information regarding the operation of the spreader after talking to a customer service manager at Scott's. First, she gave me some information on how to check the factory calibration on the unit so I will do that once it is received. She also told me that a number of the issues that were reported early on have been addressed and the early units have an upgrade kit available although she didn't elaborate what was involved. She also gave me the cut off number for the point in which they started producing the upgraded models. That number was 18059 which was the last of the old so any from 18060 and newer are the revised models. Good information to know as some stores may have old stock. I will check mine when it arrives and the rep said if it happened to be the old stock for some reason that they would send out the upgrade kit. Looking forward to giving this a good test and reporting back. Scott's does have what they cal their no quibble guarantee so if for any reason I am unhappy with the spreader I can receive my money back. They also furnish parts at no charge as long as they are available. Update to follow. Bill
 
#11 ·
Well I picked up the spreader Wednesday but haven't had much chance to do much other than assembly and precheck the factory calibration. When you pull the lever to dispense there are 2 openings, left and right. The cable pulls one plastic slide which covers all 4 openings. When checking the calibration at 3 1/2 which is what Scott's recommends I did notice the left side did not open quite as far as the right. I ended up shaving a bit of plastic out on the left, 1/32, and now they open the same. Now just waiting for a decent day to physically check product drop on a given area of cement and weigh and check calibration. Report to follow. So far I am impressed with the build quality however it will never match the quality of my 1964 Scott's drop spreader. The broadcast will not replace the drop spreader but was purchased to supplement it. Bill

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#12 · (Edited)
Okay had a bit of time today to check the actual drop rate on the Elite spreader. Applied a couple of passes on the driveway and then measured a 10 by 10 area, swept up the product, and weighed it to see how much I was applying per 1000 square feet. The confusing part lies here. The four products that I normally apply, Halts, Weed and Feed, Fertilizer, and Winterguard all have different Scott's settings for drop rates as well as different broadcast rates. The drop settings are #6 for Halts, #5 for Weed and Feed, #6.5 for Fertilizer, and #6.25 for Winterguard. The standard broadcast settings are #3 for Halts, #3.5 for Weed and Feed, #3.5 for Fertilizer, and #3.25 for Winterguard. Scott's lists all these products at a setting of #3.5 on the Elite. Not sure how the drop and regular broadcast settings all vary by product and yet the Elite uses all the same settings.
I came up with these settings for the Elite. #4.25 for the Halts (going to recheck that one tomorrow), #3.5 for the Weed and Feed (same as what Scott's shows), #3.75 for the Fertilizer (.25 more than what Scott's shows), and #3.75 (.25 more than Scott's shows) for the Winterguard.
I know the Halts is a bigger granular product which is why it calculated at a larger setting. There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason from the drop numbers to the broadcast numbers and then to the Elite numbers.
For example, the drop number for Weed and Feed is #5 and the Broadcast number is #3.5 so a lower setting for the broadcast however the drop setting for Winterguard is #6.25 and yet the broadcast number is #3.25. So higher Winterguard drop setting than the Weed and Feed and yet a lower broadcast number for the Weed and Feed.
Makes no sense to me.
Bottom line is this. How many of you actually check your spreader settings against the actual dispensing rate of the product or do you just set it and forget it? Bill
 
#15 ·
I've been eyeing up the Scotts DLX for some time now, watching for it to go on sale. Not only did I not find sale prices of late but rather saw the retail price going up. :( Has the DLX been superseded by Elite or does the Elite just complement the line? My old broadcast spreader is rusting away and almost beyond salvage. I'm sure this will be its last year of service.

I use only one product (fertilizer only, no weed killer) in my broadcast spreader and so calibration has never been a concern. I just roughly gauge how much area one bag covers and adjust accordingly. I do a sparse application with 50% overlap (N/S) and then repeat at a right angle (E/W).

As for a drop spreader, I have a Scotts but I don't use it for spreading fertilizer as I have way too much acreage for that. I use it mainly for calcium chloride on my gravel driveway and for spreading powdered lime. It had a problem with poor traction and so I converted it to all wheel drive.
 
#36 ·
I've been eyeing up the Scotts DLX for some time now, watching for it to go on sale. Not only did I not find sale prices of late but rather saw the retail price going up. :( Has the DLX been superseded by Elite or does the Elite just complement the line? My old broadcast spreader is rusting away and almost beyond salvage. I'm sure this will be its last year of service.
My prediction was off by almost 3 years on the demise of my old spreader. After reviewing the DLX, I decided to bite the bullet and go with the Elite instead. The DLX suffers a design flaw where the wheels are taller than the broadcast impeller resulting in product hitting the wheels and leaving a stripe. By comparison, the impeller on the Elite is taller than the wheels.

I gather from reviews that the Edge Guard is a poor design as all it does is redirect what would have been broadcast out the side, more to the front. In other words, it does not reduce the amount of product being dispensed, it only dispenses it over a smaller area. Knowing that, of course, one can adjust their pattern accordingly and make liberal use of the on/off lever. Scotts could have easily solved that by closing off one of the holes on the side the Edge Guard is on so less product is dispensed on that side when engaged.

One thing I like about the Elite is that the on/off lever is independent of the rate control. On my old spreader I had to use the rate control to start/stop the flow and the rate control "on" position could vary every time so I seldom used it, instead I would vary my pattern. In fact, repeated use of the plastic rate control lever was its final demise as it broke from fatigue. The powder coated metal frame had rusted away so repairing it is out of the question.

Another thing that appeals to me is the larger hopper on the Elite which means fewer refills and less possibility of spillage. I often find some bags have caked lumps so I made a metal screen to pour the product through. I will have to make a new screen that fits inside the Elite's hopper.

One short-coming of the Elite (and most others) is that it has one-wheel-drive, so the spreading of product varies between left and right U-turns. Of course one can stop the flow completely and make the turns where the edge pass was previously done. My Scotts drop spreader had the same one-wheel-drive issue and I solved that by converting it to all-wheel-drive, letting the inside corner wheel spin on the turns by leaning it to the outside wheel. Time will tell if I convert the Elite to all-wheel-drive, however, I would probably split the axle so that each wheel drives the impeller on its respective side.

My only problem now is finding the Elite in Canada at a reasonable price. I may need to cross the border and pick one up in the US.
 
#16 ·
Well here is an update on the Scott's Elite spreader. So today I did my yard with the 1964 Scott's Drop spreader. Still fun to use. Then my next door neighbor also wanted his yard done so I did his very small front yard and boulevard with the drop spreader and then moved on to the larger back yard. So the report so far is 5 stars! Edge guard worked great to get that first perimeter pass down and then away I went. Took no time at all to do his back yard. Spreader rolls very nicely on the foam filled tires and the dual rotors spread the Scott's Halts evenly. I have a couple more lawns to do in the neighborhood and one outside the neighborhood so I will use the Elite entirely on those. If it continues to perform as it did today I will be a happy camper. The main reason I bought it is for the Weed and Feed which has to go on a wet lawn and the Scott's drop spreader would drag the grass and clog the openings. Hopefully the Elite will make these applications go much easier. Updates to follow. Bill
 
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#18 ·
Thanks! I am video challenged. Some day I will figure out how to take and post a video. Bill
 
#20 ·
Good point!! My wife is just being taught how to SnapChat. Maybe I can ask for help. Bill
 
#22 ·
Well I had a chance to use the Scott's Elite spreader again yesterday on 2 more neighbors lawns. One lawn I used the drop spreader on the front yard as it is small and then used the Elite on the rear. The yard next to that one I used the Elite entirely on that one. As previously reported the Elite performed perfectly. Very nicely balanced, rolls very smoothly and effortlessly on the foam filled tires, and covers a lot of area in a very short time. I am looking forward to using and testing this long term. It wont replace my beloved 1964 Scott's drop spreader however it should be a great addition to the lawn care fleet. Not sure if it will last 56 years like the Scott's drop spreader but then neither will I. Bill
 
#23 · (Edited)
Okay guys a couple of years has passed since I completed my use/review of the Scott's Elite dual rotor spreader. Checking back to see if anyone else has purchased one and if so, how do you like it? In pursuing some additional research it appears that my spreader came with different length agitator pins than what is shown in the hopper picture on the Scott's web site. Mine appear to be about 1/2 inch shorter. I am in the process of trying to get this sorted out with Scott's but if anyone else has purchased one of these I could use some information. If you have one let me know. Thanks! Bill

As of today I have Scott's sending me something, not sure what (no confidence), and I also purchased for $5.52 including shipping, 2 longer pins of the exact same style from Earthway who is supplying the parts for The Anderson's. I found a page in The Anderson's manual showing an agitator pin of the same configuration as the Scott's Elite only longer. I am hoping this is the answer to my problem. I am attaching a picture showing the Elite agitator pin. It should be about 1/2 inch longer to extend to the embossed circle and sweep partially over the dispensing holes. Mine go no where near the holes. Also attaching a picture from Scott's web site showing the longer pins and a screen shot from The Anderson's web site for
model 2000SR showing the longer pin in the calibration section.
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#24 · (Edited)
Okay guys, here is the latest update. Got the pins for The Anderson's spreader from Earthway. As you can see in the attached picture the configuration is the same only longer. I may have to grind the length down just a bit as the originals are 1 3/4 and the replacements are 2 5/8. They need to be around 2 1/4. These are also not chrome plated but no problem for the price. This should help to maximize the flow through the dispensing holes. For future reference the replacement part number for The Anderson's is 780100. Bill

Also attaching a picture of the replacement pins installed on my spreader. I ground these down to an overall length of 2 1/4 and it looks like they will work perfectly. They swing around the embossed circle and extend over the dispensing openings.
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#25 ·
Curious why you changed the position of the curl from post #23 to that in post #24? If placed under the straight section, it looks like it would stay in a more consistent position to the pin which would keep the length of the straight more consistent.
 
#26 ·
Very interesting observation. I had not paid any attention when I removed them as to the position. After looking at my previous picture as well as the video the guy posted that got all this started I changed the orientation of the hook part to be under the straight section as opposed to being above it. Also squeezed the clip tighter to grip the agitator shaft better.
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Thanks for the heads up. Bill
 
#27 ·
Very interesting observation. I had not paid any attention when I removed them as to the position. After looking at my previous picture as well as the video the guy posted that got all this started I changed the orientation of the hook part to be under the straight section as opposed to being above it. Also squeezed the clip tighter to grip the agitator shaft better. View attachment 2546719
Thanks for the heads up. Bill
Bill - Glad to help. Having the straight part farther from the surface I think might help keep the material flowing better. It might also allow using an even longer pin.
 
#28 ·
Thanks! I think just having the pins going over the openings will help eliminate temporary blockages from small clumps. Bill
 
#29 ·
Okay here is a final update and observation. Apparently way back in 2018 shortly after the Elite spreader came out they were having problems with breakage when people were dispensing rock salt. The chunks of salt would get caught in the opening and the long agitator pins would catch on the rock salt and get stuck. The wheel would want to keep turning and the hollow drive pin for the wheel would sheer. The engineers answer was to provide a smaller pin to fit inside the hollow wheel drive pin to reinforce it and to provide 1/2 shorter agitators which would not swing over the openings. Instruction sheet was to dispose of the longer pins. They should have just supplied both lengths. Short for salt and longer for fertilizer. The revised spreader after serial number 18059 came with a full solid pin for the wheel and the short agitator pins. Bottom line is my spreader now works as intended and dispenses the product perfectly with no intermittence due to clogging. Scott's is supposed to be reimbursing me $20.00 for the longer pins and the time to modify them and install. I have sent them the requested paperwork. Now just waiting for a check to come in the mail. At this time all is well. Bill
 
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#30 ·
Interesting, I never think of them being used to spread salt, but should, I just saw it yesterday morning at Big Boy. the pin could have been left longer and bent them at an angle or arc at the end. That would have pushed salt out of the corner into the opening. Since you have it solved, no need to go further, but maybe down the road. Glad Scotts is making an effort to make it right for you, even if it is the proverbial “The check is in the mail.”
 
#31 ·
Pretty sure the pin would not go through the hole in the agitator shaft if it were bent or curved on the end but that was a good thought. Used it yesterday on another neighbors yard. Again, what a difference. Bill
 
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