Fertilizer applicators, or spreaders, are used to spread dry, granular nutrients onto fields.
Plants “eat” nutrients in the soil. Applying fertilizer replenishes the nutrients lost when crops are harvested.
Crop fertilizers are obtained from nature and reformulated or synthesized if needed to make them absorbable by plants.
Dry fertilizers are applied either before crops are planted or after they are harvested.
Dry fertilizer spreaders generally consist of three main parts:
1) A V-shaped box or hopper to hold the fertilizer
2) A belt or chain conveyer in the inside bottom of the hopper to continuously move the fertilizer to the rear of the machine
3) A spinner mechanism mounted on the outside rear which evenly distributes fertilizer as it flows out of the hopper.
This spreader is mounted on a specially-designed John Deere implement. The spreader can be removed and replaced with a tank and spray boom to apply liquid crop protectants.
