Agri-Fab 45-0543 100 lb. Tow Spiker/Seeder/Spreader, Black

Was prepared for an assembly battle based on the reviews. It was pretty straightforward and fast with an adjustable crescent wrench and drill (I think there were just two different bolt head sizes). Probably spent 30 to 45 mins assembling. No missing parts. If you have a set of calipers get them out. They don't label the hardware so when they call for a 2" vs a 2.5" it makes it quick to grab the right one, same with the washers as they have a few variations of them and it's hard to know exactly which they are calling for without thinking it through or measuring based on the BOM dimensions to confirm.Don't bother swapping out the wheel bolts like some have mentioned. Unless you are hauling this thing around a lot on non grass surfaces where you need the wheels down they aren't even being used. I retract my wheels so they don't touch the ground. I think that is why the bolt is so long so you can catch it over the rail and keep them locked off the ground if you don't need to engage and disengage it while on the move. Yes, shouldered bolts would be better but seem unnecessary to upgrade them given the limited action the wheels would typically get.It worked well. I've used it twice to spread and spike fertilizer and no complaints. With the larger granules it took a little trial and error to get the spread rate just right.

This spiker/spreader appears to be solid, well designed, and durable. I have not used it yet, but it looks as if it will work well. I do have to agree with other reviews that the assembly is challenging. I am a mechanical engineer with loads of hands-on experience. I found that the instructions are generally accurate, but had to be read VERY carefully, and I had to backtrack a couple of times. One thing that the instructions are vague about is whether to tighten nylock type nuts fully or not. In some cases, they should be tightened fully to secure an assembly, but they are also used in many places where the assembly needs a bit of clearance to operate smoothly. An experienced mechanic will figure this out easily, but novices may struggle. The wheel assemblies are better done with the bolt head on the inside of the frame tube, so that the jam nut can be tightened but the locking nut left a bit loose to allow the wheel to turn. Finally, the drive chain installation requires removing a link and is challenging. A beginner will likely struggle with this. I recommend this unit as high quality, but the inexperienced mechanic will want to get some help.

This is a well thought out, sturdy machine. I've read reviews saying it was hard to put together, griping about the bolts for the wheels, etc... Not so! It went together easily, the instructions were superb and yes I had spare parts left that i just stuck on it in case I needed it but more importantly there were no missing parts. Works very well for what it was designed to do. This is not an industrial machine but a yard/garden machine and I expect ro get many years of good use from it.

Edit to 3 stars. Quality really not so good but paying $179 for it okay home owner use. This thing will waste a lot of your $ putting down seed. I wouldn't recommend for seed unless you like throwing out money. Tried, none really grew. The spaces are too far apart its luck if any seed falls in them. You have to have loose soil and weight on it to make a indent at all as a aerator. There isn't many spike blades. Tue seed preferably needs to be IN the ground and covered. This doesn't do that.Which leaves most of the seed on top of the ground and it isn't covered and wont grow. Lot of $$ in seed wasted.. Stick to lawn pellet fertilizer or pellet bug killer. Compared to using the hand spreader I'm all about this thing. Quality good. Wish it went in the ground a little better but really nothing to compare too this might just be what they are. Assembly IS required.THIS WILL WASTE A LOT OF MONEY TRYING TO USE IT FOR GRASS SEED.

I saw a lot of negative reviews and decided what the heck I can return it if needed… came well packaged, all the parts, directions were clear, a lot of parts to assemble sure. Have the right tools and assembly in less than 30 mins. Does it hold the weight? Well basket fits a 40 lb bag of Scott’s weed and feed that’s all, but pleased that with that the aerators worked awesome. Sure when less than 25% full it needs some extra weight. Seems well built. Very happy, now I just got it today so I’ll see how long it lasts.

I have a 1/2 acre yard in central Florida, and I have been trying to find a spreader that I can pull behind my yard tractor. I was excited about this unit as it looked sturdy and had a spike system and a spreader. This comes as just a kit with poor instructions and nothing pre-assembled. It took about 6 hours to put it together. When I finally got the machine out on its maiden voyage, it went about 50' before the drive chain jumped off its gears and jammed the spikes up. Removing and replacing the chain is a nightmare, but I really wanted this thing to work, so after another 2 hours of resetting the chain and testing all the movements, I gave it another try (I had the bin about 35% full of fertilizer, not much, really). It went around the yard once, and the chain jumped off again. I will not get into how cheaply some of the parts are made, but they obviously are not sturdy.I am not a mechanic and don't have a machine shop to fabricate the pieces in this thing that need to be replaced with something that can last. I just want to put some fertilizer on my yard with my little tractor.I tried calling the company's service office and ran into the typical auto phone attendant who wanted product data. I did not have to get to the service office. I looked at the listing information, and I would need to take this monster apart, repack it in the box it arrived in, and then return it. I am not doing that, so it is headed to the junkyard, an expensive lesson learned.This is the second product I have purchased from this company. The first one lasted longer but eventually failed after about six uses. I should have learned the first time.