I have an Agri-Fab pull behind and it's the biggest piece of junk ever put out on the market. It's virtually impossible to regulate the flow with any accuracy. I dumped 100 lbs of fertilizer over a 10 ft wide strip the other day because the spreader changed the setting by itself to wide open! In the push type spreaders I like the Earthway brand.

Personally, I believe your price limit keeps you in the thrifty range, if new. Look for a used commercial on EBay or Craigslist. Commercial landscaper wannabes seem to be dropping like flies from the slowed economy and are liquidating their inventory.

I bought the 100# Earthway tow behind a few weeks ago, and it appears to be built a lot stronger than most. You still have to get use to it and play with the adjustments to get it right the first few times, but it rolls it out there nicely now. Used it Sat to put out a little more pre-m. It set me back about $145, but I don't intend on buying another either (think the pus models are little cheaper). I still have my my old push, so everything's covered.