That would be an interesting project. I might be interested for spreading compost, myself, and raking it in from a big pile sounds like it would take a while.

Make the piles as small as possible, and then drag a railroad tie across the area until you have the desired coverage. I don't think there is anything built to do just that.
Don

A new cart like this might be what you need:

http://www.newerspreader.com/details.htm

It's a manure spreader, but looks like a very nice compact design.

I have an easy way but not with a cart. I bought a "Loadhandler" for my pickup truck. It is a heavy duty mat which lays in your truck bed and it has a handle unit attached to your truck tailgate. You load your truck up with material and crank it off. With topsoil I drive slowly and my son cranks it off. They are cheap. The unit for my Dakota was less than $100.00. I also use it for mulch and stone. Google Loadhandler and you will find the site.

Thanks. The loadhandler idea would be good, just no way for me to get my truck into the yard - too many hills. I've looked at the newer spreader, but too specialized. I'm thinking I'm going to just have to build a new tailgate assembly for a dump cart or adapt the loadhandler concept to a small cart. Something I'll have to keep thinking about - not needed right now - maybe in the future.

I have often wondered why no one builds a small trailer say 4 x 8' with a "tread mill" type feeder that moves the load toward the rear of the trailer as you pulled it.

That and add a top hinged tail gate that the opening can be adjusted with chains much like a dump truck and you would have a very handy little trailer for such projects.

Just watched the video of the loadhandler. I thought it was more bulky and complicated. I don't see why you couldn't use one of the sizes on a trailer instead of a truck. Just not one sized for a yard cart. I'll keep looking.

I have an older 17 cu.ft. Agri-Fab dump cart that has a slide-up tailgate. If you could find a dump trailer with this type gate, you could chock the cart up a little, fill it and when you're ready lift the gate to dump material in a controlled manner. you might need a second person with a shovel to help the material dump.

I think combining a system like the Loadhandler with some bicycle chains and sprockets connected to one of the trailer wheels would be a neat and fully automatic way of unleading and spreading. You would have to play with the gearing to get the correct speed to spread the materiel.

Rabbit wire thats 1/2 mesh over top of drop speader will work on dry material just be sure the open is larger than mesh and don't fill but half way first time a lot lumps take some work get through screwn if have bridging in mature add something to wheel to make it bump like large socket I use 1 1/2 deep impact socket on my spinder spreader with adjatater in side it works well and can set it left are right to row mulch with mature are lime.

Have you seen this ?

Item number: 2309910560
E-bay

- Kris

Maybe if someone were to contact Agri-Fab and some of the other suppliers about a top soil/compost spreader, maybe they could fabricate one from a spreader item they already have in stock?

This isn't the first time I've seen this mentioned, and I'd be one of the first on the phone if they had one that was reasonably priced.

Put the mulch in a truck,or cart.Moving it slowly forward,use a shovelto place mulch,,and a rake to spread the mulch around.This method has been in use for many decades.Simple and works great.

What about using a drop spreader opened up all the way? You would need to put a screen in to keep out the large bits and make sure you were using pretty find stuff but it should work.

I fill up the cart with topsoil, scoop some up with a shovel and fling it onto the lawn. I keep doing this until the cart is empty. Then I go over the area with the backside of a push broom to get the soil off of the grass leaves.

Below is a link to a spreader, if you've got the money and storage space.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spreader

E__Y spreader..$975.00,and you may still have to shovel whatever you are spreading from a pile on the ground ,into the hopper.Spend $975.00,and U R still using a shovel. i think I would just hire someone to do the spreading for me.JMHO tbk

I question whether that spreader would work on topsoil. You can do it the labor intensive way with a shovel or if you have money to burn you can do it as "tom k de" does let someone else do it. By the way "tom k de" why don't you just hire out all your yard work and then you can give the same feeble advice for all posts.

For those interested I used the Loadhandler to top dress 20
yards of topsoil over a filled in area where a pool and deck use to be. I did use my neighbors FEL to load the pickup. The actual spreading took two hours using the Loadhandler.

ctpuritan,
If you don't mind my asking, does the loadhandler look like it could easily be modified? I'm wondering if the roller part could be shortened to fit a utility cart. I just can't tell from the website. Still haven't figured out how to meter it out though.

If you're handy, you could build a towable, larger version of this:

Top Dressing Spreader

-Deerslayer

The loadhandler can easily be used on a trailer. you would need a trailer as wide as the mat and a projection built off the back to clamp the mechanism to (a mini tailgate). I checked and found that I paid $89.00 for mine.

And you think my advice is feeble.???That thing needs to fit in/on a little $99.00 pull behind cart.Pays to read the original post,before making such suggestions.JHMO tbk

If you are satisified with the depth of your topsoil and simply want the biological benefits of top dressing, you may want to consider using biosolids. Golf courses have used biosloids for top dressing since the 1940s.

Biosolids are often sold as fertilizer but the product functions more like compost. I've used Milorganite with great results. You can find Milorganite at many box stores and hardware stores. I paid $7.49 per 40lb bag at Meijer a couple weeks ago. 40lbs covers 2,500 sq feet. It spreads great with my Earthway tow behind broadcast spreader.

Using biosolids for top dressing has several benefits.

1. Easy to obtain
2. Low cost
3. Easy to spread (use your broadcast or drop spreader)
4. Low volume (compared to compost)
5. More consistent nutrients (compared to compost)

-Deerslayer

Tom d k : If you examine my last post you will note that I state that the trailer would have to be as wide as the mat. It's interesting that everyone has tried to provide constructive info to the original poster except you. Your "use a shovel or pay someone else to do it" added nothing positive to the discussion. Why don't you "lurk" in the background until you can add something meaninful to the conversation.

Deerslayer: Do biosolids affect the ph of your soil?

"Do biosolids affect the ph of your soil?"

Biosolids and other forms of organic compost tend to move soil ph toward neutral whether your soil is acidic or alkaline. However, lime or sulfur should be used if you need to make a large ph change.

-Deerslayer

Deerslayer: Thanks for the info. I am going to aerate and lime my lawn as soon as the forty days and nights of rain stops on the east coast. I am assuming that I can put this down at the same time?

"I am assuming that I can put this down at the same time?"

Correct, immediately following aeration is the best time to apply any top dressing or soil amendment.

-Deerslayer

This is an interesting idea, take a look at the professional equipment used to top dress sports fields and you might get some ideas there.

http://www.millcreekmfg.com/products_turftigercubs.asp

Be aware that "biosolids" is the politically correct term for processed sewage sludge.

I personally won't put it on my lawn for various reasons.

ctpuritin.READ the original post,read it again,and try to comprehend.It is a pull behind dump cart,NOT a pickup truck bed.( See subject of posting,and read that too.It is Tom K DE,Not tom d k. Perhaps you need your eyes checked too.Come on over,and maybe I can use you to work around my yard,IF you can operate a shovel,Insructions included..Pays above minimum wage and lunch provided."I am lurking"??You here barely six months ,and I have been here six YEARS.HINT.You may read on here from time to time,that a poster has a large overgrown field to mow,and only has a small riding mower.It is not uncomon to suggest,"Hire some one to come with a Bushhog,or similar.After You are here a little longer you may learn something,and post about the topic,and not your off the wall ideas/coments.Next thing,no doubt,soccer_ dad should get a small Kaboto. Sheessssh. Tom K DE

"Be aware that "biosolids" is the politically correct term for processed sewage sludge."

Yep, a lot of folks think that composted horse and cow manure is disgusting, too. Other folks think that sushi is disgusting. It's best to do some research before forming an opinion.

Here's a short explanation of how biosolids are processed. First, the sludge is eaten by bacteria. Next, the bacteria die after all of the sludge is consumed. Then, the dead bacteria are heated to over 175F. Finally, the remains of the bacteria are formed into pellets.

Composted horse and cow manures are made in a similar way. The main differences are that the animal manures are processed in piles rather than pools and the final product is not pelletized.

Personally, I think that using biosolids on lawns is one of the "greenest" things we can do. Why not use a waste product on our lawns instead of chemicals that consume fossil fuels and may be harmful to the environment?

-Deerslayer

I'm all for recycling, but I don't want to recycle other people's prescription drugs, household cleaners, flame retardants, antibiotics, heavy metals and other chemicals found in biosolid fertilizers.

Your rebuttal may be that the levels found in the fertilizers are "safe". Personally, I'd rather not have any of those items applied to my lawn. I prefer to keep those things out of my well water so I stick to other methods of fertilization.

My posts were written for information purposes. I'm not trying to persuade or dissuade anyone. I'm also not up for an argument because you won't change my mind.

tom k de: If you read the original post you would know that the guy was already using a shovel and was looking for a "cheap easy way" to speed up the process. I put out an idea that you didn't like but which was cheap and enhanced the process. You put out an idea which on one hand was what the poster was already doing and on the other hand was expensive and was not the long term solution he was searching for. From my perspective it just proves that whether you have one day on this forum or "6 years" you can still produce a response that is not helpful and comes out as being condescending.. I acknowledge my poor vision the mispelling was not intentional. On the other hand your vision must also be impaired as puritan is not spelled "puritin"

Deerslayer,
Your link to the "Top Dressing Spreader" was exactly what got me thinking about this. It was snowing this spring and the only thing on TV was HGTV dribble. But they had that thing doing a yard and I was amazed at the way it worked. Maybe my original thought was a bit ambitious (I got to thinking how many yards of topsoil it would take to do my yard), but maybe just building a larger hopper (a hopper extension?) for a drop spreader would work and do smaller areas at a time. I'll have to get around to looking at one of the larger (175#) models someday to see the opening size. Thanks all, all posts have been quite helpful.

"I'm also not up for an argument because you won't change my mind."

That's not very open minded of you. 8^)

Don't worry; I've already debated some very knowledgeable folks regarding biosolids over in the Lawn Care forum. I don't see any need to engage tractor experts in the same debate.

For those of you with an open mind who would like to learn more about biosolids:

Lawn Forum Debate

-Deerslayer

Soccer Dad, I just ran some calculations. If you fabricated a mesh drum 3' in diameter by 4' long, it would hold more than 28 cubic feet of material. That's much more than your average dump cart can hold.

v = pi x r x r x h

-Deerslayer

Deeslayer: Thanks for the Lawn Forum link. I checked it out and another Thread that was posted. It certainly is a hot topic. Everyone has to make their own decision. I will be checking out supplies locally to see how cost effective it is around here.

As to the rolling mesh drum. You would probably want to downsize the unit as a cubic yard of topsoil in a drum being pulled behind a lawn tactor might be too much of a strain on the tranny.

"a cubic yard of topsoil in a drum being pulled behind a lawn tactor might be too much of a strain on the tranny."

I agree; I was simply making the point that a large capacity spreader is possible using the drum design. For most people, their tractor's pulling power would be the limiting factor of drum size.

-Deerslayer

Just wanted to post a link of another professional topdressing piece of equipment. Looks like a big pull behind drop spreader to me. http://www.earthandturf.com/tf36d.htm

Here's another option.

Manure Spreader

However, you need a GT with some kahonas to pull it.

-Deerslayer

"aesanders-you have got to be either a stock holder or a backer for that thing---975 bucks--is it made out of gold? Just dump a pile and drag a chain link fence a couple of times...the only way I would get that thing would be if my best worst friend bought it for me and paid the shipping..someone has been smoking that damn maunure and lost their mind!!!

bighagrid, have you priced out any manure spreaders? Go look at the small models from mill creek or ancompany that makes a small manure spreader and see how they are priced. Heck my pasture drag was over $300. I've never used that spreader, but it looks like it works quite well and looks well made. The smaller model is only $675. I would most likely get the larger for my 3 horses. I bet it would work on variuos top dressings as well.

Manure spreader will most definitely spread compost. Not sure if top soil would shorten its life.

I like the idea of using "bio-solids" though the heavy metal issue is my biggest concern. I know it is not permitted for organic food production for this reason.

The most reasonable approach I have seen to the spreading dilemma is the mesh roller approach. 3-4 weeks ago someone on this forum posted a link to an OH manufacturers of implements that made these, though I can't seems to find the link (or the company).

I think I will try using my dozer blade to spread compost, but I expect it will be rather uneven (maybe then go back with a push-broom or a shovel to even out)