Earthway 2030PI-Plus High-Output Snow & Ice Melt Spreader With Pneumatic Wheels

We purchased three Earthway 2030PI-plus. for use to salt sidewalks
We assembled them and we put grass seed in one. Started across the lot spreading seed and the spinner quit working. We emptied it and found that the drive axle had a fold in it to make a crude gear. The gear part of the vertical shaft that turns the spinner slide to one side dislodging it from the axle drive shaft.
We slid it back over and put seed in it and off we went. We stopped and turned a round and opened the slide to let seed out and nothing came out. Brand new out of the box and only grass seed not chemicals or salt. The cable pulled out of the slide at the spinner. So we put it back on the truck and used a very old Scotts spreader ($20.00)to finish.
We have not yet spread salt with them....
These changes we have made.
We drilled the axle and placed cotter keys in both sides to prevent the spinner unit from sliding off the gear
We took the cable off the spinner and...Read more

***Update 1/4/09*** The mechanism to open and close the chute broke today after less than one month's use. I can't adjust my rating, or I would give it 1 star. I wish I had never bought it.

(original review follows)
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I like the larger opening for allowing salt and even salt/sand mixes to be distributed evenly. However, the mechanism for opening the "release chute" is a plastic lever on the side of the handle instead of a squeeze trigger. It feels like it could break (it hasn't broken, but it feels like I'm straining it a bit when I shift the lever from open to closed). It also means that I'm bound to waste some salt while I stop and reach down to shift the lever to close the chute opening. Our cheap Scotts fertilizer spreader has a squeeze trigger mechanism right on the handle. I like that a lot better since you can just release the trigger and the chute is closed, resulting in less waste.

It worked well when it worked. Less than one month into use, the handle which operates the bottom opening broke. I had hoped to get more quality for a higher price. I will be returning it soon.