TLDR Review: Buyers Products Grounds Keeper Salt Spreader
Pros
- •Very sturdy and reliable construction with a welded frame and enclosed gearbox designed for durability.
- •Large, inflatable fat wheels provide excellent stability and make maneuvering on uneven or sloped terrain easy.
- •Controls allow adjustable coverage for spreading salt or ice melt efficiently across driveways and walkways.
- •Quickly covers large areas evenly, saving significant time compared to manual spreading.
- •Can handle about 50 pounds of material loaded at once, with a total capacity of 100 pounds, making it suitable for frequent use in heavy winter conditions.
- •Adjustable deflectors help control the spread pattern, with a nice throw radius of approximately 10 feet.
- •Suitable for spreading fertilizer over large areas (up to about two acres) despite being primarily designed for salt.
- •Assembly takes about 20 minutes, and watching video tutorials helps clarify the somewhat unclear instructions.
Cons
- •Deflectors interfere with the wheels and need bending to adjust properly, indicating a design flaw that affects usability.
- •The gearbox causes excessive friction; wheels are hard to turn when the hopper is loaded and spinners barely spin, requiring trickle feeding of material.
- •The adjustment lever mechanism has too many linkages and can accidentally release extra product or be tricky to handle.
- •Internal pins tend to break early in use, and replacements must be purchased separately.
- •Black shield flaps do not stay in place, leading to constant readjustments to maintain correct spreading direction.
- •No factory calibration or clear instructions for spread rate settings, forcing users to guess appropriate amounts.
- •Not recommended for fertilizers due to the large opening sizes, even at the smallest setting.
- •Assembly requires specific tools (10mm and ½ inch wrenches), and instructions can be unclear without external help.
- •Hopper must be kept closed when not in use to prevent messy salt spillage.
Bottom Line
The Buyers Products 3039632R Grounds Keeper Salt Spreader is a solidly built tool that can handle heavy winter salt spreading efficiently and save you a lot of manual labor. However, its usability is hampered by some frustrating design flaws—especially the gearbox friction, deflector issues, and complicated adjustment system. If your main goal is spreading salt on driveways and walkways during snowy months, this unit can serve you well once you get used to its quirks. But if you want a spreader that works seamlessly out of the box or plan to use it for fertilizer, you might want to explore other options that offer smoother operation and better precision in spreading.
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