With the weather still making most land not trafficable after the long winter of rain, it is the perfect time to get your tractor ready for the spreading season. From the simple pendulum spreader to the most advanced GPS-guided section control machines, these basic tractor set-up tips will help to get the most from your mounted fertiliser spreader this season.

1 Tyre pressure

Before the spreader is placed on the tractor, all the tyre pressures should be checked to ensure that the tractor is level. This is often a forgotten step and will greatly affect machine set-up.

2 Level arms

Most modern tractors have adjustment on both arms and once these are set to the same level the spreader will be level. This should be checked by spirit level or by eye.

3 Correct angles

Freeing of the top-link is advised before this step. In most cases the spreader should be set-up level from front to back. The adjustment is made using the top-link.

In some cases when stated in the manual, the spreader may need to be at a slight angle to get the correct spread width. This setting may have altered when the machine is loaded and should be rechecked at that stage.

4 Centred (check chains)

Having the spreader directly behind the tractor is essential to getting the correct results from your machine. This is done by ensuring the check chains are adjusted correctly so that the machine is centred behind the tractor and also that all play from side to side is removed.

These adjustments can be made using the check chains/check bars.

5 Forward speed check

Many tractors either have non-functioning or incorrectly calibrated speedometers. This short test will give you the skills to get the correct forward speed required. Firstly a level distance of 100m needs to be marked out.

The tractor then needs to be driven between the two points at constant speed and the time taken recorded.

This equation can then be used to calculate the forward speed:

(100x3.6)/time taken (seconds) = speed (km/h)

Example : If it takes 25 seconds to drive 100m then the forward speed is 14.4km/h.

6 Safety (PTO/weights etc.)

As with all PTO-operated machines it is vitally important to check all covers and guards are present and functioning correctly before operating the machine. When the weight of the full spreader is added to the tractor it is important that the front wheels of the tractor are still fully in contact with the ground. If there is any doubt, weights need to be added to insure safe operation.