As a spin off from the barn lime spreading post in the General forum, what would you be willing to pay someone per ton to spread lime? Pelletized lime is around $300 per ton now and ag lime is around $50-$70 per ton so what price per ton would you be willing to pay someone to spread it. This would be spread with a 3 point spreader so access to almost every plot would be possible. I’m just kicking around some ideas of starting a small scale lime spreading business as a side hustle, preferably once I retire.

Ag lime in central Alabama is around $38/ton right now.

I sure wish it was that cheap down in S Alabama.

When you figure it out let me know what you are charging.

That service is badly needed! Buying lime is one thing, getting it put out is another.
I don't think you would have a problem getting hunting club business.

I paid $39/ton this past spring just to have the lime dumped on site. It’s always been a rule of thumb in an agricultural setting to charge $20/ ton to spread only. There is no way I mean no way that I would spread in a hunting club setting for that amount. One tire and your in the hole big time because most clubs don’t actually need a lot of tonnage spread so there for you would have to charge a lot more just to think about coming out to the good.

I think $125-$175 per ton

I would think about $90 per hr or a flat fee per ton to spread

I think that's a fair price. You could do it a little cheaper yourself, IF you have enough truck to haul a buggy full of lime and a tractor to spread, or tractor to pull buggy plus a way to load buggy if having a truck load delivered. I figured it cost me right at $100/ton to get a buggy from the co-op and spread it myself when you add fuel/time to the lime cost.

I wouldnt try to spread AG lime with a 3 point spreader. You'd stay clogged up 90% of the time and work yourself to death loading the hopper. Pelletized can be spread perfectly fine with an ATV spreader if that's all you got so most everyone can do that. AG lime needs to be spread with a lime buggy or a truck.

Yeah, that’s the issue so far. How do you haul enough to make it worth it without having to take a separate vehicle to haul the tractor and spreader or make multiple trips dropping lime off???

To be profitable in this endeavor, you’re gonna have to be extremely efficient.
You, or the client, will have to get the lime delivered to the site with a dump truck or dump trailer prior to your arrival.
You’ll also need a truck and trailer that can haul both tractors from site to site.
One tractor for the spreader and another to load the spreader.
My number may actually be low, depending on travel time from a central loading location to each field.

I bought a Sides Spread All spreader that is PTO driven 3 point and it WILL spread ag lime. I’ve spread at least 20 tons of wet paper mill lime with it that was pure mud. This ain’t your regular PTO spreader. It holds 3000 pounds and has an auger in the bottom. It will spread ag lime with ease.

That sounds like a great set up. If you have that on your tractor, you will still need another tractor to load the lime from the ground into the Spread all spreader.

those Sides Spreaders are the cats meow, especially where you cant get a buggy to. Not to mention it's less compaction with one less piece of equipment rolling over the ground.

If you were closer, we could become partners in this venture.
I know we could get as much business as we wanted up here.

I may go this route. Have several partners throughout Alabama to help me get it started. The ideal situation for me and the cheapest for the client would be for the client to have the lime delivered to their property and have someone with a tractor/loader to fill the spreader and me spread it.

I’m kicking around ideas of how to get away from having to haul 2 tractors which would be an expensive venture for me and the client. I’m wondering if you could keep the lime dry enough to flow out of something like a super sack or a special built tote? That would require a jib crane of some kind built into the trailer so you just back the spreader up close to the trailer and dump the sack/tote into the spreader.

I get it in bulk bags which are all about a ton. Then take them out and put them where they need to be. Spreading with a buggy only works if you have large food plots 5+ acres. Smaller ones you can't escape the cloud. We just cut the bags and drive around. Works better than the buggy. Spread 20 tons this summer with that method. Plus another 3 tons by hand because the lime was in 50lb bags.

Where do you get the bulk bags of lime? I’m thinking of building a hopper to dump the lime in with FEL and fill the super sacks.