Electric spreaders for pickups, trucks and ATVs

The choice is between a stainless steel or polyethylene hopper, auger or chain, and whether the spreader should also apply salt solution.

The spreaders in this guide are from FC Ficon.

The series

• FC 380SS — 380 litres in stainless steel with a 65 mm feed auger. For pickups and commercial vehicles, and also suitable for tractors, ATVs, UTVs and flatbed trucks
• FC 550-1100 — FC 550, FC 750, FC 850 and FC 1100 with a polyethylene hopper, for light pickups and trucks. Integrated liquid tanks of up to 450 litres
• FC 600-1000TR — 630–1 050 litres for tractors and loaders, category I/II three-point mounting and integrated tanks of 330 litres
• FC 750-2500 — 750, 1 500, 2 000 and 2 500 litres in stainless steel, 12 or 24 V
• FC 500-2000 — dedicated brine sprayer for the load bed of pickups and light trucks

Stainless steel or polyethylene

FC 380SS and FC 750-2500 have a stainless steel hopper. On the FC 750-2500 it is 12 gauge AISI304, and the whole hopper body is pickled in an acid bath, which according to the manufacturer gives clean welds and surfaces and long, corrosion-free use.

FC 550-1100 and FC 600-1000TR have a polyethylene hopper with stainless steel fittings. The hopper is double-walled, and the liquid tanks are built into the walls, so the same machine can be converted for pre-wetting or fitted with a spray bar. In the FC 550-1100, the integrated tanks hold 330 litres on the FC 550 and FC 750 and 450 litres on the FC 850 and FC 1100, and an extra liquid container in the hopper is available as optional equipment.

Auger or chain

The material is fed out of the hopper by an auger or a chain. The FC 380SS has a 65 mm stainless steel auger. The FC 750-2500 is available as the SSA, with a 155 mm stainless steel auger with three pitches, and as the SSC, with a 300 mm chain feed system.

The spreaders have an automatic vibrator and an inverted V shape in the hopper. The vibrator prevents bridging, i.e. the material forming an arch over the feed auger and ceasing to flow, and the V shape reduces the heavy start-up loads on the auger. The motor sits in a sealed, weatherproof housing on all the spreaders.

The rate follows the speed

If the vehicle drives more slowly, more material ends up on each square metre, unless the spreader adjusts itself. The spreaders have controllers with automatic GPS speed control that regulates the rate in g/m² according to the speed, and the HTrack tracking system is included as standard.

The FC 750-2500 is supplied with a StrikeSmart controller and HTrack two-way GPRS tracking and control, and the asymmetry of the chute can be adjusted from the cab as optional equipment.

Salt, sand and brine

FC 550-1100 and FC 600-1000TR can be equipped with a pre-wetting kit, a 2 m spray bar with up to 5 m spraying width and a 12 m hose reel. The same machine then does salting, sand gritting and application of salt solution.

If you only need to apply brine, the FC 500-2000 is made for that. It has 12 V twin pumps, triple-stream nozzles and a 2 m spray bar with dual nozzles (7 + 7), and the manufacturer states 20 ml/m² at a maximum of 25 km/h. Filling is via a 2″ camlock. Older production models have an extra tank for flushing the system with antifreeze; on newer models a hose is connected to the antifreeze inlet, and the system is flushed with pressurised tap water or an antifreeze mixture. A 12 m hose reel for pavements and hard-to-reach areas is available as optional equipment.

When you contact us

Have this ready, and we will find the right size:

• The vehicle, and how much payload it has
• Load bed dimensions, or which three-point linkage the tractor has
• Whether the vehicle has a 12 V or 24 V electrical system
• What is to be gritted: car park, yard, pavement or road
• Whether you will spread sand or salt, apply brine, or all three