EarthWay 2050P 80lb Broadcast Spreader, Lawn Aerator, Fertilizer Spreader, 80lb Capacity, Pre-Assembled, with Rustproof Poly Hopper and Adjustable Drop Rate for Lawn Care & Seed Spreading

Why it's worth it

The 2050P is an 80-pound broadcast spreader with a rustproof poly hopper, an enclosed gearbox and 10-inch pneumatic tires, and it arrives assembled. If your winter job is a two-car driveway plus the walk out to the street, this covers it in a couple of passes without a refill.

Poly is the headline. This Old House recommends plastic hoppers over untreated steel for one blunt reason: rock salt turns bare metal into rust within a season or two, and the hopper is the part holding the salt. EarthWay's poly hopper won't corrode, and the gearbox is sealed against the wet mess that comes off a slushy driveway and lands on everything underneath.

Eighty pounds means you fill it once. A quarter-acre driveway takes a single hopper for most people, so you're not walking back to the bag halfway through with cold hands. That's the practical case for a push spreader over anything you carry. Side spread control lets you shut off the throw toward the garden bed on the return pass, which saves the plants along the edge.

From our review of 7 sidewalk salt spreaders

What we like

• +Poly is the headline
• +Eighty pounds means you fill it once
• +It ships pre-assembled, which is worth more than it sounds when the first storm is already in the forecast

What to know

• –Eighty pounds of salt is a load to push on ice