Fred Andrews' 8x8 MAN & Merc Spreaders

Fred Andrews of Riversdale in Southland operated dead centre of some of the most productive  farmland in the country, with some of New Zealand’s largest stations such as Glenaray and Argyle on his back door-step – so he figured he’d go large and use big gear to meet the huge demands of the superphosphate and lime that needed laid down.

He experimented with MAN and Mercedes 8×8 trucks during the eighties which were often fitted with triple’s on the rear drivers, with duals up front.

These massive trucks were quite a sight when at work (click here)-

and while they could lay down a lot of fertilizer and were very productive – they proved a handful on the really steep country  and if bogged required a lot of gear to get unglued.

Eventually the MAN and Merc were phased out, and more conventional spreaders were put to work, but for a time, these trucks looked like a neat, if somewhat expensive solution to a big problem…