Marshall MS rotary service schedule
Muck spreaders · 1970s to current (brakes from 1996, lights from 2001)
Covers the Marshall MS rotary (side-discharge) muck spreader (MS45–MS105).
Every maker's service job for the Marshall MS rotary, counted in hours, with the oils, filters and parts each one needs. Add your implement to Farmyard Workshop and it works out what's due from your hours and dates, and keeps the service history.
Track your MS rotary for freeService intervals
| Job | When |
|---|---|
| Grease hubs and check the brakes | every 6 months |
| Storage | every year |
| Before-use checks and greasing | when needed |
Service jobs and parts
Grease hubs and check the brakes
Running gear · every 6 months
Marshall says grease the hubs and bearings, check them after the first 14 days of work and then every 6 months. Couple the brakes and lights every time to stop the brakes seizing.
| Part | Qty | Notes | Part number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hub grease | 1 | check your handbook |
Step-by-step
- Park on a completely level surface, stop the tractor, take the key out and chock the wheels.
- Grease the hubs and check the bearings for play.
- Brake adjustment: loosen the nut behind the clevis, turn the piston so adjustment comes out of the ram, then retighten the locknut.
- Check wheel nuts when new, after 1 hour, after 1 day, then weekly. Check the tow hitch for wear.
Tools: Jack and axle stands, Grease gun, Spanners
Storage
Storage · every year
Marshall's storage steps: take off the drain cover and wash out with cold water at moderate pressure, lid up before uncoupling, touch up paint, grease every nipple and run for 15 minutes.
| Part | Qty | Notes | Part number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grease | 1 | check your handbook |
Step-by-step
- Remove the drain cover and wash the spreader out with cold water at moderate pressure. Leave the cover off until next use.
- Raise the lid before uncoupling the hose.
- Touch up scraped paint.
- Grease all nipples and run the spreader for 15 minutes to work the grease in. Then disengage the PTO, stop the engine, take the key out and wait for the rotor to stop.
Tools: Hose or pressure washer, Grease gun
Before-use checks and greasing
Rotor and flails · when needed
Marshall lists these checks before each use: drive line tension and side play, hidden bolts, chain tensioner locknuts, greasing, hoses, flails and flail heads, and draining water that could freeze in the drive line.
| Part | Qty | Notes | Part number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grease | 1 | check your handbook | |
| Flail chains and heads | 1 | As needed; order by model from Marshall | check your handbook |
Step-by-step
- Disengage the PTO, stop the tractor engine, take the key out and wait for the rotor to stop. Keep all guards fastened.
- Check the drive line is under tension with no more than 20 mm side play.
- With the guard off and the engine stopped, check the bolts you cannot reach with the guard on, especially the small drive shaft bearings.
- Check the locknuts on the chain tension adjusters are tight.
- Grease the PTO shaft knuckles, the two rotor shaft bearings and the four input shaft bearings.
- Check the hoses and that couplings are clean, and check the flails and flail heads for damage.
- Drain any water lying in the barrel: frozen water can damage the drive line.
Tools: Grease gun, Spanners, Steel rule
Specifications
| Discharge | Rotary barrel with flail chains, side discharge (not a rear-discharge spreader) |
| Grease points | One in each PTO shaft knuckle, two on the main rotor shaft bearings, four on the input shaft bearings |
| Drive line | Must be under tension, side play no more than 20 mm |
| History | 1976 pulling lid ram; 1996 brakes fitted; up to 1998 MS/85 60 mm input bearings; up to 1999 bolt-on chain tensioner brackets; 2001 larger lid and lights; up to 2002 splined PTO shafts on MS45/70/85 |
Known problems
Never spread with the lid open
Marshall says always keep the lid closed when spreading and disengage the PTO when turning.
Starting a full load
Do not bury the starters at each end of the rotor with solid muck, or the spreader will be slow to start.
Repair guides
- Brake adjustment and shoe wear (tipping trailers and spreaders) (Moderate, 1–2 hours): Trailer pushes the tractor when braking, long brake ram or actuator travel, one wheel locking, brakes dragging and hubs hot, park brake won't hold.
- Wheel bearing play: check, regrease and set hub end float (Moderate, 1–2 hours per hub): Wheel rocks on its hub, rumbling from a wheel, hub running hot, grease thrown out round the hub cap, hub cap missing.
- Wheel nuts working loose (Easy, 30 minutes): Rust streaks from a wheel nut, wheel clicking or knocking, elongated stud holes, nut found loose at a check, after a tyre has been changed.
- Lights and wiring faults, and protecting a trailer that stands unused (Easy, 30–60 minutes): Lights dead or dim after the trailer has stood, corroded plug pins, water lying in a monocoque body floor, rust starting on ram rods and bright parts.
- Rotary spreader: flail chains, flail heads and drive chain tension (Moderate, 1–3 hours): Poor spread or lumps left on the field, flails missing or short, rotor knocking, drive chain jumping or slack, spreader slow to get going with a full load.
- Rotary spreader lid won't open or close: lid ram and hoses (Moderate, 1 hour): Lid slow or jerky, lid drops when the lever is in neutral, oil at the lid ram, lid won't close fully on an overfilled load.
The full step-by-step guides are in Farmyard Workshop once you add your implement.
Sources
More from Marshall.