Particle spreader with enhanced rate control assembly

A particle spreader comprising:

• a wheeled chassis;
• a hopper coupled to and supported by the wheeled chassis, the hopper comprising one or more hopper discharge openings at a bottom of the hopper;
• a rate control gauge attached to the bottom of the hopper, the rate control gauge comprising:
• a gauge plate;
• and
• a stop repositionable along the gauge plate at a series of stop positions;
• and
• a rate plate comprising one or more plate discharge openings, the rate plate being movable relative to the rate control gauge between a closed position and one of first and second open positions,
• wherein the rate plate fully covers the one or more hopper discharge openings when the rate plate is in the closed position, and
• wherein the rate plate abuts the stop and the one or more plate discharge openings is in at least partial registration with the one or more hopper discharge openings when the rate plate is in the first open position or the second open position.

A method of operating a particle spreader with a rate control assembly, the method comprising:

• shifting a rate plate between a closed position in which particles are held within a hopper and a first open position in which the particles are released through a discharge opening of the hopper at a first flow rate;
• releasing a stop from a gauge plate;
• moving the stop along the gauge plate from a first stop position to a second stop position;
• releasably securing the stop to the gauge plate at the second stop position, and
• shifting the rate plate between the closed position and the second open position in which the particles are released through the discharge opening of the hopper at the second flow rate.