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OnTime feeder motors #7000809 12/18/17 04:15 PM
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jrfan Online Content OP
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Just curious if anyone else is having issues with these motors. We have been using them exclusively for several years, essentially because of the "lifetime" warranty. I currently run 4 of these plus some spares in storage. We haven't really had any issues except one. The "lip" on the aluminum spinner plate will separate and then flare out and hang up against the funnel. This won't let the motor spin, thus not throwing corn. I contacted them about a year ago and they told me that it was not covered under their lifetime warranty. This is the third motor this has happened to. Other than this, I am completely satisfied with their motors. Customer service on the other hand is a different story. We'll see what they say this time.






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Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7000819 12/18/17 04:23 PM
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D'hanis Offline
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That's pretty interesting that it would happen just from spinning,or even a raccoon for that matter. Never anything that I've seen

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: D'hanis] #7000832 12/18/17 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted By: D'hanis
That's pretty interesting that it would happen just from spinning,or even a raccoon for that matter. Never anything that I've seen


I am assuming its just fatigue. I haven't had a coon problem in years (knock on wood).


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Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7000842 12/18/17 04:37 PM
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aluminum plate, bent sharp like that, is severely weakened at the bend when minimum bend radi is not observed;
this is a design/production FLAW! probably wouldn't be hard to research/prove it!


Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7001123 12/18/17 07:29 PM
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I use them also and have had this happen many times. Luckily my leases are within minutes of my house so I keep plenty of spares and change them out when this happens.

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7001178 12/18/17 08:00 PM
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TAT Offline
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If you would like to keep using those motors could you just put a better spin plate on there?


It's not how you fall, It's how you get up.
Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7001187 12/18/17 08:04 PM
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The bent spin plate problem has occurred to over half of the On Time's I USED to use and this occurred every season. I played this game for 2-3 years and then changed to Texas Hunter Products and Boss Buck. Texas Hunter are awesome (worth every penny) and the Boss Buck are still good (as we use these on the Boss Buck feeders because TX Hunter hole patterns don't match up)

Dump those On Time and get new feeders. You will be VERY happy you did

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7001233 12/18/17 08:29 PM
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Originally Posted By: TAT
If you would like to keep using those motors could you just put a better spin plate on there?
I would love to, but see their response below...

Originally Posted By: ctonsmitty
The bent spin plate problem has occurred to over half of the On Time's I USED to use and this occurred every season. I played this game for 2-3 years and then changed to Texas Hunter Products and Boss Buck. Texas Hunter are awesome (worth every penny) and the Boss Buck are still good (as we use these on the Boss Buck feeders because TX Hunter hole patterns don't match up)

Dump those On Time and get new feeders. You will be VERY happy you did

I think I will certainly be looking for different ones when its time to replace.



This was their response to my email....


Dear Tyson,

I appreciate the time and effort that you made in emailing me about your concerns for the spinplate that you have been having and hope through this email address this issue.
We do not have control over the size of grain that is distributed by the spinplate. Most of our competitors have a motor that runs on a 6000 rpm range. This offers poor distribution as far as distance from your feeder is concerned. If you are using our Elite or digital feeder, those units carry 3 speeds at top speed of 10,000rpm , medium speed of 9,000 rpm and low speed of 6,000 rpm. This problem will not occur at below 6,000 rpm speed like our competitor.

The high speed over a period of time can cause fractures in the wings. Generally this occurs in one year at top speed, due to so many different variables for the weight of corn on the spinplate, size of corn, the rpms of distribution, length of run time and other different factors. Kind of like your tires on a car, you can run it at 90 mph or 50 mph.

So our recommendation would be to run if you want large distribution a smaller run time of 5 seconds at top speed. Then for addition output drop the speed down to 50 percent.

We also have a spinplate that is made of galvanized steel as used on our bumper buddy spreader. We have had no fractures on this spinplate but the ramifications of using this spinplate is lower battery life and it runs harder on your motor and plus the galvanized spinplate has 3 times the weight of the regular aluminum spinplate.

As you can see there are many different variables available. But perhaps in understanding of how the rpms and material that we have chosen (steel or aluminum) have a great deal to with the longevity of spinplate.

At on time On Time we offered a poly carbonite plate which we never had problems using. But many customers complained about the varmints chewing on it. So we went with the aluminum to alleviate the chewing problem. In our opinion that was one of the best ever that we made. We have made these under special requests but rest assured there may be some chewing! The lifetime guarantee was on those many years ago. The aluminum spinplate for which we replaced it with which was over 10 years ago are not covered.

Last but not least we recommend on all feeders to have a gap between the funnel and aluminum spinplate to be 3/8 inch. That is where you get the maximum performance out of your feeder. Where if this is not followed only 1/8 inch different will cause 50percent more out put of grain causing more wear and tear on the motor.

If you have any further questions you can call 318 255 1834 Hours 8-4 Monday thru Thursday Central time. We will be closed Friday and Monday for the holidays. Thanks LaVerne On Time customer service representative



So, if I am reading this correctly....

1. Their product is better because it runs at a higher RPM.
2. Because their motor runs at a higher RPM, it causes the spinner plate to fail.
3. To fix the issue, I have to run the motor at a lower RPM. So now, according to them, I have an inferior product.
4. I can also solve the issue with a steel spinner plate, but this causes the motors to fail.
5. They have something that will fix the issue, but the squirrels and coons eat it.
6. This is not covered under the "lifetime" warranty.

Please tell me if you read it differently.


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Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7001471 12/18/17 10:32 PM
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look.....I dealt with the lady over at On Time and bought parts each year. It's a maintenance nightmare getting parts, but worse yet, is getting to your feeder and finding it hasn't thrown corn in days or even weeks (because of spin plate breaks and gets hung up)

Do yourself a favor and cut bait with On Time and go with proven feeders (even if it cost you a little up front). All the choices below throw more and farther

RUN 12 volt system w/ solar panel
Choice #1 Texas Hunter slingers, you won't have a problem for years to come.....FACT!!
Choice #2 All Seasons with the Timer
Choice #3 Boss Buck

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7001495 12/18/17 10:51 PM
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and one more thing....based on the top picture your seal around the feeder lip is dry rotted. When you pull the old spinner plate, you might pull the cap off and in that case will have to re-seal the lip (yep....get to call the lady to get the seal they have custom made and be careful you might pull the wires from the motor and if this happens you will need to solder them back to the motor

I guess you can tell this topic gets me fired up.....I've had it with that POS slinger

I've got 4-5 of them collecting dust in my garage

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7002427 12/19/17 04:16 PM
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I tell you what, ctonsmitty, since you have them just sitting around collecting dust and you think they are a POS, why don't I take them off your hands. I don't have a problem using them- my farthest lease is 35 miles away so checking them frequently is not a problem for me. I have changed spinner plates several times and have a local place that repairs them for just a $10 fee. Not trying to start anything- just looking at a possible opportunity to pick up some extra spinner motors and help you stay in the good graces of the spouse by cleaning something out of the garage...

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7002448 12/19/17 04:30 PM
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LG Offline
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I have used On Time feeders for about 17 years now and have never had any major issues. As far as customer service i have no complaints and the lady that I have dealt with in the past was very helpful and polite. I had a solar timer that I kept have issues with and decided that I wanted to convert it regular battery usage etc... I called OT and talked to them about what I wanted to do etc.. I shipped it to them and had it back within about 10 days or so. I dont remember what they charged me but it was not that much. I have never had an issue with spin plate.

If you want to unload a few of feeders let me know ..

Regards


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Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: LG] #7003811 12/20/17 01:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: LG
I have used On Time feeders for about 17 years now and have never had any major issues. As far as customer service i have no complaints and the lady that I have dealt with in the past was very helpful and polite. I had a solar timer that I kept have issues with and decided that I wanted to convert it regular battery usage etc... I called OT and talked to them about what I wanted to do etc.. I shipped it to them and had it back within about 10 days or so. I dont remember what they charged me but it was not that much. I have never had an issue with spin plate.

If you want to unload a few of feeders let me know ..

Regards


I may eventually phase them out. I will surely let you know!


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Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7004112 12/20/17 03:53 PM
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I've been running them for years and have had the same problem a bunch of times. I keep several extra spin plates to change out when it does. I will someday replace them all together for something better but just haven't got around to it.

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7004422 12/20/17 07:05 PM
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Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7033240 01/10/18 09:52 PM
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So, here is the latest update....



LaVerne,
Thank you for your response. I apologize for taking so long to reply,
but I was out of pocket for the holidays, as I am sure y'all were too.

If I am reading your e-mail correctly, there are a couple of points I
would like to discuss further.

1. You are telling me that you have a superior product over your
competitors because the OnTime motor spins at a higher RPM. I somewhat
agree based on my experience. I currently own 6 of these motors and
have had limited issues other than the spinner plates.
2. Because your motor spins at a higher RPM, it causes the spinner
plate to fail. Which you stated was an ongoing problem, but OnTime
really hasn't addressed it.
3. In order to fix the issue, you recommend a couple of things;
One, turning the RPM's down on the motor, even though, as
you previously stated was the reason the OnTime motor was superior.
Because of this, it now runs at the same RPM's as your competitor. So
do I have an inferior product now??
Second thing you mentioned was to go to a steel plate.
However, according to you, this will eventually cause shorter battery
life (which is a major selling point for me) and will also cause the
motor to fail.
If this is the case, does OnTime honor the warranty even
though the spinner plate caused the motor to fail based on your
recommendation?

In a nut shell, what I took from your email, was that you acknowledge
a problem with the aluminum spin plates and continue to manufacture
them without any regard to notifying the customer of the issue, all
while offering a "lifetime" warranty without any intention of honoring
it. As I previously stated, I have had ZERO issues with any of your
products outside of the spin plates and I am otherwise satisfied. I
would love to keep using and recommending this product, but if this is
what I can continue to expect, I will have to look to other
alternative products that will stand by their claims. I am hopeful
that OnTime will see an opportunity to rectify the problem and make it
right based on previous knowledge of these issues stated by you.
Please see the link provided where I discuss this with other consumers
like my self. This topic has been viewed almost 600 times as of this
e-mail. I would love to give your customer service a positive review.

http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/7000832/Re:_OnTime_feeder_motors#Post7000832

Thank you again for your time and effort in attempting to rectify this
problem, I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Tyson Smith



LaVerne/anyone else that cares to respond....

I am resending this as I did not get a second reply. I hope that this
was simply overlooked and not ignored. Please see the email I sent two
weeks ago. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.


info account


11:25 AM (4 hours ago)

Hi Tyson,


The On Time Warranty covers the motor and electronics on our feeders. It does not cover the spinplate, battery (if applicable), funnel, or hopper/legs. The spinplate is a part comparable to a tire on a car. The use of a feeder causes the spinplate to eventually need to be replaced. The use of a steel plate that I mentioned as an option for you would be one way that you could prolong having to replace the spinplate but doing so does have other consequences such as the mentioned shortening of battery life.

I am going to send you a spinplate that we send out with our Bumper Buddy ATV Spreader. We have altered it for it to be used with your timer. This spinplate does not have ears on it that would break off and cause the spinplate to need to replaced as quickly. As with the steel plate, this spinplate has a downfall as well which is that without the ears, the plate will not throw corn as far. In my knowledge of hunting, I don't suspect this should be a real issue. Deer do not need the corn/food to be thrown out a great distance as they come eat right under the feeders. Please send me the best address to ship the spinplate to, as we would like to send this complimentary for you to try out.

Thank you,
LaVerne


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Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7033284 01/10/18 10:28 PM
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If you took that plate to any sheet metal job shop they could make it for you and improve it with a bigger bend radius. The post above that talks about tight bend radius is the problem, they are probably cracked along the bend when they are new. It would be a bit of a pain but probably cheaper than changing the plates over and over and probably cheaper than buying new feeders.

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7034811 01/11/18 11:00 PM
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there are better options available....you may not want to replace all of your feeders, but I would buy (2) to compare and slowly make the transition.

Re: OnTime feeder motors [Re: jrfan] #7036441 01/13/18 04:17 AM
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I have exactly the same issue with all my OnTime units. I really like everything about them except the fractures of the aluminum fins as noted by others. Hopefully the company will step up with a real solution.

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