Gonna need a new feeder - need suggestions

For years I've had a feeder hanging from a huge oak tree limb, and crank it up and down to fill it. Works great, but the tree died. Not another suitable tree around there, so I'll need a free standing one that won 't require a ladder to refill it. It'll need a varmint cage that works. I want a thrower with good battery life. Metal body, not plastic. But do I go with a low one that pigs could mess with, but would be easy to fill. Or would a tall one be better, but harder to fill. I've always gone with the higher ones, but have plenty of time to think this over and get opinions from ya'll.

What do you have that works, and why do you like what you have. I'm only gonna need to buy one, so cost really isn't an issue.

Went to Cabela's yesterday and looked at all the ones they had. Seems like each one had some of what I wanted, but none of them had all the features I want.

I'd recommend the All Seasons stand and fill. I outfitted my place before these were out but would have opted for these instead. When my feeders are empty at the end of this season, I'm cutting all the legs down to 4 ft. A 12-V motor can sling the corn far enough out that the height won't be a problem.

I'm just tired of climbing on my truck to fill what I have now.

I have a feeder stand that we built in our shop years ago. Bolts together and has a good boat winch on the leg. Angle iron. Assembled it looks like an old oil derrick sitting there - very tall. Hell-for-stout and the last one several generations of your family would ever need. It's just sitting on the old barn floor close to Fredericksburg, unassembled, but all the pieces are there. If you need it, I'm sure we can work something out. Just pm me. Definitely easier approaches out there, but this thing could survive a nuclear attack.

Get a hold of rambal here on forum. He builds some awesome stand and fill feeders.

Walter

I would buy or build a tripod and use your old feeder as a crank up.

An All season Stand & Fill would be a good one to use. Easy to move & fill.

I took a good look at the All seasons stand and fill. That might work for me. As for the crank up tripod Type, I had a local welder make one for me. Not bad, but not great. I wonder if that varmint cage on the All Seasons will keep out the little Grey Squirrels.

I built this one for about $150.00 timer and all . So much easier to fill these shorter ones then those tall ones.

Oldtimer feeders are hard to beat. Texas wildlife supply

Ramball built me a great stand and fill with an All Seasons 12V box with solar panel for $450. Very happy with it.

bholt on here makes a real nice winch up feeder that would fit the bill. i have one and really like it

As rsquared so graciously stated I will try to help if you like. If you like your winch feeder why not stay with it if you like just get the frame work. In any event I will be happy to help if you like but understand it is deer season and if you are in a hurry I am not probably going to fit in a fast schedule to help. I still work on game hoist and feeders but if a buddy says "lets go" this time of year, well nuff said. Feel free to contact me with any questions about my equipment or others I will be happy to help. As far as Varmint cages, why not get some 1 X 2 welded wire and build your own?

I have decided to go with a winch up feeder. It will either be a Hang Em High or one made by a forum guy. As for timing, the oak tree holding up my feeder now is dead, but that limb should last through this season. All I really need, if I use my present feeder, is the tripod. And I have an extra varmint cage I got from On Time Feeders last year.

If you can sell me a good sturdy tripod, with winch and pulley. We can do business. I'm 90 miles from Georgetown, and have friends there I need to visit anyway.

Do you have pictures of your tripod setups?

We can take this to pm now, of you'd like.

Get one of these and then add legs. I use a cheap winch but everyone will tell you to get one with a brake built in.

http://www.basspro.com/Boss-Buck-Tripod-...p;kpid=10220941

I got tired of buying junk but cannot afford to buy a real nice one so I now build my own. This is a pick of my last one I built from spare parts. With light I probably have $100 into it.

I have two timers one from Ultramatic Outdoors in Hockley, the other from Texas Stairs and Rails off Hiway 59 in Houston. They both have "The Timer" timer mechanism and 12 volt motors. No problems with either for 5 years now.

HCR out of Burnet make some good feeders

I sold all 10 of my 800 pound All Season feeders and bought 10 All Season stand and fills. Best thing I have bought in a long time. Just pull the tractor front end loader up and fill them up from the ground. Has great built in varmit cages and I have always used the HCR timers in which they all have them in it! Highly recommend these stand and fills.

Several points.

I gave up on all my feeders this year. 1 was being used by a leassor (so it was missing in action), motor failed on #2, coons destroyed the wiring on #3. I replaced the control units on #2 and #3 with all seasons and "the timer". Super easy to program, uses primary battery under normal conditions, but a AA as a backup if the primary dies. It has quick adjust legs - I recommend tightening them with a crescent wrench. I dropped 350lbs of corn overnight due to that mistake.

As for the stand an fill, got a 1k unit to replace #1. Tilt it into the bed of your truck and your off. Roll it off and it is good to go (ok, make sure the control unit is on tight - just because). Spend your money once and it just works. Super fast and easy to fill.

I have feeder #2 and #3 on wenches. A 350lb feeder on a wench is an effort to raise (double your cables-that will make it bearable, but takes forever to raise it). Decided to put it on a worm wench which can be raised with a cordless drill (per the internet). Got the Harbor Freight wench (the standard cheep suggestion). Used it once to stain a fence, must have tweaked it, it stripped with 150lb of corn in the feeder (drill was having no problem till it stripped). I have a Dutton-Lainson on order. With cable, it is $100 more than the HF, but American made - not expecting a problem with it. I believe it is the wench featured on Hang-em High feeders web site. The HF might work if you are lucky and lube it well - mine is worthless trash now.

In the end, I might get 2 more stand and fills - but honestly corn is like giving the deer candy. I am not planning throwing corn all year from all 3 feeders - and 350lb units are probably good enough for the season (will upgrade my remaining 100lb to a 350 at some point). I really need to be giving them protean and food plots (2015 focus). Bigger question for me is fencing all of this - but am going to start a different post about that.