Sick and tired of rebuilding feeders every year, who makes the best timer?

[Huntindad]

Yeah, I saw that too, but it won't really do what I want. See, even with the spin style feeders, the deer will just let the corn sit there until dark, then come in and eat it. Apparently, the birds don't steal enough during the day, and the hogs don't seem to come in during the day either. With the bucket/tray setup, they'd just let it sit in the tray until dark. What I want is a trough, with a lid, that opens during the day, and is closed at night. That way, they either come in and eat during the day, or they don't eat from that feeder. Might take a while to get them trained to it, but I think it would work, if only I could get the mechanics/electronics worked out.

the electronics you got...aka a timer. just need a set of gears to make a lid go up and down.

on another note... if the deer are that nocturnal... you may have other issues.

[gusman]

I also agree with HCR they reliable

[Fishndude]

I have both HCR and The Timer. I like The Timer better.

[adam_p]

I have a couple Texas Hunter Products feeder motors that have been running 365 days a year for over 5 years now. 1 of them closer to 10.

[denowt]

Just had to replace 2 more of "the timer" Junk.

My all seasons timers are still going well.

I bought an All Season feeder 2 years ago.
My brother and I each bought an All Season feeder last week.
All 3 came with "The Timer".

Brother in law bought a Foreverlast feeder last year, it came with a POS "redneck timer".

[Mike Javi Cooper]

I was thinking something along the lines of a miniature garage door opener, chain drive, dual direction motor etc. Where i get lost is how to control that motor, I'm not real savvy with electronics.

What power source is available?

[Outback77]

HCR for me

[AgHntr10]

Yeah, I saw that too, but it won't really do what I want. See, even with the spin style feeders, the deer will just let the corn sit there until dark, then come in and eat it. Apparently, the birds don't steal enough during the day, and the hogs don't seem to come in during the day either. With the bucket/tray setup, they'd just let it sit in the tray until dark. What I want is a trough, with a lid, that opens during the day, and is closed at night. That way, they either come in and eat during the day, or they don't eat from that feeder. Might take a while to get them trained to it, but I think it would work, if only I could get the mechanics/electronics worked out.

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69701

Don't know if or where you can buy these but sounds like what you want. Just hope it never rains during daylight hours

[Atfulldraw]

I have a couple Texas Hunter Products feeder motors that have been running 365 days a year for over 5 years now. 1 of them closer to 10.

They cost a bit more, so you won't get as many recommendations for these....

But they are all I will buy now.

[MesquiteBean]

Foreverlast feeder with The Timer. Never had a problem.

[Howard]

I have had my "the timer" since 2004. It can sit a yr or two and I'll spray a little lube and it has never not spun. Ultra Karl is as nice as they come too

[gonehuntin68]

So....The Timer looks good, as well as HCR, OnTime, Triple C and Foreverlast. Can't find pricing on Triple C products. I'm going to try Foreverlast this year, but won't need a timer for the tailgate feeder. I'm not sure I like the design on the OnTime units, plus, this setup is currently 12V and looks like all of the OnTime units are self contained 6V....all I need is a timer. That brings me down to HCR, or TheTimer. I'm sure they'll all be better than the Remington ones I've been using from Academy, which look the same as numerous other brands, just with a different sticker on them. The last timer I bought was a "Texas Hunter Products" that I picked up at the hardware store near the lease. It looked tough and seemed like it should work well, even had wires available to hook up the solar panel and automotive style snap lock connectors for everything. Didn't hold up.

Let's hear some votes, HCR or TheTimer?

No wonder you have had problems because in my opinion those Remington timers or ones that look the same like Wild Game Inovations are one of the worst on the market. I run 17 feeders year round and right now I have 12 with the "timer" in them and 1 of them only worked a week but the rest have been good. The rest of my feeders have various timers in them but I have a couple of moultrie timers that are going on 7 years old that still work perfect. If you want to stop having problems I would recommend going with the one in the picture below. It comes with the Timer, Solar panel, Eliminator spinner plate and a heavy duty welded varmint cage that could be locked with a couple of padlocks. I have 7 of these and while they say they hold a 1000#s they hold 1100. These feeders are built like a tank. I have a ton of pigs and I love the fact that they are on skids so when the pigs start making a big hole I just drag the feeder over a few feet with my truck. I got mine from Premier Feeders in Katy. I have had all kinds of feeders over the years and these are by far my favorite feeders and they can be easily filled from the back of my truck.

[TheoA]

I've had feeders out for years, tried several over the the years. IMO the Remington type is pure junk. Sorry but not a fan of ontime. That life time warranty take 6 to 8 weeks.
Running 15 HCR and The timer now. Both very good but they are man made. Service is slower at hCR. the timer was replaced within a week. For varmint proofing I'm using the Eliminator

[keystone]

We have had great luck with this unit from J & L Sales in Crossplains.
[ATTACH]647463[/ATTACH]

What ever timer unit you go with, I would highly suggest a good cage. I took a 55 gal barrel lid and fab'ed a cage so that the cage is as big as the lid... Screwed the lid to the bottom of my feeder (it's a square feeder that has a funnel below) and then attached the cage to the lid with a hinge and a retainer clip.

Not one problem in the two years it's been up from coons or porcupines.....or people either

I second this one from J and L....we all run them in north tx,great timers w/ solar panels

[Capt Glenn]

The one I have had the best luck with is the All Seasons unit that comes in a galvanized housing, has a The Timer and an Eliminator plate. Rigged with an All Seasons solar panel they have been pretty much bulletproof for me. The price isn't terrible either.

I hunt fairly close to the coast and the powder coated or painted housings just don't hold up. They started rusting up after 2 or 3 years. The All Seasons galvanized housings still look like new after 4 years of use.

https://www.allseasonsfeeders.com/ProductDisplay.aspx/1511_Evolution_Control_Unit

https://www.allseasonsfeeders.com/ProductDisplay.aspx/1508_12V_Solar_Panel_and_Bracket

All that said as I buy feeders or replace feeders I think I am going to give the All Seasons Stand and Fill feeders a try. I like the idea.