I want to install a automatic catfeed feeder on a half acre pond. I need some input on want type or style of feeder works the best.

Cabela's has a feeder called the straight shooter. Throws from 3 to 40 ft in a narrow band. Looks like it would work real good for a fish feeder and at 29.99 is real economical. I plan on getting one to try out. Part number is GC-22-4056

Save your money Bob, I tried the straight shooter and your getting what you pay for. I had trouble with the feed plugging it up and it doesn't even come close to shooting 40 yrds, maybe it works better as a deer feeder. But thanks for the info anyway, you might have better luck than I did.

Well thanks for the info guess I'll save my money! Bob

Hoop Daddy, I tried the straight shooter by Kenco this year. I mounted on 55 gal barrel and mounted barrel using 4x4's on a wooden plateform so bottom of shooter would be about eye level. Put plateform/barrel at waters edge. My pro's / cons:
Worst problem, coons climbed plateform and reached in and tore off rubber spinner paddle that expels feed. TWICE ! Kenco sent me new paddles ( no charge ) I had a ball of feed that blocked the hole that feeds the shooter, but this also happened on a spin plate feeder Iv'e tried. Water Level:I made my plateform using a 6 ft. ladder to refill when the feeder gets low, but if you have rising or falling water levels that could cause problem of filling feeder when water is too high and feed falling onto dry ground when waterlevel is low. Still as a money savings and quick fix I'm still using the Kenco after coon proofing. Also as advertized, they throw Forty Feet Max. Not 40 yards. When it goes off it will spit out a few very close and then most I would guess would go out to 12- 20 ft. with few going pellets going more. (Depends on Size of pellets)
If battries get low, that also is problem. Just another note of interest. I built a floating fish feeder; a deer feeder that sat on plateform using four 55 gal. barrels, floated out to 25 yds into water. And coons swam out to feeder, climbed plateform and removed spin plate, loosing all that remained in that 55 gal of feed. I have had my share of problems this year, yet I still use both, as its better than no feed at all, untill I find something better.

Make sure the feeder is 12 volt and shoots in one direction. Add a metal cone if it is at all flat on the bottom, and add a wire auger that goes from the fins on the plate up inside the tube to the feed. I drilled holes in the fins on the plate then added a piece of wire thru the holes and in an inverted V to keep the grain loose . This wire will keep the feed loose after a blowing rain or heavy moisture period. I also put it on legs in the water with a half round gutter extended over the water. That way it will feed in to the water even as the water recedes. A fence around the same feeder keeps cattle away and helps support the gutter or trough.

Save your money and buy the new Texas Hunter Directional Fish Feeder. It is the best feeding machine out there and I've tried a lot of them. Solar powered, it will shoot the feed out about 45 feet with a wide pattern spread. Here's the link to the info http://www.texashunterproducts.com/difife.html

I have tried less expensive feeders and wish that I hadn't wasted my money. The sweeney feeder with the auger is the best. Mine is over four years old and have not had a problem yet. The auger eliminates the clogs. Feeding corn and feeding fish food is not the same. Fish food tends to clog and clump just from the moisture of condensation. Don't waste your money on cheap imitations.

CatfishBob,

I'm glad to read your evaluation. I've seen their ad in Pond Boss and wondered about the product. It is kind of pricey, however.

James is right that the old addage that you get what you pay for applies to fish feeders.

Just go to Bass Pro or Cabela's and get Moultrie Feeder's hanging feeder kit. You will have to buy a Moultrie Feeders leg and bracket kit and put it together. All for less than $100 and it spreads feed just fine.

Well my brief experence with a feeders..............was that the racoons pretty much destroyed them wiether they were floating,dock, or hung in a tree over the water regardless of varmit guards or type of feeders.......so if you got racoons be cautioned !!

I had to modify my feeder to solve the "coon" problem. I have an On Time feeder bought at my local feed supplier. It is a relatively inexpensive feeder as feeders go($185). It is a spin type with aluminum deflector plate powered by 10 AA alkaline batteries. The motor is suspended below a 30 gallon plastic drum. I fabricated a feeder mounting post of 2" steel pipe with a swing arm using the two, two-piece farm gate hinges welded to the pipe with extensions welded to the hinges. The whole assembly is bolted to the end of my dock. The swing arm suspends the drum approximately 20-24" beyond the end of the dock. I removed the steel wire handle from a 5 gallon plastic bucket then cut the top ring off the bucket just above the handle mounting ring. Next I cut the bottom from the bucket then cut the bucket in half. Using sheet metal screws, I mounted the half bucket to the bottom of the drum. The half bucket extends downward below the motor. The pockets in the bottom of the handle attachment ring provided attachment points for the screws. Now, the coons cannot get to the spin plate from the dock as the half bucket blocks them. They can climb on the drum but the plastic is too slick for them to grasp to climb down to access the feed plate. To fill the feeder, set timer, change batteries, etc. I merely swing the feeder back over the dock. I can simply lift the whole swing arm drum assembly off the post if I want when not feeding. I realize this won't work for all types of feeders but it has eliminated my coon problems. As for the feeder itself, I have no complaints other than the spin plate and lack of a manual external motor disconnect switch. I modified the plate by beating it flat then brazing on metal fins (like a fertilizer spreader). This greatly increased the radius of the semi-circle spread pattern. I purchased a small toggle switch at Radio Shack, drilled an appropriate sized hole in the bottom of the motor housing plate and wired the switch between the timer assembly and the motor. I can now isolate the motor from the timer to prevent feed discharge (in my face as well I might add) when desired without affecting the timer. Sorry for the long post but it might help someone with their feeder.

Aqupro (formerly Stren) feedrs have a pre and post spin mode that removes all available food from the lower unit. This has several functions including minimizing the amount of food thrown clsoe to shore. However it also has eliminated the problem with critters getting into the unit. IF you have coons this will solve the problem.

I have three of the stren feeders. The control panel is inside the food hopper so critters cannot gain access.

They work great!

And the stren has great customer service and a 4 year warranty. I had trouble with a motor one time - they sent me a brand NEW unit. Not the motor--but the whole feeder!

Frank

I have several feeders and the stren 75-d has worked like a charm. I fixed one small problem which the factory has since fixed. The coons have not damaged it even though they visit every night.

I agree with Greg and Frank and EWEST. However, I will add that something, a coon I suspect, got its appendige through that small hole in the bottom of the feeder and ripped out the wiring. Great customer service and warranty!