Extra Large Dog Feeders $182.50
Feed capacity is 67 pounds, over a sack of feed!
The Holy Grail of dogs feeders is one that an entire sack of feed can be dumped into at once. Actually you are better off with two feeders that accept a half sack, twice the space for dogs to eat, but I can see the attraction of dumping a sack in a feeder every thirty days. The extra large rat proof dog feeder hopper holds 67 pounds of any kind of dog feed and has a 100% galvanized sheet metal feed tray and hopper so the feed flows easily and sanitation is assured.
Generally a dog won’t overeat on dry food but you have to watch older dogs that aren’t as active.
Size
The feed box is about 10.5” deep x 14.5” wide x 30.5” tall, the overall foot print is 21.5” wide x 19.5” deep x 30.5” tall. The shipping box is 33” x 12.5” x 16.5”. It ships as an oversize package and dimensional weight up charges will mean this package ships at around 36 pounds. Figure $52.00 to ship from Oklahoma to Modesto CA.
Number of dogs per feeder
That will vary depending upon your feed but generally there are four cups of dog food per pound of dry feed. A medium sized dog needs around 2 cups per day, a giant dog might need 4 cups per day. Given that, expect a small dog to eat for around eight months, a medium dog around five months, and a large dog around two months.
Versions available
There will be only one version of the extra large dog feeder, an exterior soft close version. The soft close cylinders are pre installed at the factory.
Training the Dogs
Older dogs can be difficult to train, especially if they have balance problems or weak back legs. The old story of teaching an old dog new tricks is so true. Younger dogs will learn much faster. Just let them get good and hungry, a few hours after their normal feeding time. Show them where the feed is with the tip of your toe and see if they will come over and check out the feed. Toss some treats in while the dog is watching. Do not block the feeder open, that teaches the dog that the door isn’t supposed to move.
My dog is quite old, 14 years for a black Border Collie is old. His back legs are starting to drag due to age/nerve weakness, standing on one leg in front is difficult so he has trouble using the treadle. Instead, he simply shoves his head into the door and chows down. Works for him, life finds a way to get by I guess and keeps the squirrels out of his food.
Construction Details
Click on this link for a video showing some of the features of these large feeders. The dog feeder and chicken feeder are identical in case you wonder.
One piece steel bar treadle with an attached distant and narrow treadle which gives the maximum amount of rat proofing. This feeder isn’t designed for for smaller dogs but it might be tweaked with some work on the customer’s part.
Two concrete counterweight balances the weight of the door, steel treadle, and step. The concrete counterweights is what makes this feeder truly rodent proof. Additionally there are two springs that prevent large rats and most squirrels from just pushing the door open to steal feed.
The adjustable throat on the feed tray can be seen down inside the inside of the feed hopper and the picture on the right is of the actual adjustable throat before it is installed in the feeder. A single bolt is used to make construction easier so it can bet cocked a bit if the bolt isn’t tight but the feed will still flow. The protruding flange on the adjustable throat plate will cause a half cup of feed to pile up but the flange was needed along with some extra seams and flanges to stiffen up the feed tray bottom.
The large feeder has a different door axle and crank system than the medium and small feeders due to the need to have a double counterweight and double wire link system. A massive block of steel is bored to fit over the axle on each side, the axle has a flattened end, and a 1/4″ bolt locks the door crank on the axle. This provides several benefits in addition to having a double end door crank; the spring is now on the opposite side of the axle than where the soft close cylinder will be fitted to avoid clashing of the spring and cylinder. It also can be adjusted to remove any play that might allow the door to shift to one side and reveal a gap. The double sided counterweight/link/spring system was needed to handle the 50% wider door and heavier treadle.
One of the new features of the large and extra large feeders is a series of four holes to insert the spring into to make it more adjustable than earlier models. Two of the holes are up under the lid flange and can’t be seen in the picture. The picture on the left is one of the original prototype feeders with the old style axle. All extra large feeders have the heavy duty double end door axle/crank system.