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Spinpro DUSK/DAWN FEEDERS only:
Spinpro PROGRAMMABLE Feeders only:
A. Almost any type of 6-bolt lantern battery with spring terminals will operate the feeder for some period of time, BUT we highly recommend an Eveready Energizer or Duracell battery. Some 6-volt lantern batteries do not have an adequate power output to operate the feeder correctly. A general rule is that the heavier the battery, the longer it will last in your feeder. Q. How long will my batteries last? A. A fully charged Energizer or Duracell battery should last at least three months in any Spinpro feeder if you are feeding twice each day. If the temperature is below 20 F, the battery will last approximately 2 months. It is very important to purchase your batteries from a supplier who stock fresh, new batteries. Q. Can I use rechargeable batteries? A. Yes, but it must be a 6-volt rechargeable battery. In the long run, this is your best deal. Spinpro sells 6-volt rechargeable batteries and chargers that will pay for themselves in about three battery purchases. Never leave a rechargeable battery uncharged and in the cold. This will damage or destroy the battery. Recharge your battery for 8 to 12 hours with a Spinpro charger after 2 or 3 months of use. Q. Can I operate this feeder from a 12-volt battery? A. NO. Spinpro feeders are designed to operate with a 6-volt battery only. A 12-volt battery or supply will damage the feeder. Q. How does a Solar Charger work? Will it keep my battery fully charged? A. A Spinpro 6-volt Solar Charger MUST be used with a 6-volt Rechargeable battery. The Solar Charger is not powerful enough to operate the feeder by itself. This Solar Charger simply "trickle" charges the battery in the daytime. It does not have to be in direct sunlight, but you will get much better charging power if it is. In most areas, this charger "sees" enough light to keep your battery adequately charged if you are feeding up to two times each day. Q. Will the feeder be damaged if I connect the wires to the battery backwards? A. NO. Unlike other feeders, you can connect the wired to the battery backwards on any Spinpro feeder without causing any damage. The feeder simply will not work. Q. What type of feed container can I use? A. Although Spinpro sell some pre-drilled feed containers, almost any type of container that will keep your feed dry will work. Customers use 5-gallon pails to 55-gallon drums. The most important thing is that you have a good cover to keep the feed dry. Q. How do I mount the feeder to the feed container? A. Spinpro supplies a template, hardware, and directions showing how to cut the 5 holes in the bottom of your container and bolt the feeder on. All Spinpro feeders can be mounted to the same hole pattern. Q. How long will the feed in my feed container last? A. A five (5) gallon bucket will hold more than 30-pounds of feed, and a 55-gallon barrel will hold more than 350-pounds. Once you determine how many times per day or week you are feeding and how much feed your are spinning out each time, you can easily calculate how long your feed will last. Q. What types of feeds can I use? A. The best type of feed to use is shelled corn. It attracts deer and turkeys and keeps well in the feed container and on the ground even in the rain. Sunflower seeds, oats, cracked corn, and seed mixes also work well for turkeys. Processed pellet type feeds will also work for deer, turkeys, and fish, but your MUST keep these dry otherwise they will clog the feeder. Q. Can I use molasses coated feeds or feed supplements? A. It depends. As long as the coating on the feed is dry and not sticky, it will probably work. If it gets sticky especially when the weather gets warm, your feeder will probably clog. You might try mixing it with plain, shelled corn. Most types of dry feed supplements (pellets, powders, etc.) should work fine. Q. How much feed does the feeder spin out each time it operates? A. The feed control dial(s) let you adjust how long the spinner plate spins each feeding cycle. They are adjustable from zero to about 20 seconds. In 20 seconds, about five (5) pounds of feed will be scattered by the spinner plate. The type of feed used and the spin time determines the amount of feed spun out at each feeding cycle. Dusk/Dawn Feeder feed on or two (2) times each day, and Programmable Feeders feed as little as once each week or as much as six (6) times the same day. Q. Where should I place my feeder? A. Animals will generally find your feeder no matter where you place it. It is VERY important however to mount it where animals will not destroy it. Bears will knock down almost any tripod. A tripod, heavy tree limb, or homemade properly designed support bracket should work in most cases. Q. What about bears, raccoons, squirrels, and other varmints? A. If bears or elk are present, you will want to secure your feeder a minimum of eight feet (8') above the ground on a cable that is secured between two trees that are at least twenty feet (20') apart. Squirrels and other varmints will eat almost anything, so a metal feed container, and all-metal feeder or varmint guard may be best for you. NEVER walk under a hanging feeder. Q. How far will Spinpro feeders toss the feed? A. The spinner plate on Spinpro feeders will toss feed in a 20 to 30 foot diameter circle depending on feed type and battery strength. This cannot be adjusted. Some customers however place a piece of carpeting around part or all of the feeder to direct the feed down or to one side. Q. Will Spinpro feeders work in very hot, very cold, and wet weather? A. Yes. Spinpro feeders are
designed to operate from +140 F to -30 F. The clock display on
Programmable Feeders will not operate below 20 F, but the feed
times will continue to work. Q. Are Spinpro feeders legal? A. The laws vary greatly from state to check your local regulations first. It depends too on whether you are baiting or feeding for recreational viewing. Some states allow feeding and baiting all the time, some are limited, and some do not let your feed or bait at all. Check your regulations first to be sure. Q. Are Spinpro feeders noisy and do they scare the animals? A. Spinpro feeders so make some noise as the spinner plate scatters the feed. Animals will be afraid of it for one to three weeks because it is something new. After that, they will begin waiting to hear the noise. To them it indicates a free meal. They will run to the feeder when feed becomes scarce. Q. When my feeder activates, the spinner plate doesn't spin and the feeder hums or buzzes. Why? A. More than 95% of the time, this indicates a weak battery. The battery may measure 6-volts and power a lantern, but it doesn't provide enough power (current) to operate the feeder motor. Q. Does Spinpro warranty their products? A. Yes. Spinpro warranties their products for a period of one-year from date of purchase if the product is used in accordance with the instructions. Special conditions may apply. Batteries are NOT warranted. Damage due to animals, dropping the feeder, and weather are also not warranted. Q. Does Spinpro supply replacement parts? A. Absolutely! Spinpro will supply nearly any component you might need. We prefer that you send the complete feeder back to us so that we can properly test it and replace only what is necessary. Q. Does Spinpro make "special" feeders for unique applications? A. Yes we do. We can provide information and/or parts for special applications. Spinpro DUSK/DAWN FEEDERS only: Q. How do Spinpro Dusk/Dawn type feeders work? A. There is a photocell (light sensor) on the side of this feeder that senses sunrise and sunset and activates the electronics (motor) in the feeder. The two feed control dials in this feeder allow you to adjust how much feed the spinner plate spins out at sunrise and how much at sunset. One or both dials can be used and each is adjustable to spin the spinner plate from zero to about 20 seconds. Q. At what light level does a Spinpro Dusk/Dawn feeder activate? How dark or light does it have to get ? A. This feeder will activate 30 to 60 minutes after sunrise, and 30 to 60 minutes after sunset. If you are a hunter, in most cases you can hunt before it activates in the morning and after it activates in the evening. The direction the sensor is facing, the type of day, and the location where the feeder is placed (open field or dark woods) also determine when the feeder will activate. Q. Can I adjust the light level at which my Spinpro Dusk/Dawn feeder activates? A. No, the light level is pre-set and is not adjustable. Some customers however place a thin piece of colored plastic over the sensor. This will cause the feeder to activate later in the morning and earlier in the evening since you are "tricking" the light level the sensor actually sees. Q. How do I test a Spinpro Dusk/Dawn type feeder? A. You MUST wear gloves and safety glasses to protect your hands and eyes. Make sure your 6-volt battery is fully charged and connected correctly. Turn both feed control dials so that they point straight up (12:00 O'clock) and then put the door back on the feeder. Cover the light sensor on the side of the feeder with your hand. (NOT just a finger) This simulates sunset. (Dusk) You may have to hold your hand over the sensor for more than 60 seconds since there is a delay in this feeder to prevent false activations. The spinner plate should spin for about 10 seconds. After the spinner plate stops, remove your hand. This simulates sunrise. (Dawn) After a delay, the spinner plate will activate again. Q. My Spinpro Dusk/Dawn feeder just doesn't operate. What can be wrong? A. First, make SURE you have a good strong (Eveready Energizer or Duracell) battery, and that it is connected correctly. Check to see that the Dusk and Dawn dials are turned clockwise and that the cover is back on the enclosure. If the feeder is located in an area where there is not an adequate change in light level (sunrise to sunset), the light sensor will not activate the feeder. Try FAQ test procedure. Q. My Spinpro Dusk/Dawn feeder cycles ON and OFF several times. What is the problem? A. This is almost always caused by a weak battery. The feeder (light sensor and electronics) can no longer determine the change between sunrise (light) and sunset (dark). Spinpro PROGRAMMABLE Feeders only: Q. How many times per day will a Spinpro Programmable feeder operate? A. Our 7-Day Programmable Feeder can be programmed to feed as little as once each week, or as much as six (6) times the same day. The feed times programmed into this feeder repeat week after week. The exact day(s), hour, and minute can be selected. Q. When I remove my 6-volt battery, will my feed times in my Spinpro Programmable Feeder be lost? A. No. Unlike other feeders, the clock in this Spinpro Programmable feeder will operate for up to 2 years from a separate N-cell battery. You can change the 6-volt power battery whenever you want and your feed times (program) will not be lost. Purchase the N-cell battery at Radio Shack for less than $1.00. Q. How can I test a Spinpro Programmable Feeder? A. Wear gloves and safety glasses to protect your hands and eyes. Connect a fully charged 6-volt battery to the feeder then select your feed times by using the clock programming instructions. You can also test the amount of feed spun out each time by the spinner plate by varying the feed control dial. You can test this feeder manually by pressing the manual button on the bottom of the clock. The display will read ON and the spinner plate will spin for the length of time you have selected. MAKE SURE to push the manual button again so that the display reads OFF or your programmed feed times will NOT operate. It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you try some programmed times before mounting the feeder to the feed container. Q. My Spinpro Programmable Feeder does not operate at the programmed times. What could be wrong? A. To operate at the programmed times, the clock display on the feeder MUST show OFF. Press the large manual test button on the clock to switch the display to OFF. This is the automatic mode. If the display reads ON, you are in the manual mode and your programmed times will not operate. You must also select the amount of feed you want spun out by turning the feed control dial clockwise. Q. My Spinpro Programmable Feeder operates only once. What is the problem? A. You MUST select an ON and OFF time for EACH feeding cycle with the programmable clock. The OFF time MUST be set one minute later than the ON time. An example is: If you have the feeder turning ON at 8:00 AM only on Tuesdays, you must set the clock to turn the feeder OFF at 8:01 AM on Tuesdays. Another example is: If you have the feeder turning ON at 5:30 PM every day, you must set the clock to turn the feeder OFF at 5:31 every day. See the clock programming instruction again. Q. The display on the clock of my Spinpro Programmable Feeder is blank. What is wrong? A. The problem is probably that the small N-cell that powers the clock is weak or dead. You can pick up a new one at Radio Shack for less than $1.00. If the temperature drops much below 20 F, the LCD display on the clock will no longer operate, but your programmed times will still work. |
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| Spinpro Wildlife Feeders, 7925 Greenwood Road, Gladwin, Michigan 48624 (989) 246-1590 © 2005 SPINPRO, All Rights Reserved |