Propane tank “Stand N Fill” x2

[SwampBuck]

Well, sold off some winch ups I had and have a stand that’s pretty much sold as well. But true to my nature of making **** complicated instead of taking what should be enough money for two brand new larger sized stand and fill feeders. I decided to see if I can just save a chunk and take on a project. New with timers/motors I believe I would be looking at $1200-1600 ish for two 600lb units. I think I can beat that and get some welding practice while I’m at it.

Yesterday I had a random thought and did some digging. Some quick googling confirmed that a few TBH brothers had done what I want to shoot for.

The plan is to pick up a approximately 250 gallon propane tank. Believe I have one in decent shape pegged down already. ($100)

That will be my two halves for my feeders.
For timers and motors I have that covered already with the two ladder style tripod feeders I will be replacing with these.

I’m going to shoot for making them just tall enough to fill from the ground but in all honesty even the one stand and fill I have now I fill it out of my truck bed. So bare minimum I want to be able to fill it out of the bed of the truck.

Pics to come.
Anyone with any thoughts or suggestions please chime in.

[UncleBubba]

In for the outcome!

[bowfishin fool]

Tagged, always love a good project


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[SwampBuck]

I plan to have a steel panel style cage around the bottom with a hinged door on one said that folds down for access.

One thing I am considering is figuring how to run some small tubing from the box up the side of the feeder and be able to wire my solar panel up hiring on the side of the feeder rather than on the side of the box down low and in the cage. Will likely have some sort of bracket for the solar panel to attach to. Hopefully out of reach of any critters

[RWB]

This is not a propane tank but similar idea. You will have to come up with a lid. I made mine out of plate and flat bar.
Build the skids out of 2x2 1/4 walk.
Built in varmit cage with hinges makes access easy.
This thing is bullet proof and holds somewhere between 25 and 30 sacks.

[CentralTXHunter]

Originally Posted by SwampBuck

I plan to have a steel panel style cage around the bottom with a hinged door on one said that folds down for access.

One thing I am considering is figuring how to run some small tubing from the box up the side of the feeder and be able to wire my solar panel up hiring on the side of the feeder rather than on the side of the box down low and in the cage. Will likely have some sort of bracket for the solar panel to attach to. Hopefully out of reach of any critters

My suggestion would be to run some 1/2” conduit inside the feeder and run the wiring internally. Elbow near the top where you want to mount the panel. Drill a hole in your funnel to run it all the way to the bottom. You can throw a grommet in the hole just to make it tight with the conduit. Then mount your solar panel up high, run the wiring through the conduit, and drop it out the bottom of the feeder into the control unit.


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[Michael]

In for the pics!

[eastover53]

Originally Posted by SwampBuck

The plan is to pick up a approximately 250 gallon propane tank. Believe I have one in decent shape pegged down already. ($100)


Anyone with any thoughts or suggestions please chime in.

It will be extremely heavy. But will last a lifetime.

[highspeed]

Great minds think alike! Got this 250 gallon tank to make 2 feeders with and a 150 gallon propane tank to make a steak cooker by cutting one of the caps off and use the rest to make a bbq pit.

[RWB]

Just mount your solar panel to the side of the motor box. Mine has charged just fine like this for 4 years.

[SwampBuck]

Originally Posted by CentralTXHunter

My suggestion would be to run some 1/2” conduit inside the feeder and run the wiring internally. Elbow near the top where you want to mount the panel. Drill a hole in your funnel to run it all the way to the bottom. You can throw a grommet in the hole just to make it tight with the conduit. Then mount your solar panel up high, run the wiring through the conduit, and drop it out the bottom of the feeder into the control unit.


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Good idea. Should be easy to do. Much cleaner Installation also.
I like to have remotes on my feeders to but I know feeders with the heavy cages around them interfere with the signal, so I will likely have a spot to feed my remote antenna to and extend the wires to the box. Have the solar panel and the remote antenna next to one another.

In reality I guess a fella could relocate the whole setup minus the motor up onto the side.

Something to think on

[SwampBuck]

Originally Posted by RWB

Just mount your solar panel to the side of the motor box. Mine has charged just fine like this for 4 years.

Good to know. I have a couple like that now but the feeders are much taller. I figured getting close to the ground I may loose some light

[Palmetto]

I use 1/2" EMT conduit for solar panel wires, and mount the panel to a 1/8"thk plate that I cut out & drill holes in. Drill a 13/16" hole in the timer box, and mount a EMT adapter fitting for the conduit. Tough as nails, and zero problems with varmints.

Both of these feeders I built, and have had run year around with no issues. The protein feeder has been in service since 2013.

EDIT:
The first pic i used the solar panels bracket, and I havent had any issues with it. But since then I have built about 5 using the method in the second pic. They are much stouter.

[SwampBuck]

I literally just looked at these this morning while
I was researching.

I’m still considering running ATLEAST my remote and my solar panel up the side of the barrel in some fashion. But if I’m doing all that it makes me feeL like I may as well have the timer and battery up there too and have it all boxed together with just the wires running to the motor under the barrel.

My only reason I’m considering not doing any of that is because we generally only have our lease around and through the season, during the off season I normally pull all my boxes and plug the feeder funnel hole off. Being able to pull the box as an entire unit is always nice.

Still debating.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by SwampBuck

Good to know. I have a couple like that now but the feeders are much taller. I figured getting close to the ground I may loose some light

the solar panel is only replenishing the battery draw from the motor running 10 seconds in the morning and 10 seconds in the evening, you don't really need much sun to do that. most timers run off AA bats and even if they run off main battery, they draw very little

[big_smith]

I have built a couple over the past few years. I started using ammo cans on the side of the barrel to house my timer and battery. With a stand and fill you have to get down on your knees to get to the timer if it is mounted underneath. Sooner or later you will go when it is wet and it is a pain in the hind parts to work on. My solar panel can rotate. It will charge better if it faces South.

[SwampBuck]

Originally Posted by Rick

the solar panel is only replenishing the battery draw from the motor running 10 seconds in the morning and 10 seconds in the evening, you don't really need much sun to do that. most timers run off AA bats and even if they run off main battery, they draw very little

Agreed, and well aware. I’ll admit I’m a slight bit paranoid when it comes to my feeders working though. I don’t wanna leave much to chance when I live 4
Hours from my lease and show up after being gone awhile to something messed up. I know the simple route will be to Just use the boxes I already have and keep the unit all self contained. Especially being as it’s only out there 5-6 months out of the year.

[SwampBuck]

Victim acquired.
The rust doesn’t look like anything a buffing wheel and some paint at the end of it all won’t fix. Going to have to pull a tap later and figure out where my center will be. The tank has been sitting open for some time so fumes/residue I’m not worried about.


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[kruppa24]

Tagged!

[SwampBuck]

Drawing some inspiration from previous TBH builds of this nature I started doing some pencil pushing to figure about how much metal I’m looking at needing.

Found my centerline on the tank and got some measurements. Being as it’s a “stand in the truck bed” and Fill feeder. I stood in the truck and measured up. 8’ to the top was about my max I was gonna do. Next I needed to know they would fit on my trailer or my brother in laws. 6’ wide base leaves me some room. A 30”OD tank gave me 21” side to side to get that 6’.

Plans are to use 2x2x3/16 angle for the skids and the legs. 1x1x1/8 angle to frame up the cage and cage door.

My only hang up at the moment is getting close to the bend I need on the legs. I’ll likely weld them on straight to the tank, then hit em with the rose bud to bend them out as needed. After it’s all said and done I MAY take some scrap angle and saddle those bends at the end. Not sure if that’ll be necessary.

Even mocked it up with tape in my fishing room to get and idea of how big they would end up being






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[SwampBuck]

Live update:
Taking on some aiming juice before I see how this is going to pan out.
Made several marks all the way around and pulled some gorilla tape to give me a line.

This is the point where “looks good on paper” becomes “good enough for the girls I go with”




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[Big_gun]

SEND IT!

Originally Posted by SwampBuck

Live update:
Taking on some aiming juice before I see how this is going to pan out.
Made several marks all the way around and pulled some gorilla tape to give me a line.

This is the point where “looks good on paper” becomes “good enough for the girls I go with”

[SwampBuck]

Sent!
Two blades/Two beer later.

Skil saw was the right choice that’s for sure.




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[highspeed]

Making progress!

[TexasCanesFan]

This should be a fun build to follow. Plans look good.

[Raider4044]

Looking good so far!

[muddyz]

Nice work, I was one of the builds, let me know if you need any help. The hardest part was manhandling that thing around my garage. You probably don't need quite that big of a base footprint.

[SwampBuck]

Originally Posted by muddyz

Nice work, I was one of the builds, let me know if you need any help. The hardest part was manhandling that thing around my garage. You probably don't need quite that big of a base footprint.

Yeah I was thinking the base is a little bigger than I had to go, but I wanted the things to be stable. I MIGHT still call and audible on the legs once I start tacking things together

[SwampBuck]

Couple of C3P0’s sitting around..

Where I left it for today, had to stop mid afternoon due to work related stuff. But I have all the extra brackets cleaned off and just the threaded holes left to fill in. (Did manage to get one filled). For curiosity sake I did manage to pull a tape around the caps and find what should be relatively dead center of the cap on one of the tanks.



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[SwampBuck]

Made a little progress this afternoon.
Picked up the majority of my metal today. Got home and started cutting and tacking. Tomorrow afternoon I hope to get the skids set under it and then the two cross braces. Rights at 8’ to the top at the moment.


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[CabezaBlanca]

That’s definitely a “stand in the truck and fill”. Awesome work!

[Walker]

No need for a funnel.

[SwampBuck]

Originally Posted by CabezaBlanca

That’s definitely a “stand in the truck and fill”. Awesome work!

Yessir.
Reference picture. I’m about 5’7”- 5’8”


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[fish4food]

Slowly but surely! Coming along nicely!

[SwampBuck]

Minor progress this afternoon. I’m working four nights this weekend so time for feeder work will be limited. Still need to tack the skids in place and make some bitches to bend the ends.

Originally I was planning on 8’ skids with a 6” angled section on the ends. But last minute I decided I liked an overall 7’ skid better, with about a 3”-4” angled end on each.





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[SwampBuck]

More light progress. Tacked on one brace and mocked the other in place before having to cut out for work.

Undecided but trying to figure if I want to add small angled braces from each leg down to the skid (running inline with the skid) or if it’s overkill.

I took a note from another TBH members build and raised my cross braces a little higher than being right at the ground so I wouldn’t drag that on any rocks when sliding the feeder around. This is something I’ve also ran into with my blind builds.




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[Killer]

Are you putting a spinner on it for corn or a tube for protein? That is going to be nice.

[SwampBuck]

A spinner. I’ll have a cage with a door around the bottom of the barrel, there will be a short (1” or less) spout that comes down to the Eliminator spinner plate. I already have the 12v motor/timer/solar panel/remote setups from another two feeders these will be replacing.

[jmwilliams07]

great idea!

[AgHntr10]

I’ve got one end with about 3ft of tank left from a project that I want to do this with just gotta make the time!

[Duramaxjack]

Looks good ... Should feed every pellet

[SwampBuck]

Almost done with the majority of the tacking up of the first feeder. Plan as of now is to tack all the 3/16 stuff up then come back and stick weld it all In Very solid. Then Everything 1/8 (like the box brackets and cage and wire) I’ll just do with the wire welder.

Skids are in place. And then started mocking up the box. Figured I better do this before the cage starts.

Instead of the factory T brackets these feeders come with I picked up some 1”x1/8 flat iron to act as the arms for the box. They’re just tacked in but tomorrow I’m going to cut a couple of braces to have two points of contact. (Might more sense once it’s done and I get a pic)

There will also be a 2” down spout about 1.25 to 1.5 in length for the eliminator to butt up to.






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[JMart76]

Gonna be some stout feeders for sure, great job!

[SwampBuck]

Stout feeders and stout stands. That’s what winch trailers and pieces of pipe for rollers are for. I like to do them once if I can help it.

[SwampBuck]

And then there were two.

At a point now I can pause and gonna have a relative come and stick weld out everything seen here. Mainly because my stick skills suck and I want this part done right.

After this most everything left is the 1/8” stuff and I will manage with the wire machine.



Weird thing happened last night, I was one brace away from being done and noticed the machine acting weird. Next thing I know half my house is without power. One leg of the box was good, one was not. So I called into work and started troubleshooting. Traced it all the way to the main breaker and sure enough, with all breakers off, both legs looked good, cut on any ONE breaker on the bad side and boom, nothing. Thankfully AEP made it out and made things right at the transformer, from what he said it “looked really bad up there, but you’re all good now, I cleaned it up”

The guy was a good dude. Wish I had gotten his name. A+ for him and AEP that’s for sure. Didn’t take them long to respond and show up and he fixed it quickly without any sort of attitude for having to be called out.


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[Texas Grown]

Project is look-n good Bud!

[davidpark06]

Looks good

[EastTexasTiger]

Originally Posted by SwampBuck

And then there were two.





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man this is some good work

[PYBUCK]

Do you own a winch truck? Going to need it to load on a trailer and set then up. Probably weigh 400lbs each.

[SwampBuck]

Have a 16’ trailer with a winch. But I’ve moved my big 5x8 stands with minimal effort. You’d be surprised how easy things move with some pipes as rollers when they’re built on skids.