Wildgame Innovations Quick-Set 270 lb Game Feeder

Works well, deer love it.

This feeder is reasonably well built for the cost. I did get the solar panel and battery set up too. I did follow some of the suggestions in previous reviews. Before you get this feeder go get yourself some 1/4" x 1" bolts (20 pack is fine), some good nylon locking nuts for the bolts, strong roll of duct tape and a tube of outdoor rated clear silicone. Also, some fine grit sandpaper. The lid didn't fit very well due to shipping and cold, it was very warped. I put the lid on the top half so that it was on there as well as you can get. I then took all the leg boxes and a few weights an put them on top of the lid. This was enough compression to make it sit on it correctly. I then took a heat gun (hair dryer could also be used) and gave it a good warming up. I then let it sit for about 2 hours. Then I did it one more time for good measure. After the cool down period all warps were gone and the lid fit very nicely. On to the assembly. I roughed up the surface of where the barrel halves go together and wiped them down with an alcohol wipe. I then put a fairly good bead of silicone between the two halves of barrel and then tightened the bolts just enough so the silicone would squish a bit. Wait about 12 hours or so. Tighten the rest of the way. While you are waiting on the silicone to cure you can prep the legs. The legs are very loose fitting. What I did was put a couple small chunks of duct tape on the top of the leg that fits into the other leg. Probably over kill but I then duct taped the 2 legs together. Trust me this will come in handy at set up time. So directions say that you need 2 people to set this up. However, I didn't have anyone that could drive all the way out to our property when I wanted to set this up. I found no issues setting it up this way... I drive a bigger k2500 pickup. So I put the feeder on the tailgate and drove out to the spot I wanted to set this up. If you scoot the feeder close to the end of your tailgate, you can attach 2 of the legs in full sections (2 sections of 2). From there you can just grab the other full section of leg and at the same time grab the feeder right at where the leg fits into and pull towards you. It will slide and pivot on the 2 legs already on it giving you enough space to slide the last leg in and make it stand up. This thing is very tall. Way taller than it looks in pictures. Since the truck was right there I backed it up about 2 feet. I'm not the tallest person (5'8") and standing on the tailgate of my 2500 I still had to put the 50# bag of corn over my head and stand on my tip toes to load this thing up. I may end up taking off 1 post on each leg to make it easier to load. For now I am just going to leave it. If you get the solar panel, don't use the included attachment screws. Mark where you are going to put it and drill out the 2 holes with a 5/16" bit. Use the same bolts from earlier. Use the included rubber washer and put that on your bolt from the outside. Then put your nylon locking nut on the inside. This thing really slings the corn out there! I hit the test button and walked about 20 yards away to go check the game cam and I was totally being pelted with corn. It is pretty loud and will probably make any critter run off. Set the feeding times for when you know there will be nothing around. I will update this review in 6 months with how good this stands up to a North Dakota winter with blizzards and high winds. So far, so good. This could change.

So good I got 2,

Need to use corn only in it, otherwise it clogs up... legs are not sturdy, don’t lift the unit the legs are going to fall off. Suggestion, put some tape on the legs so they hold tight together when you assemble them.

I purchased this item in February with the specific intent to make it my second 270lb. gravity feeder. Never had any if the issues mentioned in negative reviews but to be fair, I don't use the motor. By adding a gravity head and making a couple of modifications, I expect to get several years of use out of it. I no longer use spin feeders or feed corn, opting for 20% protein pellets. That has several benefits in itself: No hogs, they don't eat it!, no batteries to run down, deer love it all year(see photos) and it promotes herd health over corn(winter specific carbohydrate). Feeder Pros: Barrel lasts forever if protected from UV rays by paint(have 5 yr. one still looks new). Replace push pins with 1/4 X1" hex bolts and lock nuts. While assembling barrel, place thick bead of silicone calk between haves before bolting together(stops leaks). Secure lid with toolbox latch (B074R7YMK9 on Amazon) seals out blown rainwater. Cover lid with 18" alum. water heater drip pan and pop-rivet into sides of lid(not top) and cut out for latch and hinge(stops chewing squirrels cold)! Tape legs at joints with waterproof duct tape for ease of assembly. Buy a set of feet for the legs, helps stability and avoids sinking/tilting which leads to leg bending. Great value for the money and I expect plenty of years of trouble free feeding( only problem is keeping them full during spring/summer).