Measuring for custom feeders – helpful hints

Occasionally we’ll get a call from a customer looking to do a DIY project to cover a feeder they have.  The inquiry is typically about how to determine what they will need for a flat sheet of material to accomplish their goal.  What we recommend are the following steps:

1. Fill your feeder with the desired amount of hay.
2. With a length of rope or flexible measuring tape measure from the desired attach point over the hay to the opposite attach point. This is where a length of rope usually serves better than a measuring tape.
3. Measure the length of rope if you used that method.
4. Repeat this in other directions if your feeder is rectangular to gain all the lengths. This will give you the minimum panel size you will need to get up over the top of your hay pile.  We recommend adding a little extra to the length and width if you want a looser fit.

 

Now you might say “I have a feeder I am only filling to the top of the walls.  How do I compensate to allow the netting to drop into the feeder so the horses can feed to the bottom?”

In these cases we recommend the following method:

1. Measure from the attach point to the top of your feeder then down to the bottom of the feeder and add those 2 measurements.
2. Multiply this total by 2.
3. Measure across the feeder.
4. Add this to the result in step 2
5. Repeat this in other directions if your feeder is rectangular to gain all the lengths.
6. Send us the measurements gained from the above steps to create a custom cut sheet quotation.

To verify your findings we recommend taking a bed sheet or tarp or any piece of thin sheet material and cutting it to your planned size.  Then applying it to your feeder as a test piece to see if it covers the hay and drops into the feeder as you desire BEFORE ordering your material.  The cost of the netting material adds up and we want to ensure that your purchase will work exactly as you intend it.  We will only cut rectangular and square shapes.  If you want a round shape, for example, we will quote the equivalent size in a square and you will have to perform the additional cuts as required.  Be cautious though as all custom cut sheets are non returnable.

Check our site for accessories to assist with your custom net attachments.

Thanks, and keep feeding slow!