How to Build an Auto Feeder for a Pitching Machine

Most pitching machines manufactured today have auto-feeders that store anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred baseballs at a time. If you have an older model, broken auto-feeder or a new machine without a feeder, adding a perfectly functional one is not very difficult.

Things You'll Need

  • Pitching machine
  • Plastic tubing
  • Glue or tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select your material. Plastic tubing or fold-able sheets are easy to find, inexpensive and easy to work with. Metal, wooden or other tubing, or a funnel, may also work fine, but are more difficult to manipulate for a perfect fit.

    • 2

      Make your tube or funnel fit perfectly. Your goal is to create a feeding device without space for the baseballs to rattle around as they enter the pitching machine. The top of the feeder where you insert balls can be as wide as you'd like, and the end that feeds into the machine should hold a single baseball snugly. For maximum capacity, use a funnel with a wide mouth or place a box with a hole in the bottom on top of your feeding tube -- you may wish to use tennis ball cans with bottoms removed.

    • 3

      Test your new contraption. A few trial runs may be necessary before you see what adjustments need to be made for your auto-feeding pitching machine to function as desired. The pressure of many dozens of baseballs piled high may strain less powerful machines. If your machine sounds tired, lighten its load by using ten or fewer balls at a time.