Does anyone know if one brand is significantly better than another? We have the ones Tractor Supply sells and they don’t seem all that durable. I need to replace some this year and thought I’d ask. Thanks!
TSC is my only choice( won’t pay the outrageous shipping) when I need a new one and I have had good ones and bad ones.
The last few have been good ones. If Allied Precision makes a heated 5 gallon and you don’t mind shipping I would buy those. I love the durability and long lasting quality of the 16 gallon tubs they make. I have 3 of them.
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Thank you! That’s my conundrum, too. Shipping vs quality/convenience.
I had both allied precision and the green TSC ones and it was very obvious the temperature of water in the green ones was higher and the horses drank more from the allied precision. I bit the bullet and paid shipping for more allied precision. I have two 5 gallon and one 16 gallon TSC I’d donate!
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That is very interesting. Thank you!
I do not know the brand names of my heated buckets.
I have had the blue buckets and the green buckets, either bought at Tractor Supply or the local feed store. They are clearly different brands because just about everything about them is different.
I have not found either brand out lasted the other.
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You might consider using insulated bucket holders. No need for electricity. We have switched to them and have good results with water not freezing and horses drinking well from them. They are really thick, insulated hard plastic, screw to the wall. Holds a 5 gallon, straight side bucket… Cashman and Dover sell them. Pricey, but no other expense once installed. None have broken since we got them in the stalls.
Our barn does not have electric in all stalls, plus then horses play with cords and bucket. I always worry about fire with cords in a barn. Add in the electric draw, which costs for all those buckets, I would have worried a lot more!
A couple tips for using them. Don’t fill bucket water higher than holder’s insulated side or top will ice. We cut tops lower on buckets so horse can reach the bucket bottom. Husband uses a Roto-zip tool to do that. Tool leaves a smoothed edge on the plastic for our large head horses to get bucket empty. We do not use the covers, water doesn’t freeze until Temps outside hit the low teens, then just maybe a skim of frost. Water will stay unfrozen longer if filled with hot water or mixed with hot. My friend puts her holders on the ground outside with hot water for her minis. Using the lids the holders come with, her buckets stay unfrozen all night. If you want to use the lids, putting cut apple pieces on the lid will get equines to push lid and water comes up too. They seem to learn fast with the apples getting them started.
Our holders have been in use here about 5 years, purchased used. Not sure of true ages. We use hose water mostly for filling in winter, but may add some heated water if really cold (zero or below) is predicted. Never have more than a skim of ice, with most buckets totally empty by the AM turnout.
We run the tank heaters at night, in the insulated, covered wooden boxs. No horses outside here at night. 100 gal tanks then easily staying unfrozen all day with their covers off. Saves electricity, no chance of horses getting shocks from a bad heater, to then quit drinking…
We struggled with iced night buckets until friend started using the insulated bucket holders and told us about them. We lucked out finding the quantity needed at a barn sale!
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The green ones heated the water more? And the horses drank the Allied Preferred more because it was cooler?
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I do not live in the frigid North but occasionally it does get cold here for a few days in winter. I made my own insulated buckets. Not that hard to do and a whole lot cheaper than those purchased. I take the blue foam insulated stuff that is about 4 inches wide and is in a roll like tape. I wrap it around the bucket/tub and then wrap black gorilla tape all around it. It works quite well if you can fill the bucket/tub in the afternoon before the water gets ice cold. I made an outdoor insulated tub like that and put a sheet of Styrofoam insulation on the top of it when it went down to 12 one night. The next morning I only had a razor thin sheet of ice on the top. The horses were not turned out in the pasture over night but the next morning I did not have to worry with pounding ice out of the tub and the horses had water waiting for them when they went out. The wrapped/insulated buckets always have less ice in them than the regular buckets.
I do have heated buckets and I use them but one horse hates heated water and they are a pain to set up. I only use them when it is getting down to the low 20’s because I would rather the horses tear up cheaper buckets and I don’t have to buy any more. So if it isn’t getting that cold I just use one plain bucket and one insulated bucket in each stall. If i lived in colder temps this might not work.
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I can’t say for sure it was the temperature difference but I bought green ones to add a second bucket in each stall and an extra tub in the turn out area, they were all consistent I. Preferring blue, could be color?
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