Prototyping and Manufacturing for Hunting Products

The owner Offset Feeder Legs came to us looking for a redesign of his product. He wanted to reduce the manufacturing cost he was incurring, it was astronomical, and he wanted to cut those costs, allowing him to provide his product directly to consumers, and also to distributors, retailers, and wholesalers.

In looking at different design options, we considered rolling square tubing for the legs. This provided some challenges as special dies would have to be made to accommodate the square shape, and prototypes would have to prove this solution to be viable.

Our team worked with Fred through the process to recreate his feeder legs. Not only do they make the feeders racoon-proof, but the legs are adjustable, so you can set the gravity head at the height of your choosing, so you can feed the animals you want to feed.

The feeder can also be leveled. By working with our manufacturing partner, we were able to provide Offset Feeder Legs with the product they were looking for, and we were able to reduce manufacturing costs by 50 percent.

Offset Feeder Legs is working with investment partners to get the financing deserved to put his product into mass production.

Hunting product design and manufacturing at a glance

Scope	Redesign for cost, CAD, prototype, manufacturing handoff
Materials	Formed steel tube and sheet, powder-coated finish
Goals	Lower part cost, flat-pack shipping, unchanged field strength
Typical timeline	6-12 weeks to production drawings

Where hunting hardware loses its margin

Feeder legs are simple parts that quietly destroy margin: welded assemblies ship as bulky freight, and every extra weld is labor. The owner wanted to sell direct rather than through a distributor, which meant the product had to survive parcel shipping and land at a price that still worked at retail.

What we changed

We rebuilt the leg set as bent, bolt-together components that nest flat in the carton, reduced the number of unique parts, and reran the load case so the stand still handles a full barrel plus wind loading. Production drawings and a vetted fabricator quote went out together, so the client could compare landed cost before committing to tooling.

Frequently asked questions

Can you redesign a product that is already selling?

Yes. Cost-down redesigns are common — we hold the function and dimensions your customers know and attack part count, welds, finishing and packaging.

Do you help find a manufacturer?

We quote through domestic and overseas fabricators we have used before and hand over the drawing package either way.

How much cost can a redesign realistically remove?

On welded steel goods, 20-40 percent landed cost is a normal outcome once shipping volume and labor are included.