Converting old JUGS machine to throw leather balls

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Coach-n-Dad

Crazy Daddy
Oct 31, 2008
1,010
0
Does anyone know if there is a new wheel for the old JUGS machines designed to throw a leather softball instead of only the dimple balls?
 

Coach-n-Dad

Crazy Daddy
Oct 31, 2008
1,010
0
According to JUGS Sports, regular softball CAN be used with any of their machines. Regular softballs just wear out very quickly.

JUGS Question #60

Is there a different tire that won't wear the softballs out so quickly? I don't see anything about it on JUGS Sports.
 
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
I always use leather balls with my Jugs machine. Yes, it ruins them, but I just keep them separated and use them only for the machine.
 
Jan 15, 2009
585
0
I've found that using leather balls deposits leather onto the tire as it strips it off the balls. So it can mess with the tire, and don't make the mistake of trying to use old softballs in jugs machine, they break down so fast once the leather is old and soft that it's not worth the effort and can turn any Jugs machine into what I call the KIDHITTER 2000 series pitching machine
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
I've found that using leather balls deposits leather onto the tire as it strips it off the balls. So it can mess with the tire, and don't make the mistake of trying to use old softballs in jugs machine, they break down so fast once the leather is old and soft that it's not worth the effort and can turn any Jugs machine into what I call the KIDHITTER 2000 series pitching machine

I developed the "KIDHITTER 2000" last night using leather balls in our Jugs pitching machine. I hit two girls last night before we shut it down and went to long tee work.

The Jugs really eats up the leather balls fast.

1. What type of ball do you use in your Jugs machine?

2. Do those dimple machine balls hurt the composite bats?
 
Jan 23, 2010
802
0
VA, USA
I developed the "KIDHITTER 2000" last night using leather balls in our Jugs pitching machine. I hit two girls last night before we shut it down and went to long tee work.

The Jugs really eats up the leather balls fast.

1. What type of ball do you use in your Jugs machine?

2. Do those dimple machine balls hurt the composite bats?

We've always ran dimple machine balls through the Jugs machine. Some players have a "machine only" bat that they use, others take their composites in there. As a kid playing DIII college softball, I take my good bat in there... if it breaks, well... I'll pull some money out of savings and buy another one. Plus, with the ever changing legal bat list the chances of the bat being illegal before I could break it are pretty high up there.
 
Oct 22, 2009
1,532
0
PA
Actually, our league has 4 of the Atec Rookie machines. They also eat leather softballs like crazy. What's worse though, is that if the balls get a little wet from the grass, there is not way to predict where the ball will be pitched, though it is more of a CATCHERKILLER 2000 than a KIDHITTER.
 
Jul 26, 2010
3,567
0
I'm assuming most of the people wanting to use real balls are using them for fielding, not for hitting. I can't see the benefit of using a machine to practice hitting, when there are plenty of pitchers around who can use the workout.

-W
 
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