Dog Loves Tennis Ball Catapult

Dog Loves Tennis Ball Catapult LIVESTOCK DOGS 30-3-31 "My golden retriever, Paddy, loves chasing tennis balls flung by this easy-to-make catapult," says Monroe "Mike" Hall, Belfast, Maine. "He'll even put the ball in the holder for me." The ball thrower is based on an Onager-type catapult, which uses spring tension rather than weights to toss an object. It dates back to medieval times when it would hurl boulders against castle walls. The catapult consists of a 1 by 2-ft. pine frame. The catapult arm is a 14-in. section of a hockey stick fitted with a stainless steel spaghetti-serving spoon. With the arm in a vertical position, the lower end is wrapped in nylon cord that's wrapped tightly around it by two dowels on the side. Then a ratchet is used to pull the catapult arm down into a horizontal position where a strap hinge flips down over it to hold it in place for launching. A small latch serves as the trigger. The hockey stick and ball are set free when trigger is released. The ball goes in a high arc for 70 ft. "It sure saves my arm," says Mike. "And Paddy loves it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Monroe "Mike" B. Hall, 106 City Point Rd., Belfast, Maine 04915 (ph 207 338-3792; fax 207 548 0246).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.