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Heater Real 12 Inch Softball Pitching Machine

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Your Price: $399.99

Retail Price:$519.99

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Part Number: HTR6000SBNBF

Availability: Available

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

Pitches real softballs, dimple balls or lite balls

Pitches 12” softballs only - slow or fast pitch

Throws real balls 15-50 MPH; lite balls 60 MPH

Add an Auto-ball feeder for only $50 more

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Discount Heater Real 12 Inch Softball Pitching Machine

Practice hitting and catching fastballs, pop-ups and grounders with the Heater Softball Pitching Machine. It can be tilt adjusted to throw a variety of pitches, its impressive 1/4 horsepower motor pitches at up to 50 miles per hour and can be used for slow pitch or fast pitch.

The Heater Softball Pitching Machine is durable, with legs made of tubular steel and a fully enclosed wheel which protects both the batter and the machine. It can plug into any standard electrical outlet using the included A/C adapter and can be mounted with the included harness on any of the Heater backyard batting cages offered on this website. Like all Heater products, the Heater Softball Pitching Machine includes a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 1 year manufacturer's warranty, as well.

IMPORTANT! If you'd like to practice solo, don't forget to add an auto ball feeder to your order by checking the box above the Add to Cart button. The ball feeder is only an extra $50 when you check that box and buy it along with your pitching machine (it costs $30 more when you purchase it separately).

PLEASE NOTE: Although this machine can technically throw real softballs, the seams on real balls cause inaccurate pitches and the covers on most softballs are so thin, they tear off easily. Therefore, it is recommended that you only use official Heater Pitching Machine Softballs with this machine.

Heater Real Softball Pitching Machine Features:

Pitches 12 softballs - slow pitch or fast pitch up to 50 MPH
Also throws pop-ups, line drives, and grounders
Completely encased wheel & durable tubular steel legs with rubber tips
Adjustable pitch height
Operates with standard 110V AC power
Recommended for ages 8 years to adult
30-Day Money Back Guarantee - 1 Year Warranty

Q: About the Heater Real 12 Inch Softball Pitching Machine: The description indicates the machine can throw real balls up to 50 MPH and lite balls up to 60 MPH. What's the distance at which these speeds are measured from? Trying to understand is the speed can be increased by getting the machine closer but I would like to know what the original distance is at what these speeds were measured. Any information would be greatly appreciated so I can take a decision about this machine for my team. Thanks in advance

Asked by: Luis A - 10/14/2022

A: Whether we are talking about a pitching machine or a human pitcher, speeds are always measured at the release point, NOT the point where they cross the plate. So, a 50 MPH pitch is from the moment it leaves the machine or a live pitcher's hand - NOT what the speed is where it crosses the plate.

So, a live pitcher OR a pitching machine that throws 50 MPH is that speed regardless of the distance they are throwing a ball. Naturally, factors such as gravity, friction and wind resistance play a part, so the ball is never that same speed when it crosses the plate.

Think of it this way ... a car that is traveling 50 MPH will undoubtedly hit you if you are 10 feet away from it. If you are 50 yards from it, you have plenty of time to get out of the way. This is why people often refer to the "seems like speed" with pitching machines and the distances they are from batters. It seems like it is pitching faster because the ball gets up on you faster when you are closer to the machine than regulation distance.

You can determine the "seems like speed" by dividing regulation distance by the actual distance a machine (or live pitcher) is from the batter and then multiplying that number by the actual release point speed.

I hope that helps!

Was this answer helpful? 1 of 1 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (10/14/2022)

Q: How much does the machine weigh?

Asked by: Susan - 5/12/2022

A: The machine weighs approximately 45 pounds - add another 4 pounds if it has a ball feeder.

Was this answer helpful? 2 of 2 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (5/13/2022)

Q: Can you control the speed?

Asked by: Theresa jaeger - 2/21/2022

A: Yes, there is a knob that you turn to control the speed of the pitch. It allows you to throw balls anywhere from 15 MPH to 50 MPH.

Was this answer helpful? 3 of 3 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (2/22/2022)

Q: Can an 11 inch ball be used with this machine? ie. Girls youth fast pitch 8U

Asked by: gordy - 2/9/2021

A: This machine only throws 12 inch softballs.

If you need an 11 inch softball pitching machine, the Heater PowerAlley 11-inch Softball Pitching Machine is what you want. It ONLY throws 11-inch softballs, however.

The only other Heater Sports pitching machine that will throw 11 inch softballs is their Combo Pitching Machine, which will throw both 11 inch and 12 inch softballs as well as baseballs.

Was this answer helpful? 1 of 1 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (2/9/2021)

Q: If plugging this in to an extension cord. What gauge should the wire be? 12? 14?

Asked by: Todd - 4/15/2020

A: The wire gauge will depend on how long of a run there is between the outlet and the machine. You can get away with as little as a 16 gauge cord on a 25 ft. run. You would want 14 gauge for 50 ft. and 12 gauge for 100 ft.

Was this answer helpful? 3 of 3 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (4/15/2020)

Q: Can you use regular softballs in this machine?

Asked by: Jul - 3/8/2019

A: You can definitely use real softballs in the Heater Real Softball pitching machine.

That said, Heater Sports, just like all manufacturers, do not recommend it. The leather covers on softballs are extremely thin. When a ball gets repeatedly squeezed by the wheel of a pitching machine, the glue breaks, the cover gets mushy and then gets ripped off of the ball.

This is why all manufacturers recommend dimple balls, regardless of whether it is a baseball or softball pitching machine.

Was this answer helpful? 5 of 6 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (3/8/2019)

Q: How many watts are required? I am looking at using a deep cycle 12V battery w/ inverter to power this. Thanks.

Asked by: Adrian - 1/17/2019

A: When using a battery with an inverter, a bare minimum of 600 watts is required but 800 watts is recommended.

Was this answer helpful? 5 of 5 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (1/17/2019)

Q: can the speed the balls feed in from the automatic feeder be adjusted, to give more time between pitches?

Asked by: Robert Dennis - 1/4/2019

A: Like most automatic ball feeders, the Heater Sports auto-ball feeder has a fixed time between pitches that cannot be adjusted. It delivers a ball approximately every nine seconds.

Was this answer helpful? 4 of 5 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (1/5/2019)

Q: When using the Heater Real 12 inch Softball Pitching Machine with auto feeder for slow pitch softball how much time is there between pitches?

Asked by: John - 7/9/2018

A: Hi John,

The Heater Automatic ball feeder releases a pitch approximately every 9 seconds.

Was this answer helpful? 3 of 4 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (7/9/2018)

Q: Can this machine pitch a softball from 50 feet away with an arc that has a max-height of 10-12 feet? I'm trying to get a feel for how well the machine compares with an actual (slow-pitch) pitcher. Thanks.

Asked by: Pete - 5/26/2018

A: All pitching machines can be configured to throw slow pitch arcs. It comes down to fiddling with the speed and height angle until you find the combination that crosses the plate with the desired arc.

Since it can be used for throwing pop-ups and fly balls, just think of the machine doing that on a smaller scale - a pop-up or a fly ball thrown at a slower speed that limits the height and distance.

Was this answer helpful? 4 of 4 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (5/26/2018)

Q: Do it pitch by itself.....?

Asked by: Dwight - 5/12/2018

A: If you decide to add the optional Heater Sports Automatic Ball Feeder, which holds 9 softballs, it will pitch automatically until it runs out of balls.

Was this answer helpful? 3 of 3 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (5/12/2018)

Q: How does it run it dont need a plug do it?

Asked by: Dwight - 5/12/2018

A: Almost all pitching machines need to be plugged into a 120 volt power source and this one is no exception. That can be a standard wall outlet, a gas generator or a battery inverter with a generator.

The only pitching machines listed on this website that do not need to be plugged in are the Zooka ZS720 and the Zooka ZS740, which operate off of an internal battery. They do not throw softballs; however, I am not aware of any softball pitching machine that works off of an internal battery.

Was this answer helpful? 2 of 2 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (5/12/2018)

Q: My question is: if i purchase the softball pitching machine with auto feeder. I will be using it for slow pitch, How long does my batting cage need to be?

Asked by: Denny - 4/25/2018

A: This is a complicated answer, but I think it will suffice.

In order to throw a 6-12 ft arc for slow pitch, the speed of a pitching machine needs to be adjusted down to the slower side of things and the angle of the pitching machine head needs to be tilted upward, creating a looping arc of a pitch. A lot of trial and error needs to be done until you find that perfect speed/angle combination that causes a ball to arc a bit before crossing the plate.

Heater Sports says that this can be accomplished with a cage as short as 24 feet, however, they recommend removing the lower section from the tripod legs so that the pitching machine sits lower, allowing it to throw more of an arced pitch from that position.

Heater Sports says that you may also wish to purchase extra Middle Pole Assembly pieces (part #B-2) with their batting cage in order to raise the middle portion of the net higher than normal. This would allow you to achieve an actual 12 foot arc without hitting the top of the net. You can only order those extra middle section poles directly from Heater Sports and they cost $5-6 each. You can see what they mean if you look at the Xtender Cage assembly instructions.

I hope this helps!

Was this answer helpful? 4 of 4 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (4/29/2018)

Q: At 50 mph and elevated at max how far will it throw a 12" softball?

Asked by: John Heaton - 10/26/2017

A: A Heater Real Softball Pitching machine can shoot popups up to 60 feet high and fly balls as far as 120 feet.

If that is not far enough, many people simply move the pitching machine to the mound in order to launch balls a little deeper into the outfield.

In order to obtain a higher popup or a longer fly ball, you would need a pitching machine that can throw at a much higher speed.

Was this answer helpful? 2 of 2 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (10/27/2017)

Q: Does this throw change ups, curve balls and do grounders?

Asked by: jennifer - 3/22/2017

A: The Heater 12 Inch softball pitching machine can throw grounders, pop-ups and fly balls in addition to pitching fastballs and changeups to batters. Heater Sports DOES NOT make a softball pitching machine that can throw curves.

Was this answer helpful? 2 of 2 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Administrator (3/22/2017)

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Average Customer Ratings

Q: How much does the machine weigh?

Q: Can you control the speed?

Q: Can an 11 inch ball be used with this machine? ie. Girls youth fast pitch 8U

Q: If plugging this in to an extension cord. What gauge should the wire be? 12? 14?

Q: Can you use regular softballs in this machine?

Q: How many watts are required? I am looking at using a deep cycle 12V battery w/ inverter to power this. Thanks.

Q: can the speed the balls feed in from the automatic feeder be adjusted, to give more time between pitches?

Q: When using the Heater Real 12 inch Softball Pitching Machine with auto feeder for slow pitch softball how much time is there between pitches?

Q: Can this machine pitch a softball from 50 feet away with an arc that has a max-height of 10-12 feet? I'm trying to get a feel for how well the machine compares with an actual (slow-pitch) pitcher. Thanks.

Q: Do it pitch by itself.....?

Q: How does it run it dont need a plug do it?

Q: My question is: if i purchase the softball pitching machine with auto feeder. I will be using it for slow pitch, How long does my batting cage need to be?

Q: At 50 mph and elevated at max how far will it throw a 12" softball?

Q: Does this throw change ups, curve balls and do grounders?

Heater 12 Inch Real Softball Pitching Machine Approved Balls

Heater Real 12" Softball Pitching Machines SHIP FREE

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