# deer motors at bigLots, request for a little advice.



## jtmonsman (Nov 27, 2012)

So.... I was at big lots the other day, and I found deer motors. the come in some strange packaging.... it looks like.... get this..... a DEER!!!! so anyways..... they seem reasonably (quite reasonable, actually) priced at $20.00. 
i'm definitely going to pick a couple up. I have plans for three of them. so $60.00. I could def. find use for a few more too.
now I have to decide if I should wait until the day after Christmas and see if they are 50%off, or buy the three I need and buy "extras" on clearance if they have any left!?!?!
my questions are:
does anyone know if the auto reverse feature will send it to an early grave if I rig it so it always oscillates by making it hit a stopping point and reverse...
is it powerful enough to use it in a leering skeleton move? I plan on using a wally skeleton.
any advice is appreciated!!!!
******* i know wiper motors have more torque, but cant find a video that shows how to wire them directly to a power cord, and i'm electronically challenged!!!!******


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

First off...wiper motors...go to monster guts. There are probably cheaper solutions, but I get the motor/battery pack and connectors all thru them. Plus they have pics. Makes it a lot easier.

As for Reindeer Motors. Try Kindys.com. They may be sold out but they're cheaper, unless of course you want the deer too. Based on recent holidays, I would recommend not waiting to buy them as they haven't had the big surplus that makes it to 50% off that they used to have. With motors being hard to come by, you might want to ante up a few more pennies and go the "bird in the hand route" I use a reindeer motor for my horses head, which is fairly heavy and it works fine as long as the horse is "balanced" If it's leaning a little too much one way or the other, the auto reverese kicks in and the head just shakes. So you really need to get as much weight and torque off the motor as possible so that it is only responsible for the movement and not supporting the prop...if that makes sense.


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## jtmonsman (Nov 27, 2012)

I've heard lots of good things about monster guts, and I'm sure I'll be getting a wiper motor and stuff from them soon enough- I have a plan for a decently sized banshee type creature that will look like it is flying above my house. I saw the motors on kindys. With shipping, it is just over 50.00 for three, so the savings there is I suppose decent. the cord is quite ahort and the one on the big lots deer is about 4 feet, so that may factor in. 
No-I don't want the deer, although I'm sure I could use the frame as support rods. And, who couldn't use some strings of lights? Anyways-looked at the vid of your horse, nice work! And I'd say that woul be heavier than the things I was going to make. 
So I'm thinking grab the three big lots deer motors that I already have plans on, then, check for spares on clearance. If that is a no- go, kindys it is!!!
Thanks for the advice!


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

Just so you know, Kindy's sold out last year when the vent motors everyone was using disappeared. I think it took until about August before they got stock back in. Since I already ordered mine, I recommend that anyone needing a motor for next year's, or the year after's, builds start shopping now


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## jtmonsman (Nov 27, 2012)

Thanks for the heads up!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

I bought a turning-neck white wire xmas reindeer from Big Lots a few years back. A second one a year afterwards. The first one I bought to use as a reindeer/wolf that was a project here on the forum a number of us did that year. Fun to put together and I liked it a lot--made it a fur coat and gave the mask some LED nite-eyes from Van *****. Used an audio track of snarling/growling with it. The second reindeer I bought in order to get the motor and to use the body for parts. Have plans on making a two-headed sheep or something like that for a side show exhibit for my carnival. I had set up the reindeer/wolf so the fur could come off (velcro'd instead of hot glueing) and could be stored separately from the frame in case I wanted to use the wolf again. Anticipated that the frame could be used for something else down the road. Even without a motor, a few wire frames covered with fur and wolf masks can make an impressive wolf pack in your haunt. So don't discard the body too quickly, lots of great ideas for it. 

Also wanted to mention that you should keep checking Big Lots! ads between now and Christmas. They generally run their sale on the lawn decorations sometime soon so you can save a few more bucks that way on the whole deal. I personally wouldn't wait until after xmas to buy the deer that I considered essential for next year's projects. And in case you haven't noticed animated wire deer are no longer the big item they were a few years ago. Many replaced by vine- or crystal-styled deer. One day the wire ones will be no more than just a memory.


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## rnmully (Dec 30, 2009)

Just an idea that has worked for me at little or no cost. Place an ad craigslist or local paper and ask to pick up any free broken reindeer around christmas. Most times motors fine just lights blown out and I have got a box of motors each year I did it for just the cost of disposing of deer bodies.


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## Deadview (Aug 9, 2011)

At best good for stirring cauldron. They are slow but they last forever. I use two of them on my peeping skelly props. Worth it. It depends on what you want to do with them.


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

That's really good into scatter brains.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Instead of paying $20 for a deer motor, just order yourself some of these. Same thing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Robust-Smal...601?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2584242e41


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## lemonade (Sep 27, 2011)

Dave, I was trying to find a tut for the cauldron creep last night. Would you please help me find it? I was watching Nightfisher, and that looks great, but I need the details. I don't want to invest in the parts until there is something I can follow. Btw, I am worse than mechanically/electrically inclined.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

The 48-inch animated reindeer at BL is $18 now in case you go that route for the frame too. http://www.biglots.com/p/c/outdoor-decor/48-inch-lighted-animated-reindeer


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## jtmonsman (Nov 27, 2012)

So much awesome advice!!!! I #~€¥\%~• love this place!!!!


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

DaveintheGrave said:


> Instead of paying $20 for a deer motor, just order yourself some of these. Same thing:
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Robust-Smal...601?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2584242e41


how do you mount an arm on those?


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

lemonade said:


> Dave, I was trying to find a tut for the cauldron creep last night. Would you please help me find it? I was watching Nightfisher, and that looks great, but I need the details. I don't want to invest in the parts until there is something I can follow. Btw, I am worse than mechanically/electrically inclined.


The original http://devilschariot.blogspot.com/2009/08/cauldron-creep-how-to-or-how-it-was.html


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## nimblemonkey (Jan 17, 2013)

Scatterbrains said:


> how do you mount an arm on those?


If you look at the picture you'll see that the shaft has a threaded hole in the top- go to the hardware store with the motor and get a screw that fits into the threads on the shaft. Then use whatever you have available- piece of aluminum flat stock, piece of luan, piece of polycarbonate/plexiglas for the arm, drill a hole in both ends and mount to the shaft.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

lemonade said:


> Dave, I was trying to find a tut for the cauldron creep last night. Would you please help me find it? I was watching Nightfisher, and that looks great, but I need the details. I don't want to invest in the parts until there is something I can follow. Btw, I am worse than mechanically/electrically inclined.


Yea, sorry about the lack of pics of the assembly. I was kind of making it up as I went along and focused more on getting it to work, not taking pics. I did post a few pics that show more clearly how I did mine on my facebook page though.


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## zombieprincess (Nov 1, 2013)

Funny that you brought this up. Just this year we took apart one of the wire deers that we almost never use for Christmas and made it into a kid zombie with a moving head. Hubby cut off about half of the head and stuck a foam skull on it. We left the back legs and twisted the front ones into weird shapes. On went a hoodie and some old jeans and voila, kid sits in the graveyard moving his head up and down. The lights I'm saving to use for Christmas. We have one more so we'll probably be using the motor from that last year.


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## jtmonsman (Nov 27, 2012)

well, I picked up two of them, at $18 bucks each, the price was near identical to kindys + shipping. would have grabbed a couple more, but my wife would kill me as I'm also working on some (32 actually) mini spots, and they are getting a little pricey with the cost of wire! due to everyone's responses on this thread, I'm fairly confident that when the time comes, I will be able to find the deer, the motors or something similar! and... I'm still hopeful to find some clearance deer, as Wal-Mart also carries them for $25. at any rate, cant stay online all day, gotta get back to work on Halloween 2014!!!


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## Gatordave (Dec 13, 2008)

If you are just looking for the smaller deer motors, $20 seems pricey!! I have found some on line for much cheaper. My advice would be to keep looking unless these are exactly what you need!


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## jtmonsman (Nov 27, 2012)

it does seem pricey, agreed. I found them online for 12 and change. the problem is the shipping cost, which is about 4 bucks each. total cost being 16 as opposed to 18 in person. idk, I guess im more instant gratification. I have seen the motors, that are the guts of a deer motor too, but since I know next to nothing about electricity, I don't want to chance burning my house down! and... the deer motors are listed indoor/outdoor, so that's where my head is at!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Scatterbrains said:


> how do you mount an arm on those?


I try to buy the ones that have the screw hole in the end of the motor shaft. (Be careful----some don't.) These motors from China use an M-4 screw. You can find them at Lowe's in the specialty screw drawers in the hardware aisle. I use a #8 lock washer also to make sure they stay tight.
Another plus is these motors also have two holes going thru the shaft. This helps a lot if you want to mount a pulley on the shaft and use a cotter pin to keep it in place.

lemonade--I used the Devil's Chariot page as a reference to build my Creep. The one Scatterbrains posted. Thanks, Scatterbrains!


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## zombieprincess (Nov 1, 2013)

For the OP I saw that these little reindeer are currently on sale at Aldi's for only $12 each. Not sure if you're interested or not. This is just something they throw in for Christmas and not an everyday item of course. I would call to make sure they have some before going.


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## Gym Whourlfeld (Jan 22, 2003)

For years my "Motorcycle-half-track-tank" (With a woman driver) worked everyday using a second-hand motor from a restaurant toast machine (converyor belt toaster) The trick was "Balance", achieved via a thick steel spring to off-set the heavy pipe (Main Gun) that stuck way out, a 2"dia. piece of PVC, complete with muzzle brake.
Most of my devices use gravity for their reset. I haven't run out of gravity.. yet.


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## Scary Papa (Jan 31, 2012)

Jtmonsman...to answer your question regarding using the deer motor for a leering skeleton...yes it will work great. My grandson built his first amimated prop last year. It was a leering skeleton using a deer motor. It has worked for two years now with no problems.


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