Hoskins Automatic Waterers

Hoskins Mfg Co. has built automatic livestock waterers in Hoskins, Nebraska since 1966. Every unit is the same idea at a different size: a stainless steel tank, an insulated 16 gauge galvanized frame around it, and an electric element held off the steel so warmth comes up through the air around it instead of from one hot patch on the tank wall.

We carry the sizes that ship by UPS here — the compact horse units, the low H9 hog troughs and the 22 in. sheep waterer. Parts for the whole Hoskins range are stocked, including the larger cattle and combination units, so you can get what you need for any model on our Hoskins parts lists.

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Hoskins Questions We Get Asked

Which Hoskins waterers can you ship to me?

The compact horse units, the low H9 hog troughs and the 22 in. sheep waterer all travel by UPS, so they go out the same way a box of parts does. The long cattle troughs and the CH combination units are freight only. We stock parts for every one of them, shipped or not.

Where do I find the model number?

On the plate inside the service door. Hoskins model numbers read as size: on a cattle, sheep or horse unit the first number is the trough length and the number after the dash is the frame height, 16 or 26 in. On a hog unit the 9 is the height, the next number is the width, and a trailing S or D tells you one compartment or two.

Which heating element does my unit take?

Hoskins builds the line around five elements and their multiples: A at 250 watts, AA at 500, B at 500, C at 700, then 2B at 1,000, 2C at 1,400 and 3C at 2,100. All run on 120 volts. The parts list for your model names the one it was built with.

Bob valve or RM 153?

Both are in the line. The trough models run a Bob valve, 3/8 in. on the sheep and small horse units, 1/2 in. through the 48 in. cattle tanks, 3/4 in. from the 75 in. up. The horse HC7 and HC14 and every H9 hog unit run the 3/8 in. RM 153 valve and float assembly instead.

Does the float rod length matter?

It does, because the rod is what sets the water level. Four inches on the HC17, six on the SC22 and SC32, eight on the cattle tanks and the longer sheep troughs. The HC7, HC14 and the H9 hog units carry no rod at all. Fitting the wrong length changes how full the tank sits.

Why does a Hoskins stay open when a drop-in tank heater struggles?

The element is mounted in the frame with air space around it rather than against the tank wall, so warmth rises through the air and reaches the water without a single hot patch on the steel. Owners who have run both describe it the same way.

What should I keep on the shelf?

A spare plunger in your valve size and a rubber stopper. Both are inexpensive, both are what fails first, and both are the difference between an hour of work and a week of hauling water. Flush the tank weekly through the winter and check the stopper seats clean while you are in there.