why do most of the pitching machines for children use plastic balls instead of baseballs?
1033902
They are practice balls. If they use real balls kids will get hurt and Windows will get broken
1033903
Smaller motor needed to throw lighter ball, maybe? It wouldn't be an issue if the machine actually threw the lighter balls correctly (except for wind effects). If you want something that throws real baseballs, be prepared to pay a lot more. That is what I am looking to do...
1033904
If they used baseballs then they would be professional pitching machines. Additionally, children don't tend to play with baseballst hey mostly use softballs, at least that's the case in Ontario.
1003849
the whees are plastic as they were on my previous mower. They perform fine even though they are plastic. The upside is that they roll so easy because of the ball bearigs. i hope that this answered your question.
1350909
A regular baseball bat is fine. This machine will help with hand/eye coordination. The balls are very small and it will help them perfect their hitting.
974539
I use only 9" dimple balls (12" for softball) made for pitching machines. You can find them online for around $20-30/doz. 3 doz should be enough so u don't have spend too much time picking balls up.
637834
There is not - but the structure is such that you can easily pick up younger kids and help them over. We have 6, 3 and 1 year olds - and we regularly lift the younger two into the ball pit.
1304258
I use this on all of our teams mako's and it cause no damage to the bats nor the machine. the material the stick and ball are made of are a softer material than the little league balls are made of.
1667933
The reason it is just one ball is it is THE ball the MLB plays with. That's what makes it expensive. Any on field of any professional anything is the most expensive you can find. For instance, a football from the NFL is 100 bucks, while the random football is anywhere from 9 to 30 bucks. So, it's a get what you pay for kind of thing. This guy is better and more tightly wrapped, the seams are PERFECT, the balance is amazing and the core is the best available. That's what makes a baseball what it is.
2162400
I bought this for my 13 year old grandson. He uses it to pitch to and to field grounders. He likes it but I can't say because I haven't seen him use it with a baseball. He throws football passes into it too.
314389
I tried regular baseball in the machine and it struggled. If they are close in weight it may struggle. Hope this helps
1664674
Very similar. Surface of the ball is flatter so it is easier to fit the shapes in the ball.
314388
Depends upon weight of the ball, presuming they are about the same size as a baseball. Regulation baseballs are by weight, too heavy.
1158052
It can be used for baseball and it will throw slow for the younger kids. Maybe 15 mph? Not as slow as you throwing underhand in a soft toss motion, say to a 4 or 5 year old.
829197
Yes. We use it to hit baseballs off the tee, but softballs would work the same.
1112329
it uses huge round ones, 4 or 6...we dont use this any more our kids kill all the balls with alloy bats. this is only for kids !
600805
NO......I will honestly say spend a little more for the better machines...this one is terrible unless your kids are playing with plastic balls
377957
The balls on mine appear to be chromed steel. I doubt that plastic balls would have enough inertia to make it make it work. As with nearly all Newton's cradles. the strings do get tangled quite easily so if you are not using the cradle, it is best to tie everything down to the base to prevent tangling during storage. My grandkids love to play with it but I do spend a little time untangling when the smaller ones use it. It is a fun and educational item for all.
1956683
We have had excellent results with this machine -- the "baseballs" you select that "work" best depend upon whom is using the batting machine, and safety issues -- adults, older kids, younger kids -- our kids are 5 and 6, and they use the Franklin foam balls #14941 (sold in 2-paks), which work great for them (with padded 27" bat) -- some of the other balls sold may be better for older batters --