Hummingbird Feeder Ant Moat

Overview:

We have The Hummingbird Feeder (https://thehummingbirdfeeder.com/hummingbird-feeders/) at our family cabin, and it is fantastic!  However, we wanted to mount it on our square tubing deck rail similar to the oriole feeder I designed (https://www.printables.com/model/1409021-oriole-bird-feeder).

I designed this ant moat to connect to the deck mount system I designed as well as The Hummingbird Feeder.  My deck mount system does not require any tools and there are no modifications made to the deck rail, and I have since made it compatible with multiple types of deck railing.

Current Mounts:

Square Bracket Top Mount:

1.      Wrap two standard brackets around the top railing and slide to lock them together.  Ensure the bolt hole is facing up.

2.      Insert the bolt and tighten fully against the railing to secure the mount in place.

3.      Thread the ant moat onto the bolt.

4.      Place the feeder onto the ant moat shaft, lining up the bumps/channels then rotate 90 degrees to snap it in place.

5.      Optional: Insert at least one pin to secure the two brackets together.  This really isn’t necessary as the bolt acts as a set screw and tightens the clamp against the rail sufficiently.

Wide Rail Mount: Our home deck rail consists of composite decking on top of the spindles, so I’ve added wider brackets for this style. It works the same as above.

Printing:

I recommend printing in ASA for outdoor use.  No supports are required if printed in the orientation shown.  Note the shaft has a flat surface to print horizontally for strength then threads into the moat.  This also makes it easily replaceable if it breaks.