FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Wondering how the MaxBP pitching machine models are different? We've worked up this handy chart to illustrate the differences in features and functionalities. 

Our MaxBP Pro pitching machine is best suited for advanced hitters and teams looking for a full-featured hitting tool. The MaxBP Original pitching machine is great for mid-level teams and hitters looking to grow their contact consistency. 

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It hasn't gone anywhere! In 2016 we changed the name of our Sandlot Slugger pitching machine to the MaxBP Junior as a part of our new brand. Don't worry though, the MaxBP Junior has all the same features and durability as the Sandlot Slugger. Any chargers or accessories you have for the Sandlot Slugger will work on MaxBP Junior. 

*UPDATE: As of August 2018 the Junior has been discontinued. If you need support with an existing Sandlot Slugger or MaxBP Junior purchase submit a request here: https://contact.maxbp.com/  

HeavySwing was purchased by MaxBP in 2021. We still offer their latest line of HeavyBats, HeavySwing, and HeavyBalls. These bats are a perfect combo with MaxBP to get the "Heavy" work in, via the Light/Heavy/Game sequence.

If you have a question we haven't covered, you can contact our Support Team through web form or chat:

Complete this form to contact our team via email: https://contact.maxbp.com/

Click the blue "Chat" tab in the lower right corner of your screen on any page of our site

We're here to help and make your experience the best one possible. Don't hesitate to let us know how we can help.

Your pitching machine has a rechargeable battery that can be charged up to 700 times depending on the nature of the care given to the battery, similar to a car battery. We have many machines that are more than 5 years old with their original batteries. If the battery is left in a low charge condition for a period of time the battery will no longer take a charge and your pitching machine will slow down or stop all together. To achieve maximum battery life it is recommended that the battery never be left in a low charge condition. It not harmful to the battery to run the pitching machine until you are out of power, but it is extremely important to overall battery life to give it a good over night charge within a few days of full battery discharge. If you store your machine for an extended period of time (2 months or more) your must fully charge the battery (8-16 hours) before storage. Also, to maximize battery life, you should give the machine a full charge about every 2 months, again, similar to a car battery.

Caution: Only use the charger provided with your machine. Always store indoors, never expose to weather.

Any questions contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

If the battery is left in a low charge condition for a period of time the battery will no longer take a charge and your pitching machine will slow down or stop all together. To achieve maximum battery life it is recommended that the battery never be left in a low charge condition. It not harmful to the battery to run the pitching machine until you are out of power, but it is extremely important to overall battery life to give it a good over night charge within two days after a full battery discharge. If you store your machine for an extended period of time (2 months or more) you must fully charge the battery (8 - 16 hours) before storage. Also, to maximize battery life, you should give the machine a full charge about every 2 months, again, similar to a car battery.

Caution: Only use the charger provided with your machine. Always store indoors, never expose to weather

Any questions, contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

Like all batteries, they require proper care to maximize battery life. If your battery does begin to lose power or stop all together, we have the following options.

How do I replace the battery?

Nothing is more disappointing than pulling out your pitching machine for a new season to find the battery is no longer taking a charge. Because it is like a car battery, if it is put away on a low charge and not “topped off” periodically during the off season it may not take a full charge again. What are your options now?

Option One: Self Replacement

If you consider yourself handy, your order of one or two new batteries and a handy tutorial video we have, replacing the batteries on your own takes a few tools and a half an hour or so of your time. You can purchase the batteries here https://www.maxbp.com/products/maxbp-sandlot-slugger-battery-replacement and along with the video we are more than happy to support you through the process over the phone.

Option Two: Factory replacement

We've been doing this for years so our opinion about the ease of replacement may be a little biased. If you don't feel like doing it yourself is an endeavor you would like to attempt we will be happy to replace them for you! You can purchase the factory replacement option here https://www.maxbp.com/collections/replacement-parts/products/maxbp-sandlot-slugger-battery-replacement?variant=25723111624 and ship it to us for the work. Most batteries are replaced and machines shipped back to you within two business days of receipt of your machine.

Option Three: Convert to AC (plug in wall)

Depending on when you bought your machine it may require a board modification, if this is a route you want or would like to consider, submit a support request including serial number and we will send you a price quote: https://contact.maxbp.com/

Option Four: External Battery Pack

With some minor modifications to the wiring of the machine (a much easier job than totally replacing the batteries) an external battery pack can be used to power the machine. The battery pack batteries must also be cared for as any batteries installed in a machine. The External Battery Pack can be purchased here https://www.maxbp.com/collections/accessories/products/maxbp-external-battery-pack

If you have any questions, or would like more, contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

If your batteries are no longer taking a charge, it could be a bad charger, probably the first thing to check. If the batteries are left in a low charged condition for a period of time, they will no longer take a charge, similar to a car battery. The only way to get your machine back in operation is to replace the battery or batteries. Because we have no control over the nature of the battery care taken, we do not warranty batteries. If it is a 4-hour machine it will have one battery, if it is a 8-hour machine it will have 2 batteries. The battery used is a standard 6 volt SLA. The battery has a custom wire and connector attached to work on our machine. If you wish to replace them yourself it does require taking the machine mostly apart since the batteries are at the bottom of the machine. Some customers choose to return the machine to us for replacement, others do it themselves. You can purchase replacement batteries in our Accessories section, both self-service and ship to the factory options exist. Other options include converting the machine to AC plug-in wall or external battery pack. 

If you are unsure and would like to discuss please contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

There are three tests to run to check the charger and the battery operation:

Test 1: Plug the charger into the wall socket and plug the connector into the machine. Is the charger light on?

Test 2: Plug the charger into the wall socket but do not plug the connector into the machine. Is the charger light on?

Test 3: Remove the charger from the wall socket and plug the connector into the machine only. Is the charger light on?

If the light is on in test 1 there is a solid connection from the charger to the battery. There still is a possibility that the battery is weak. If the lit is not on there is a problem with either the charger or battery or both. 

If the light is on in test 2 that usually indicates the charger is working properly. If the light is off the charger is no longer working correctly. There is still a possibility that the batteries are also not taking a full charge. 

If the light is on in test 3 the internal wiring and connection to the charger are sound and the battery has some charge. If the light is dimly lit compared to the previous tests, the battery is in a low charge condition. After charging for 8 hours and the light is still dim, the battery probably is not taking a full charge. If the light is off, the battery probably needs to be replaced.

If you need help, please contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

The charger charges the batteries and the batteries run the machine. If you use the charger at the same time it will extend battery life. Two (2) hours of charging equals about one (1) hour of usage. The charger alone does not produce enough current to run the motors at full speed, that is why the machine runs off the battery at all times.

Any questions, contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

We use a charger that produces 7 volts DC at 700 ma, Output connector is 2.5mm x 5.5mm female center positive. These chargers are custom made to our specs. It will be difficult to find this charger exactly to these specs. You can use a 6 volt DC charger in a pinch (any ma current but must be center pin positive). It will not fully charge the battery so you may experience a machine that does not pitch up to full speed.

Any questions, contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

In some cases, such as your internal battery being dead or defective, you may want to use the external battery pack even though your pitching machine has a battery already in it. If this is you, there are a few important steps you need to follow to make sure your machine will operate properly.

Step 1: Get to the battery

Unscrew the agitator (the the round black part with the sloped top). Then remove the black plastic top plate that the balls sit on, there are two screws at the front of the machine and two in back. You now will see the internal mechanisms of the machine. On the left side you will see the green control circuit board. At the top of the control board you will see white connectors that attach the wires to the board. Then pull white connectors straight off of the board.

Step 2: Disconnect the current battery

Find the leads (black and red wires) connecting the control board to the battery terminals. Using proper safety precautions, disconnect the black and red wire connector from the control board. There may be one or two connectors to pull depending on the number of batteries in your machine.

Step 3: Connect the external battery pack

Connect the plug from the external battery pack to the charger port. This will allow for full use of the external battery's power.

Step 4:Power on the machine to ensure normal operation.

Attempting to connect the external battery pack while the existing internal battery is still connected will cause the battery power to average out and not properly supply enough power for the machine to run appropriately. 

Step 5: Re-assemble machine

Reverse the above procedure

Any questions, contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

Click here for a 3 minute video to help you get the machine set up and familiarize your self with the controls: https://videos.maxbp.com/maxbp-setup-and-instructions

Check out this helpful video we put together to show you how to connect, use and remove the Tripod II from the pitching machine housing.

The Drop 1/3 switch is located on the left-hand side of the control panel. With the switch in the "1" drop position, one ball will feed through the system for every machine cycle as it does during the standard machine operation. With the switch in the "3" drop position, three balls will be fed through the system for every machine cycle providing rapid-fire pitching used primarily for bunting practice and vision drills, excellent for hand-eye coordination. Adjusting the position on the feeder switch will control the speed of the rapid-fire pitching. At the fastest feeder setting with drop 3 and no plugs the machine will fire a ball every second. When using the drop-1 mode two of the rotating holes in the feeder assembly need to be covered. Using the two plugs provided, place them in the two holes of the same color to prevent the balls from falling in these holes. The two plugs when not in use can be clipped to the key ring attached to the handle or placed in the accessory bag (new mid-2020)

The Super Turbo switch is located on the right-hand side of the control panel. There are two positions, on and off. With the Super Turbo switch in the on position the machine will pitch the fastest speed when it’s in the high speed mode. Super Turbo is in effect when the on off switch is either in the on position or in the Turbo position. The speed of the feeder will increase slightly and all other pitch speeds will also increase as a result of the Super Turbo selection. When the Super Turbo switch is in the off position the main ON-OFF-TURBO switch is in effect.

On MaxBP Pro machines, the light dimmer controls the brightness of the pitch indicator light on the front of the machine by turning the knob located next to the light. Turning the knob all the way clockwise will give the brightest light and turning it all the way counterclockwise will give the dimmest light, and on models since mid-2019 it can be turned off.

The faster the pitch, the better your chances are of minimizing the effects of wind. Because it is a light weight plastic ball, wind over 15-mph is bound to effect the accuracy. Additionally, pitching with (same direction) the wind as opposed to across or against will improve accuracy and add velocity.

The initial set up should be about 30 feet. Once you use the machine you may find that you may want change this distance, depending on your needs. If the machine is pitch too fast for you, move a little further away from the machine. If you want to have a faster reaction time, move closer to the machine. 

Let us know if there are other distances you would like to see our engineers put together charts for, contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

The pitch speed setting on your machine and the distance your batter is from the MaxBP pitching machine determines what reaction time you are simulating and what MPH pitch equivalent you're seeing during your training. Looking to train for typical reaction times at a certain pitch speed? Check out the charts below to find the optimal machine speed setting and distance from the machine you should be at to train for the same reaction time you're seeing in the game.

MAXBP PRO

MAXBP ORIGINAL

MAXBP JUNIOR

The Wiffle brand works best in the MaxBP Machines as this is what the wheels have been designed around. We do not recommend using other types of balls with the MaxBP pitching machine as they are not only less accurate but can damage the wheels voiding the warranty. The wheels when used with only Wiffle brand balls will have a similar longevity as a tortoise (80 - 120 years per Wikipedia).

See our blog, drills videos and YouTube channel for hitting, fielding and reaction training drills. 

Yes. 

Fly balls require the use of our optional pop-up attachment because the machine can’t be tilted to far back or the balls will not feed through the machine. This is highly recommend for those 12 and under, a sure thing to save a few knots on the melon and build player confidence before transitioning to practicing with a hard ball.

The Pop-up attachment can be added to any machine at purchase or it can be bought separately here if you already own a machine: https://www.maxbp.com/products/pop-up-attachment

For ground balls you can use the machine on the ground our lower tripod and aim the machine slightly down. This also works well for cricket players to working to hit the throw/chuck from the bowler.

Probably not a good idea, like most pitching machines if the balls get wet they will slip as they go through the pitching wheels and be extremely erratic. Water can damage the machine and voids the warranty.

Teach him or her to wait for his or her pitch. Or, you could try holding off on training with the MaxBP pitching machine to reduce his or her home runs. But really, why would you want to do that? 

Everyone from young amateurs to the big leagues! Check out our #TeamMaxBP list here. 

Can we add you to the list? Contac us HERE, we would love to add you.

The best method we have found is to start the taper on the handle, then place against flat hard surface, like concrete floor or hard piece of scrap wood and tap the top with a rubber mallet until the taper bottom is flush with the handle bottom. Then screw on the know and install included Lizard Skins grip or your own preferred grip. 

Watch us install a taper here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pMAeO0YHwlA

We recommend watching the video below on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jre8LeoFpWc

For a bit of history on this, the first sleeve we released in 2015 was too tight as reported by our customers, most wanted to be able to remove it and do drills both with it on and with it off. So, we made a new version that is looser, thus with moderate bat speed, it will come off. There are a variety of ways to keep it on, we have seen all of the following work: Rubber Band, Glue, Tape, Extra grip from Lizard Skins. Really it just depends on whether you want it to be permanent or you want to be able to remove it.

MaxBP accepts credit card payments and payment via purchase order. When paying with a purchase order, or if you need a quote to generate a purchase order, please follow the following steps.

1. On the Cart page, bottom right. Enter your PO number or "QUOTE" if you need a quote for your internal process to receive a PO number. Then click button "Checkout"

2. Enter contact email and shipping information, then click button "Continue to shipping method"

3. Select your preferred shipping method and click button "Continue to payment method"

4. On the "Payment Page" select "Purchase Order" as payment option.

5. Assuming all looks good, click button "Complete Order"

If you have any questions, or need assistance submit a request here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

We accept all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and JCB in addition to ShopPay, Apple Pay and PayPal. Having trouble with your credit card or need to pay with a Purchase Order? Contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/ for help.

We strive to fulfill your order and ship it to you as fast as humanly possible. However, a general rule of thumb for your order is that it will be shipped and on it's way to you within 1-2 business days from your purchase. 

The majority of orders placed will ship from one or more of the 25+ Amazon locations that store and ship our products. If you haven't received tracking updates, please check your spam, and you can always reach out to us here with any questions: https://contact.maxbp.com/

Please check your spam/junk folder, if you still don't see anything, email support@maxbp.com and we can send it. It is possible your email was input wrong or no email was received. Additionally you may be receiving multiple boxes depending on what you ordered.

When your tracking number is first generated but not yet in transit it will report no status. Occasionally packages miss scans or are delayed in pickup due to conditions out of our control (Mother Nature, COVID, Large Shipping demand). The majority of shipments are fulfilled by Amazon who primarily ships via USPS, UPS Ground and Amazon. International orders are shipped from our headquarters in Portland, Oregon. And we are launching local Canadian fulfillment very soon to extend our free shipping to our friends north of us!

Typical ship time is 2-5 business days within the 48 US States. 

*NOTE: Due to COVID we have seen delays of 5+ days on top of the above estimates, if it is imperative you receive your order by a specific date we need to know and you may need to pay to upgrade the shipping.

Any questions, please reach out to us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

You may return a purchased item within 30 days of your delivery date. If 30 days have gone by since you received your products, unfortunately, we cannot offer you a refund or exchange though you may be eligible for store credit, to discuss your situation submit a request here: https://contact.maxbp.com/

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused or lightly used where it still looks new, so don't add stickers to the machine until you know you are going to keep it. It must also be in the original packaging. Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Gift cards and downloadable software products cannot be returned or exchanged.

To complete your return, fill out and submit a ticket here: https://contact.maxbp.com/. Be sure to include all order information so we can retrieve your order details in a timely manner. 

MaxBP

Attn: Returns & Exchanges

4409 SE 24th Ave.

Portland, OR, 97202

United States of America

You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you will vary. If you are shipping an item over $100, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We can not guarantee that we will receive your returned item.

Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund. If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.

MaxBP 

Attn: Returns & Exchanges

4409 SE 24th Ave.

Portland, OR, 97202

United States of America

You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you may vary. If you are shipping an item over $100, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We can not guarantee that we will receive your returned item.

We may replace items if they are defective or damaged. If you need to exchange it for the same item, contact us here: https://contact.maxbp.com/ and send your item to address below. However, if you decide you would like to replace a broken MaxBP machine or upgrade to a better model, you may purchase our Upgrade/Fix product. We will take your old machine back with no questions asked and send you the same model in new condition or upgrade your model, depending on what is available.

MaxBP 

Attn: Returns & Exchanges

4409 SE 24th Ave.

Portland, OR, 97202

United States of America

You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary. If you are shipping an item over $100, you should consider using a traceable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We do not guarantee that we will receive your returned item.