I was out in Kansas last week with my son and brother hunting coyotes. We were getting ready to go to a new set when I dropped my Mojo Critter on the frozen ground. Pieces went everywhere and I thought it was done for. I picked it up and to my surprise it still worked. I had built a stand for it so we were good to go. Don't drop your MOJO.

I dropped mine Saturday it was about 10 degrees and the top was broke in about 3 pieces I used it the rest of the day and it worked. I took it apart and used a 1.5" pvc cap and drilled it out and counter sunk the screw heads.I love my critter but I wished they would have used a thicker plastic on it.

The bottom of mine broke and looked exactly like yours. It happened in my pack somehow, also in extreme cold. I mixed up some JB Weld and put it back together. I roughed up the plastic and really globbed in on there thick all the way around the break. I havent used it yet, but I'll bet its stronger now than before it broke.

BTW, I emailed Mojo about it and they offered to fix it for $20 + return shipping. But, by the time I did that I'd have $30+ in it and I only paid $45 for it new.

Man How I am glad we don't get that cold here in TX, I really like my Mojo..Sorry to hear bout that Jim, did ya'll get anything? I'll make sure not do drop mine.

-Juanjo

it must be a kansas thing i was calling in north central kansas and went to pull my critter out of the ground and did the same thing, kind of teed off about it just threw it in the pack and went home

Mine did that the very first time i used it.

Big red tail did that to mine this morning.

It is not just the cold. I dropped mine the other day in 44 degree weather and the top broke on it. Time to break out the JB weld and Strengthen it some

I hate things that are made out of Plastic. Anytime you have a metal screw going into something made out of plastic it's going to break eventually.

The only type of plastic that I have had that didn't break was the type that they use to make the "RubberMaid" trash cans. That stuff is flexible and strong.

But I bought a rubbermaid square box container with matching lid. Then last winter we had an ice storm and the ice formed on top of the lid about 2" thick. I had the box in the back of my pickup truck sitting outside for three days. When the storm was over I went out to get the truck and noticed the ice sitting on top of the rubbermaid box. I tried to push the ice off the lid and then tried to break up the ice. The lid cracked under the pressure and I was disappointed. Even the rubbermaid type plastic breaks when it's extremely cold.

I don't have a mojo but I do have a quiver rabbit decoy and it's made out of the same type of plastic as the mojo decoy. I took a 5 gallon bucket and filled it up to the top with peat moss. Then I can stick the plastic stake into the peat moss when I want to setup the decoy. I can sit on the bucket by adding a swivel bucket camo lid to the deal. I used this 5 gallon camo bucket seat when I last went dove hunting. I carried all my shotgun shells and other supplies inside the bucket for that hunt.

I purchased a 2 new sets of eyeglass frames this last month. Had to have the store put on new plastic soft nosepieces. The tiny screw that holds the plastic nose pieces is metal. But the metal screw is fitted into a plastic nose piece holder. So the first thing that happened is the metal screw was screwed in too tight and stripped the plastic threads. Now the screw is not tight and probably will fall out sooner or later. Then one pair of my new 90 dollar frames will be rendered useless. I need to take the frame back and get another frame. Again I hate things that are made out of plastic.

JB weld is great but it won't always hold onto slick plastic parts. You have to made sure that you clean the plastic of all grease and oily substances and then rough up the platic with some sandpaper so that the JB weld can stick to the plastic better.

I have yet to find any good glue that will weld plastic back together after it's broken.

How many things did you buy that were made out of plastic that broke and you had to throw away.

When I think of Plastic I am reminded of the movie "The Graduate". Anyone else remember the line in that old movie about Plastics?

Thats exactly what I did, and its holding so far. So really, how do you feel about plastics? LOL...

Ditto, I dropped one before I even used it and broke the top so it was unusable. Went to a local retailer and got another one as I was going to hunt the next day. Got home and opened the package and it was cracked already.

Took the one that was totally wasted apart and will take it to the hardware store to find a suitable thin wall PVC and re-engineer the critter.

Will post photos etc if it works out.

Ya, mine broke also!! dagnabbit!!

It doesn't need to be cold for the plastic to breaak off where the peg goes into the Mojo Critter. I've broken 4 off in a row and my neighbor has broken 2 off. I still believe it's the best decoy on the market, even though I feel that it has a design flaw with the breakoffs. I plan on building a PVC sleeve for it to sit into, as I'm tired of replacing the decoy every month or so.

Tony

Mine broke on Saturday. I sanded, cleaned, and reinforced it with Acraglass(bedding compound). The PVC is a great idea and will be my next move if I break it again.

MOJO Outdoors is hearing you guys with this problem you are having.

I'd bet that in a short while we will have an answer that makes us all smile.

I just got mine in the mail today and the top was broken inside the plastic package. I called the company I got it from and they have already emailed MOJO and a replacement should be on the way soon. I recommended that MOJO work on improving the design. I mentioned all the post on this site regarding breakage of both the top and bottoms. If this next one breaks which I expect it to, I will most likely us some pvc pipe and place the insides of my mojo into the pvc like promapper suggested.

Creation of the "Pipe Critter".

Started the conversion last night by gathering the few parts that will be required and keeping in mind to keep it simple for those that don't have a lot of tools. Ended up being about $6.00 worth.

Parts so far
1 1/2 inch PVC (Lowes has 2' pieces pre-cut)
flat end cap
coupler from pipe to threaded end
threaded end cap
barrel thread in 1/4 20 (I think that's what it's called.)

Th battery holder has to have the corners sanded a bit to fit but once you do it works fine. I already have the switch installed on the side and the threads were plenty long to go through the pvc and still have enough left for the guard and nut.

The only thing left is to mount the motor and a little paint, hook and loop for the fur and done.

I plan to wrap the circuit board in foam and pack all voids with foam as well. I am convinced this should be able to be done in 2 hours.

This would also allow those that hunt in brush the option of making a taller critter

Let's make this a collaborative effort. Any recommendations for a better pipe critter would be appreciated but keep in mind not all of us have a full shop.

Thanks... More tomorrow

Looks like that will work. I'll have to try to make one up.

Jim

You guys are lucky even if you are having problems.I have had one on order forever from Midway sure wish MOJO would get some shipped to their suppliers.

mine broke on the top got a tube of super glue and coated the whole top holding up sofor.next time i'll try some pvc.

promapper,

Would it be possible for you to post a couple close-up pictures of the circuit board (a picture of each side)? I'm curious as to what the timer circuit looks like.

I think I can do that. the printed circuit side has a protective covering on it but I will see what I can do. Will post Wed A.M.

this happened to mine as well. I was able to take it back, but thay were all out.

Here's one answer to what they have avl. now.



This would help eleminate any breakage when pushing into hard ground. You push the tall metal square tubing into the ground, then put the Critter in it. The square housing on the bottom of the critter fits right inside the tubing.

It also gets the decoy UP for areas with tall grass or short brush.

I look forward to seeing the pictures! I forgot that one side of the circuit board had the protective foam stuck to it. I'm really just curious about what components they used in the circuit, so just a picture of that side would work. Don't worry about the other side. Thanks!

Final Assembly

Parts
1 1/2 inch PVC (Lowes has 2' pieces pre-cut)
flat end cap
coupler from pipe to threaded end
threaded end cap
barrel thread in 1/4 20 (I think that's what it's called.)
Velcro with adhesive back.
Krylon green spray camo paint

The battery holder has to have the corners sanded a bit to fit but once you do it works fine. I already have the switch installed on the side and the threads were plenty long to go through the pvc and still have enough left for the guard and nut.

The motor shaft and screw holes are on 1/2 centers. The motor is mounted to the endcap using the motor mount screws. the end cap needs counter sunk holes or sanded down thinner for the short screws.

I opted for a shorter critter and cut the spring considerably shorter.

the end result is no different in sound or vibration than the original however I would not make the conversion unless the original is beyond repair. total time about an hour for the conversion.







Hope this helps

To mount the motor you could wrap a layer of rubber around the motor then slide it into the tube and use a hose clamp to finish snugging it up in the tube.


I think any other way will cause to much vibration and cause it to be a bit loud.
Atleast that is what I had to do to my homemade one to keep it from being loud.


Edit to ask how you got it to stay in the tube?And does it vibrate the tube and make it loud? Very good job on yours

Thanks promapper! That picture is just what I was looking for. BTW your finished decoy looks great!

I got one this winter and also broke the base first trip out, pushing it into frozen ground. I now use a frizbe with a fountain cup bolted onto it for a base. The critter drops right into it and it works on frozen ground, rocky ground or even on top of the snow.

drscott

dwise,
Does that circuit board look like something that could be built with parts from Radio Shack or an electronics store?

Yes. You should be able to find all those parts (or equivalent parts) at an electronics store for pretty cheap. It looks like a slight variation of the astable 555 timer circuit I posted a link to in the the thread you started.

Ok thanks. I'm going to stop by Electronics Warehouse Friday morning after work and show them the picture and see what I come up with. I have a mojo but would like to see if I could build a spare one just for fun.

Well no luck at the electronics store. The guy there didn't seem to want to help me much and just said that the large rectangle part was custom made for that decoy wether or not what he said was true. Not that I need another mojo I just like to figure out how these things tick. If you guys find anything else out let me know.

Jimbo

go to goodwill or salvation army and look for dogs that walk and then stop then walk again. Or something like the monkey that clangs the symbols then stops for a few seconds then starts again. Then take apart and use that circuit board for your project. Hook the wires from their motor onto yours and your ready to go with a battery pack and an on off switch. You can pick them up for likE under 2$.

The circuit board (large rectangle part) was custom made for the decoy, but you should be able to pick up the components (or comparable components) at most stores with a Radio Shack-like inventory. You would need to get a perf board and some jumper wire to build the circuit yourself. If you give me a few days I could probably draw up a schematic of a circuit (like the one in the picture) and give you a list of the components you would need to get at the electronics store. By the way does A.V. stand for Antelope Valley?

Dwise, thanks for getting that stuff together. A.V. is for Apple Valley. I'm a high desert rat.

Jimbo

I was excited a couple weeks ago to purchase my first mojo critter! Second time out, the rod snapped off the bottom. Now it is a Nogo critter. I e-mailed mojo and they have not yet responded a week later. I am not real pleased with their customer service so far. I really thought a company with so many people talking them up would back it up with top notch customer service. Just ordered the woodpecker from tripleoddbuck.com with my new FX3 en route. Guess I can count on using the $45 mojo platform to build my own. Very discouraging. They will not get any more of my business. If I have to repair it myself after 2 outings, I will start building my own as well. Thanks for the input fellas.

Emails are "iffy" at best. They can get tossed into the spam folder, overlooked, etc.

Try calling them.

Local Phone: (318) 283-7777
Toll Free Phone: (866) 216-6656

Fax: (318) 283-1127

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 8460, Monroe, LA 71211-8460

Physical Address (Shipping Only): 2984 New Monroe Road, Bastrop, LA 71220

I know from experience that they are very concerned about customer service. They first have to know of the problem to address it, as with any manufacturer.

I bought mine off of Ebay and the seller was an authorized dealer for Mojo. They made a call followed up by an email and Mojo sent out a replacement
one real quick.

After futher use (and repairs) I've decided the Mojo is a very nice design. Now they need to produce them in the USA and raise the price $20 if thats what it takes. I'd be happy to pay it. Maybe its just me but I'm about ready to puke the next time I see a "Made In China" label. And we wonder why they break and our economy sucks.

Hey dwise, you can buy the timer. Just go to the mojo web site and select the decoy parts link.

dwise, The LM555 IC should work if you want to build your own timer.

i think it sucks that you pay $40 for something and then have to fix or re-design it right out of the box. i wont be buying one anytime soon.

Definitely Greyhunter! Anything mechanical can break, but I sure wouldn't mind getting mine repaired if it was made in the U.S.A. I have a jack in the box & it's too big & too heavy. The mojo is cool, but bad strength design. Raise the price and make it the U.S.A.!

After reading this thread. I know I won't be buying a Mojo critter. No matter where it's made. I can't stand to see a company sell a product they know has a problem.

7 degrees!

That cold, man cold!

Ball shrinking cold!

Little Willie won't cold!!

The turtle ain't coming out of his shell cold!!!

Stu,
It was - 17 in Missouri on the way down to Kansas. That was brass monkey COLD.

I've been colder.

But I didn't like it, which is why I live in the sunny south.

Once in Omaha, it hit 17 or so below zero, real temp, wind chill -85.

I had all I want of that...

mine broke at the post and crack on top. i called cabelas and they send me another one. mojo will take care of it if you call them..she said it would take 2 weeks. cabelas said 1 week so i went with them. cheap plastic....cracks in cold weather...works well regardless...

Got mine today from APC. They did a good job packing it but sure enough cracked top:



Unbelievably thin plastic top. Repair in the works...

thats what mine looked like when i took it out of the package. i used it anyway however the second time i used it with the mojo post it snapped off the stud on the bottom. I did have yotes looking at it so it does work...however.the cheap plastic is unacceptable.
We have used the mojo ducks for years and had the same problem with the stud on the duck...cheap plastic. when my mojo critter dies i am going to make my own unless they start using something better.

if u fix it make sure u use something that holds polyethylene together. no bondo, 5min appoxy or anything like that...u need a plastic welder... i used slow zap super glue and bondo to get it to stick for one more hunt..till they replaced mine.

Great job,Promapper,thats what I will be doing next also,I used a tube of super glue,to fix mine,but I am going to redo it at the end of the season.

promapper, first rate retro-engineering and thanks for the pics.

The bottom broke on mine when I tried to push the stake through frozen crust. I sealed the bottom with wader glue and made a base for the critter to sit in. I'll post some pics as soon as I find the cable for my camera. I had some scrap flat stock and a little cut, grind, weld later, the critter's back in business.

nice

Here's my fix.

I used the same threaded end types on both ends...the mounting face for the motor looked flatter, so I thought I'd get a better bond.

After I took the next picture I put a bead of epoxy puddy around where the motor mounts to the pcv end piece (only one screw is started in this photo. It snugged right up with both screws in (and I had to countersink).



Epoxy puddy anchors the thread coupler for the spike. Here it is before paint:


Painted:

Needs a bigger fur coat now as it is longer and wider than before. 1000% stronger too.

With this set up you can unthread the spike end and step it into the ground.

After breaking (and fixing) the bottom of mine, it has worked well. Then tonight it fell out of my pack while taking off my boots, broke the top this time. Time to get out the JB Weld again....

American design = good, Chinese build = CRAP.

I hate to [beeep] but this seems to be the most popular deek on the market and here we are on a 6 page thread dedicated to how to fix it.

I will say it has excellent battery life. So far the batteries have outlasted the housing twice!

I explained the situation to a gear head engineer friend of mine. All he could say was "I wish I had a product that everybody knew they were going to have to fix and were waiting in line to buy anyway."

That kind of says it all doesn't it?

Nice fix,Sendit!!!!!!!!

I have the mojo dove decoy. That thing brings them in like they were in a cage. It is sturdy and the batteries last forever. To bad their other products aren't as good. It even drew the attention of a coyote when I had it staked about 20 yards away from my dove blind.

I wish I could take the credit for this, but, SnowmanMo came up with this VERY nice solution to the breaking of the critter bases.

Instead of "driving" the stake in the ground, Mo came up with this:

SnowmanMo got a small camera tri-pod, (not sure what kind), and modified the top of the tri-pod. The "Nut" on the top of the tri-pod fits the critter's threads EXACTLY!

The tri-pod has a tension addjustable swiveling head, so when you're on un-even ground, you just make your small adjustments, and you're set, and ready to go.


SnowmanMo then took some foam rubber "practice golf balls", and drilled some small holes into them, and just epoxy'd them onto the feet of the tri-pod, so when the Critter is spinning, the foam rubber "gold ball feet" absorb just about ALL of the vibration that occurs.

Then he just painted the whole thing with some flat paint.

The result is a ROCK STEADY adaptation to the critter that works everytime, and no longer requires the critter to be forced into the ground.

I tried it, and it works like a CHARM!

Here are a few pics...

I bought one and it was worth every penny. Best decoy ever!