Hi Roger,
It will work from the point of view of not getting turned over. But it will get incredibly mucky and need rinsed regularly, so sometimes it's handy to be able to upend whatever your using. If it's a permanent pig pen you're going to have and have running water to it - I'd say invest in the nipple drinkers (but I've not actually tried them yet) far less worry about them going without water or having mucky stuff.
Hope this helps, Karen