I was given a bunch of old northwoods #2 double longsprings and am wondering if they are a good trap for fox and maybe the occasional coyote? They were free so I couldn't turn them down... or should they just be cleaned up and put away...

Oh heck yes! Adjustable pans?
I'll send you an article from 1990s on those bud.
Jim

X2
Good traps

yes on the adjustable pans. Thanks!

Yeah, I get laughed at a bit on here but #2 longs are pretty much one of our standard multi-species traps we use on our line, and they were all I used for many years for coyotes around here. These days I do have a bunch of others we use like Bridger 2s and 3s, but bulk of our coyote line is still worked by #2 longs.
Here is article Noonan wrote on my uncle using the #2 northwoods for coyotes. I have a few northwoods left but am running mostly victors and blake and lambs now, and believe me I would love a bunch of the old northwoods models in good shape, those were real nice traps. The adjustable pans were a plus, but they had a little thicker frames and jaws than the victors did too.
I remember when Noonan contacted us by phone for that article, would have been like early 1990s.


A few #2 long catch pics for you from our line...

badgers



fox


coyotes (sorry about the mangy one but gives you a good idea of hold/catch)






cats too



and of course around here we have a jillion coon



anyway, that #2 northwoods with the adjustable pans are a great multi-species trap and I wouldn't hesitate to use them on any of these.

Jim

Jim do you modify/beef them up for use on coyotes? Or run them pretty much stock?

Mike

Modify them a little but I don't have a welder so I don't get too wild with them.
Our coyotes aren't real giants around here and as mentioned back when coon we're higher priced I needed something that would work on about anything we could see in a typical dirt set here.
I swap out the stock chains, add double swivels and center mount. Add booster springs to make them.faster. also night latch them.

Jim I always felt bubbling those jaw tips would be a great mod. especially on the NW #2s....short jaw tips on those traps.

Good post

Back in the mid eighties (I think) I needed a trap that could be used on the fox line then used on the water line.Some how traded for some Northwoods #2 dls they were put to good use and did there job very well.Those #2s brought back a lot of good memories,flash forward several years I bought some at the KY. convention.I think I paid $7.00 apiece,moded the traps just like Jabne recommended.Now the only problem is that it took so long to find those traps I havn't had the heart to set the darn things.Mchewk, bubble tipping the the jaw tips there isn't much room to work on them,maybe this Spring I'll work on the jaw tips a little.On a side note, I also got a hold of some #2 Newhouse dls put new base plates on them,scrounged around and added adjustable pan posts with #2 bridger cs pans.Have not tried the Newhouse traps out yet,maybe this fall(2018).

Back in the early 80's I didn't catch my first bobcat when using a Victor #2 longspring. I had read about the benefits of swiveling from the center and used a j-hook to attach the chain in the hole already in the base right under the edge of the pan. You can probably see where this is going. When holding the trap with the chain dangling down the j-hook was not a problem but when set in the dirt the j-hook was pushed up just enough to keep the pan from dropping down. Of course, that was before I knew the benefits of short latching and was way before I knew about night latching. I did catch my first cat (maybe the same one) a couple days later just down the creek from that original set in a Victor 1.75 coilspring and still remember to this day that I was using Carman's Magna-Glan. I shot the cat from about 30 yards away for fear that it was going to get away. My cousin was with me and when it was all said and done my cousin said that everyone in the county surely knew that I had caught a bobcat. He said I was yelling at the top of my lungs and I didn't even realize it. No wonder that cat was jumping so much to get away. That was also the days of trapping for coon on purpose and making a lot of money for a teenager. I have an instamatic picture of the two of us with that cat and a big coon that day. I will have to dig it out and take a digital picture to post some time. I have some other old pictures that I need to do that with also and maybe start a post about old pictures.

So it sounds like these are a solid trap but should I base plate them and center swivel or leave them alone? I have a welder and the knowledge of metal working so that wont be an issue just what mods I should do, this will be a project for next summer getting these ready for work. I love the old school factor involved with the double long springs...

What's tbe outside jaw spread on those Northwood longs? Always wanted some to try. There like the old style Blake and lamb number 2 longsprings hard to find in good shape.

creekfox87
Pm sent

can booster springs still be purchased ? I have looked at a few trap supply places without luck. I personally love long springs. this is a nice thread for what its worth.

Lightning Auxiliary Springs at F&T

Thankyou Sir

Mtp has boosters. I pop rivet them in place

Yep I've bought our boosters from both of those suppliers.
Have fun with those number twos. I've held everything in them, from coyotes to whatever in land. When they got dirty from a skunk catch I sometime moved them to the water line and held a lot of coon even front footed a lot of beaver in those things.
Anything that gets in one is not getting out. That's the shear design of the lockup with long springs. Tenacious holding power.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I'm no expert but this is one model I am familiar with using.
Jim

I've got a half dozen Northwoods #2 longs. I may have to rig em up and see how they work.

Mike