I am looking at this option a lot harder than I use too I tell you.

Mine could be complete coincidence. I dont know the reasoning behind it, if it is just my area, or what it could be. I was using mb550’s with stock chain and an added crunch proof swivel midway in the chain. When I would manage to make a catch, I always returned to a ball of mud and grass with hardly anymore length for the yote to move around. I decided to try some USA (#2 I believe - same size as stock 550 chain). I dont really measure it but will measure it to see what the total is. I would say 12” in addition to the stock, 4 swiveled and have had zero issues since. Just last night I harvested my biggest coyote yet - 46 lb male and no problem at all with my setup. It was an absolute muddy grassy mess but nothing got bound up. Maybe it was the swivels, the chain, or both. I dont know. And it has been nasty rain and muddy conditions here that normally cause the “balling” up on my sets.

Also I run 24 hr check mainly have red clay here.

Swivel types make a big difference in clay type soils. Got all my land traps rigged with JC Conner rod swivels at the D ring, or terling type swivels with nail J hooks. the less steel the less mud builds up. Even in long grass muddy clay stuff. Anythin less than 12 is short to me, 18-24 is much better, without shock springs, with a 15 inch chain stake. Most of the time it gets driven 12 inches deep. With my soil types and weather I just pound the extra chain in the bottom of the deeper trap bed. Just like anything else in trappin, gotta find the right combination for YOUR conditions.

I have 4 MB Crunch Proof Swivels and a J.C. Conner's T-Bar In-line Shock Spring positioned in the center of the length of chain on my MB550 chains. The total length, 18", it keeps the grey matter between my ears happy...

2X Red mt. I too think that they are more comfortable with a longer chain set up. And after running longer chains this yr I caught more coyotes in remakes. I run 550s offsets with stock chain and swivels then 20 links of number 3 US chain. And a chained super stake with 16" of US number 2 I usually drive super stake down about a foot. No foot damage tells me that they are more content and fight the set up less.