I'm starting fresh next season with smaller traps for bobcats. I'm going to be using all Bridger 1.65s and MB550s. Wild River Traps makes some pretty sweet expanded pans that work perfect for exposed cat sets. For the 1.65s I orders the replacement pans for the Duke 1.75. No welding needed. Just remove the stock pan and use the included hardware to attach the new pan. I still think Mike made them for the 1.65s because they fit and look way to good to be made for a different trap. (all pans painted with sand colored textured paint since most of my cat trapping locations are in sandy areas).


The pans made for the MB550 is not a replacement pan, but made to be welded on the stock pan. When the new MB550s came in the mail I just couldn't get myself to to weld on a trap that nice. I've also got messages from people on Instagram if there was a replacement pan for traps like the MB550 since most companies only have weld on pans. I decided to take a different approach to attaching the pans but using pop rivets. Haha it worked out way better then I thought.

First I drilled the holes where I wanted them in the Wild Rivers pan. Then I painted the pan.


Then I clamped the enlarged pan where I wanted it on the stock pan and drilled through the stock pan.


Next I added the pop rivets.


A final dip in Full Metal Jacket to help protect the trap from rust, and the paint from coming off the pan and I'm done. Takes less then a min per trap.


I was going to add 3 rivets, but after I put two on I twisted, and pulled, and yanked on the pan with no movement at all between the two pans. Way more solid then I thought. Sure its not going to be as strong as welding, but is a great option for those who don't have the skill or equipment to weld. I havent trapped with them yet so we will see what happens ext season. I figured the worse that could happen is I'll have to weld some pans on haha.

This season I got burned out hauling a few big traps up and down mountains, this are lighter and fit better in my backpack. I'm using these two traps because they are very similar. On all the trap supply websites they say that the bridger is 1/8 inche smaller in jaw spread, but side by side you can see its bigger. The MB is just wider. Two great options with polar opposite price brackets, with no welding required to make a cat catching machine

Nice looking work but I couldn't bring myself to do something to my 550s, they're a thing of beauty as they are, perfect in every way.

If I was burying my traps then I would leave them stock. But with exposed traps sets, you want a big, inviting place for the cat to step.

Im gonna try a similar approach with cats next season. I found these pans from "Expand a Pan" that I'm going to put on a half a doz traps and see if I like them.

Everyone of my 550’s has a wild river trap pan welded to it.

They work great.

pop rivets are easier to remove then weld, the next owner might hate large pans

There won’t be a “next owner”.