The recent topic of the Duke 550 brought the Helfrich 550 to my mind. Whatever happened to that trap? Was there some kind of flaw with the unique dog/trigger system? Does anyone still use their Helfrich's in the 450 or 550 models?

I bought a dozen a few weeks ago, won't get a chance to try them out until next fall. Not sure what a coyote will do to the dog.

I was curious about the dog and if it could survive a coyote chewing on it.

they wont hold up but ill buy them!

Actually,I think it was a trap ahead of its time.I don't recall any trouble with the trigger system but jaw breakage was a huge problem.If I recall right Helfrich guaranteed the traps and after they were released a lot of them were returned because of this.I remember one winter following up on a 'cat on a drag with his 550 on a front paw,where he hung up there was a trap with one jaw,the other had broke in two.I took the chain and drag off the trap and heaved the trap into the woods where it probably remains to this day.But I always thought the theory behind the trap was solid,and the traps, for being more along the lines of a top shelf trap were actually affordable.At a time when a stock 1.75 victor was selling for $35-$40 a dozen the 550 was,I believe,around $60 a dozen.I thought the trap was a bargain considering what you got.Helfrich went out of business before I was able to really load up on them.

Heavy duty, comes to mind. I had a few lost them some where on the move from s.d. to Colorado. But still got a jar or two of bait/lure. To bad I lost or left them behind my grandfather give me them.

Thanks Buck, that puts a little bit of a history/picture with the trap and brand.

As far as I was concerned, they make a better conservation piece or door stop than a usable trap. The trigger was a nightmare, worked pretty good out of the box, but went downhill from there. Most that I have been around now, you can't make stay set. The workmanship was pretty poor also, so I was not impressed with them. Buck touched on their finer points as well! The traps being made today are far superior to any he produced at the time!

Helfrich got in over his head with the trap production and went bankrupt.

Thanks Lee and PA! Good to hear from those who actually used them. It is a good looking trap outta the box, and it does have a unique trigger system, which all makes for good conversation as Lee said. You just about gotta figure if nobody has made a similar version, then there was something not quite right about the original.

I have 4 doz mostly 550s never had issues with them save one that I had which needed a trigger adjustment. Always wish I could buy more. Way to pricey now one of my favorite coot traps hold like crazy and no chewing.

a lot more to the story than that. He left a bunch of trappers and supplier hanging big time

Helfrich Eliminators
It is appropriate that some history be discussed here in this forum regarding the Helfrich Eliminators because Charles Dobbins was instrumental in the ideas behind them.

About 30 years ago Jim Helfrich and Charles Dobbins got together at every trappers convention they went to, which was a lot! After the day’s festivities they would sneak off and play with traps. They would rise early in the morning and play with them again. But the playing had a purpose, to learn the faults of each and every design. To determine what were the good points and what could be done to improve them. Hundreds of traps snapped shut on the two trapper’s fingers; screw drivers were put in the jaws and turned to observe the real holding power of each trap. Small pieces of soft wood had the jaws snapped shut on them and measured to determine the closing force.

The two studies traps harder and more through than had ever been done before and they came to many conclusions. Added to that was the fact that Charles had more experience with a wider variety of traps than Jim had especially beaver traps. Charles wanted a campaign started to get the manufacturers which were limited at that time, to build a good beaver foot hold trap. To bring back the 44. This was Charles’s favorite trap. Jim and Charles tried to get that accomplished but to no avail. At that time Wood stream made the Victor and the Black and Lamb and there was little else.

That was when Jim decided to make the 750 Eliminator and incorporate the information learned from the time he and Charles spent testing and understanding traps. Designed as a beaver trap it incorporated design technology specific for a beaver trap. Big open jaws to accommodate a beavers hind foot (7.5” jaw spread), lots of weight to pull the beaver down eliminating the need to add weight as on other traps, dog less to prevent flipped foot syndrome, a pan that could be tensioned to eliminate belly springs and muskrats and such from snapping the trap, bottom center swiveled to stop foot slide and always provide a direct inline pull to the chain, offset jaws on the catching surface and on the rise to prevent debris from holding open the trap, wide cast jaws to stop an cutting or twisting damage, spring levers to allow for less debris rise when snapping but most importantly to hold the jaws shut once closed rather than to force the jaws closed continuously.

You see, one of the most important lessons that Charles and Jim learned was that ALL other traps hold an animal by pressure forcing the jaws tighter. In other words it is like closing a vise and continuing to make it tighter, If there is enough it holds them, if there is not the jaws can be forced back down causing an escape. The idea was to hold the jaws in the close position and the unique design of the Eliminator springs do just that, they spring up the jaws and then stay where they closed by holding the jaws from opening rather than holding them by forcing them shut. Most people do not know that if you take the jaws out of an Eliminator the springs DO NOT travel further, they are unloaded when the trap is sprung and empty, no other trap does that. All other traps have loaded springs.

The Eliminator was not equipped with a double lock down jaw system for two simple reasons; first it was not needed because of the patented spring design that allowed the loose jaw to set level and second to facilitate setting faster. By faster setting I am referring to setting traps in very rocky or frozen ground where having a loose jaw to adjust bedding is a boom and to make it easier to place pan covers.

The patented dog less design was also a boon to faster setting, no need to watch the trap pan to get it right, no need to listen for a click, it was correct when it was set and there was no way to screw it up.

Another area that Charles and Jim spent a lot of time on was the swivels. In some parts of the country grass is a real problem in swivels, locking them up and rendering them useless. Charles developed a swivel that was completely tangle less and in addition would not permit the pumping of rebar stakes as most other swivels did and will. Eliminators were made using the Dobbins swivel as much as possible. At times Charles could not keep up with the demand for the swivels so some Eliminators have the Dobbins swivel and others do not.

The 750 was in demand for more than Beaver and soon it was being used on Lions and Wolves here in the US and all sorts of critters around the world, especially in Africa. A second version was made and thus the 750B (beaver) short chain with downer and the 750W were sold (wolfer with long chain.) The 750 was made from Ductile iron (cast). This metal can be bent slowly for example the jaws of a 750 can be collapsed in a vice but cannot be permitted to spring into place.

Following this trap came the 450 (with steel jaws because they were too small to cast) the 550 with steel jaws for economy and the 550C with cast jaws. Some confusion exists over this because many 550 traps have 450 pans. After running hundreds of sets in the field Jim determined that the 550 pan was too large and had the 450 pans put on all future traps. So if you have a 550C with a small pan this is a latter production trap than those with the large pan that says 550 on it. A 450 measures 4.5” and a 550 measures 5.5”. There never were any 450’s with cast jaws but there are plenty of 550’s with a 450 pan on them.

At this same time Charles took the approach of writing books on how to fix or at least improve the current traps that were on the market and his books are absolutely excellent and definitive resources on trap modifications.

Jim also wrote one article in particular called “GT +CS =MP”. It was very controversial at the time and most of the trapping publications refused to run it but it did run in the “Fur Taker”. The title stood for Good traps plus Correct Size equals More profit. The day the article ran Jim received several calls from presidents of national and state trappers associations that lasted for hours each. Those men then made calls to the trap manufacturers and many changes were made.

And now after 30 years it appears that a great many of the old mistakes are still being made. We have a wide variety of trap makers to select from and yet the teachings that occurred some 30 years ago and are documents in books, articles and equipment still go unfollowed. The eliminator had one major purpose which also spanned its name “Eliminator” To eliminate all damage and loss. Jim sold most of his fur not as fur but as live animals for stocking, release for training, to collectors. He could not have an animal with a damaged foot. The animal had to be perfect or its value decreased from the 4 to 5 time’s fur value animal to a fur animal. No need for lamination, or rubber jaws, no need for shocks. Just good design brought on by two men who spent their off time learning instead of telling stories or other such things. I don’t know how much of this would have been shared if these two trappers had not gotten together over and over and shared ideas and lessons but I for one and glad that Charles was there and he is very missed. You might ask how I know all of this, I was there, that’s how. Jim Helfrich

That was some very interesting history right there! Very interesting. Thank You!

X2 great read. Another thank you for sharing.

Fantastic read, Thank you, Jim!

Excellent insight into the history of the Eliminator line.Thank you

Thank you, that was an interesting and informative read.

I'd never read that Mike, thanks for sharing.

Thanks Mike

Thank you for sharing.

**

So did the 750 have a stamped pan like the 450's and 550's?

Also, how was the chain attached to the center swivel on the 750?

I believe on the 450's and 550's, they have a small s-hook that was welded to avoid opening up.

Thanks for more history

Excellent. Very informative.

Here are a couple pictures of the Helfrich 750.

I have a 550 and Jim’s book just because of the history behind them. One read and it becomes abundantly clear what a high opinion he had of that trap. Worth knowing even if it didn’t pan out for him.

Thanks for the 750 pics. Looks heavy duty. Will be keeping my eye out for one, if only just to feel how it's built for a moment.

Thanks Paul!!!

The base has 750 Helfrich and patent info information on it but the pan is blank on mine. It is the most heavy duty trap ive ever seen.

Good read, thanks everyone that posted and added to it.

Fantastic article, as I have a real interest in trap design and history - ever since watching the video Charles and Wayne put together on trap modifications.
This led me to get all or the books and video's that Charles made as well.... and I've been collecting traps ever since

I had cpl dz 550s years back, had trouble with jaws breaking, long gone sold, what had left, any older traps mine were traded in on new, no traps older 17 years old except few 1.5 longs. What are they valued at nowadays ?

$30-50.00 a piece.