Yes,I don't mind a standard sized pan and it was designed to fit between the levers.It is plenty strong as the jaws are modified 650 jaws.The lock up will come all the to the top with a coyote foot in it.Actually,I made the lock up come up a little too high and it makes them a little hard to set.The next ones,I will correct that.

The MB 600s Stalker modified for me, he did not change the lock up. He used the same as the 650 jaw already had. They performed flawless for 7 yotes. I used JC Conner's Lightning springs designed for the 550 for the helper springs. He did grind the contact points of the jaws to create 3/16th offsets instead of 1/4. Hope this helps Tax..

Just got some more 550’s from MBT.
I was disappointed to see that the holes in the levers are now wider then the last ones I got.
It allows the levers to go past the stops one one side, jamming up the trap, making it almost impossible to reset without hitting it with a mallet.

When you have a great product, stop changing things.

If you catch a non target and want to let it go, do you think this would present a problem? I was thinking of purchasing more 550’s but may consider getting them from Cabela’s since I read they are selling the older MBs.

Were they offset or reg jaws? I just got some offsets from them a couple of weeks ago and they seem to be ok.

Regular jaws.

I bet if you call them they will fix to your satisfaction.

I have an email into them.

Funny I had to just email them about some Bridger #2 jaws I ordered. I ordered a pair of regular jaws and they sent me one regular and one offset.

Taximan, care to elaborate on what all you did to make up that prototype. Did you have to change levers, lengthen/shorten any metal pieces??

J Brooks,I'm pretty pressed for time right now but will get back to you next week

Thanks!

J.Brooks,I made mine using a 550 and adding inside lam,650 jaws.The jaws had to be spread a little because there is more distance between 550 pivot points than on the 650.Then,the jaws had to be reshaped,where the lever rides up.There is plenty of metal for this.The jaw tips needed reduced a little so I rounded the square edges.

The wider jaw spread needs a longer dog so I got a 1 7/8" rod dog.This changes the geometry of the trigger setup,putting where the jaw rests on the pan,closer to the dog eye,which reduces pan tension too much for my liking.The standard 550 dog rests on the jaw mid way.Trying to correct this,I bent the cross frame out,a little and added 550 helper springs.The are adequate now but I'd still like to have them 2 coiled.I still want to tweak this a little by filing the dog notch and maybe a longer dog.I think I can get it worked out.

They did.

Great company to deal with. Mistakes are made but they make the appropriate changes.
That’s all you can ask.

Thanks for the description!

I have a love / hate relationship with the MB550. I really love how well the trap is made and that the price is almost reasonable to old skinflint.
What I hate and wish would be changed is the dog / pan set up.
Growing up and using traps that allowed one to adjust the pan tension without setting up jigs, benders, getting the trigonometry skills brushed, makes working on these much more difficult. I simply am not great at figuring stuff like that out to get a reliable pan tension.
Unlike a lot of pros on here, I may want to set the trap for coyotes one week and grey fox another week. Quite a difference on pan tension. Also, because I am a general all around dub trapper I want to catch that small female fisher or grey fox that visits one of my coyote sets. Not living in the land of milk and honey it is kind of nice to be able to take what comes down the trail, in order to pay for gas and maybe make some money. To me a predator set is just that in my neck of the woods.

The dog and pan tension system like you said is the reason I steer clear of them also.

The dog is a pain in the butt to straighten out with a plier when your in a hurry

Everyone has opinions, some of them are funny buy hey its what keeps the world turning, with a slight vibration but none the less turning.

What pan tension do y’all run for fox and whatever else you think you can’t catch? Mine came factory set at about 3# and I catch everything from feral cats to coyotes, including foxes.
Now mind you, I don’t get snow or have any way to see what I might be missing, but I figure with that size range of critters they can’t be that bad.

I like my pan tension between 2.84 and 2.96 but that's just a personal preference