Just curious how many people weld their J hooks on their swivels?

When trapping coyotes and otters a lot of us do.

I do on all my traps.

I weld all of them except that one attached to the stake because of frozen ground. I can just use my j hook tool, open it and take my trap. a fully closed j hook will hold anything up to 100# wolf. There is a small chance that if using a cable stake it could wrap just right on the j hook and create more leverage, which is why I pound my cable stake so its about an inch below the dirt so that cant happen.

Just curious, how many of you guys have had a coyote open up a j-hook. I agree that it's better safe than sorry, but like shortliner, I do open up j-hooks to leave behind stakes that are frozen in the ground.

I have had J-hooked opened and the traps gone twice. I don't know for 100% if it was the coyotes that opened them or if they maybe got opened while pulling the trap and I didn't notice after re-setting the trap??? Either way, its a good idea to weld them IMO. That said, I don't think I'd actually weld them all if I wasn't already welding on the traps for other mods, the failures seem pretty rare.

Welding them takes little time and its great insurance.

This.

Thanks for all the opinions. I've never welded my J hooks, but I think I'm gonna start

I caught several wolves in coyote sets last year. No damage to trap of j hooks

I used to scoff at welding j-hooks.

Than I lost a trap to a coyote and an opened j-hook.

Than I almost lost another. Had I not just happened to wiggle the trap right remaking the set and watch the chain fall off the partially opened hook, I’d have lost that one too.

Than I lost another trap to an unknown animal (guessing wolf or bear), and you guessed it, a straightened j-hook.

Those were all NEW hooks that came out of the same bag of crunchproofs. They hadn’t been opened and closed repeatedly and hadnt been pulled by a stake puller.

I weld all my hooks now. Cheap insurance.

Those that want to try welding your j-hooks just be careful not to over do it. You wont have straightened j-hooks but broken ones. I have had mine welded by somebody with a wire feed that knows welding. If I would have tried it I probably would have been in trouble.

I weld all mine. It saves me earth anchors when pulling and if someone wants to steal a trap there gunna have to cut it not just open a j hook.

I quit useing standard swivels went to jc rod swivels so I could use a bigger sterling nail hook. I make them out of 30 d common .
I weld everything on trap except at the stake.

I weld them for 3 reasons.

So they don’t open when pulling chained super stakes.

So a thief can’t open them when they can’t figure out how to pull a chained super stake.

And just in case I catch something strong enough to open them.

I’ve only lost two traps over the years trapping coyotes, but I’m pretty sure the J hook was opened the previous year pull in frozen ground and missed during trap prep. I weld mine.

I weld all mine shut.

I tack all mine just to be sure. I also make my own sterling swivels with the bob custer tool with 20d nails.
J

I’m not smart enough to weld j hooks. Too rusty. Too coated. With three swivels per trap I’d be “welding” until Christmas with my nonskill set in welding.

I target coyotes and don't but some do. Im not worried at all about losing a trap with good swivels and #6 j hooks to a coyote or a wolf in my area.