Has anyone tried to 4 coil these with the springs meant for the mb550s? Or found springs that will work to 4 coil them?

Why do you want to 4 coil them? Are the springs week? I use MB 550 2 coils and never had a problem.

I agree you can put some yrs on them first before you have to spend any money on them

I was gifted these for Christmas. I usually run Bridger #3 4 coils. I like a stronger trap. I only trap in frozen ground seems like. I like the extra power with frost everyday.

No need to 4-coil them. I ran 2 doz. of them this season and never lost a coyote in them. Plenty strong s they are. IMO

If he's eager & willing to try to make it work, I don't see any reason to discourage wipy from 4 coils.

You could ask Bill Duke, wipy.

I bought some this year to try I liked the bigger pans & price, I usually buy MB 550. Anyway last coyote I caught bent the lever & i could not set it , straighten the lever & the dog would not engauge to the pan it hit the jaw & would not go down to the pan.
Not trying to bash Duke traps would like to know why this happen, any of you having this happen. Jim

There made cheaper,cheaper metal,springs,chain it will be interesting to see the $20 -$30 cheaper knock off holds up after two or three years of use.Nothing last forever but MB traps and Sterling last a long time,you get what you pay for,buy the best you can afford and American made when possible.

"would like to know why this happen, any of you having this happen. Jim"

When this happen with my Montys n Vics, every time the set was made near large rocks or on rock hard frozen ground. Sounds like the cross frame is bent down on the one that wont set. Entanglement can cause problems too.

Thanks for the help might be entanglement was rain soft mud no rocks. I'll try to look at the trap tomorrow it's on the work bench. Would love to know if this is a common problem. Rick I'll be buying MB 550 as you are probally right Thanks for answers to my question. Jim

Any trap can get damaged at some point in time. Just depends on the situation.

Agree,and this is only one incident.My own experience with the MB550 in all conditions,rocky grasslands,forest,rock hillsides and rock slides etc,I have never had to straighten any part,including levers and dogs.I can always reset them,as is.This includes a few lion catches that would blow some traps up.I probably have been using them close to 10 years.I have never handled the Dukes.

Mb550 - $210 here

Duke 550 - $150

Guys seem to like the duke 550 for fox and occasional coyote around here

I've been using the Duke 550's this year and am satisfied with them. I have 10 year old Duke #3's still catching and holding coyotes so my guess is the Duke 550's will hold up just fine.

MB550's have held wolves around here. Maybe Duke's would too, I don't know.

I have caught 3 coyotes this year in the Duke 550s. So far no issues other than one bent lever that straightened right out. They are plenty strong as 2-coil in my opinion.

Ditto. I have bought a bag of springs from MB with a tool to put them on. They were older, but I like a 4 coil. Sterlings are the Rolls Royce, have a dozen.

I used the MBs and Dukes side by side this season, alongside a couple other brands.
Here are some of my observations.
I caught 8 Coyotes in the Dukes, out of those 8, 7 had the lever/levers bent to some degree or another. I was able to VERY easily bend them back with a pair of Leatherman pliers. Only one needed to have the dog post adjusted to level the pan after the catch.
Simultaneously I caught 11 Coyote in MBs, and none of those needed any adjustments after catches.
I should note I run 2 coiled, and both of these traps have extra long spring pins to facilitate 4 coiling so if they're not cut off short (which is what MTP recommends if you're not planning to 4 coil) they will get bent at some point.
I ran the same setup on all my traps, just the factory chain with added mid chain swivels and chain stakes.
The conditions were normal KY farm dirt with no rocks or anything like that to beat them up on.
So, while this might still be somewhat anecdotal, what with only 19 Coyote caught between the two, it does seem to suggest that they are not created quite equal.
For me personally, because I have only a short time to trap and need to make full use of that time, It makes sense to go with the equipment with the least downtime, and this is where the price difference becomes nil.
I readily recommend the Dukes to anyone who doesn't mind dealing with this issue. They catch and hold great, same as the MBs.
Maybe of interest, the Dukes have stronger springs out of the box.

Good post.

Duke is good about using strong springs.

Overall, I'll stick with the MB for my go to set, but the Duke's have their place.

trapjet It's good to know I'm not the only one having problems with the levers getting bent on Dukes 550. I think that the chain is getting wrapped over the levers when the coyote is caught & that is why the levers are getting twisted.
I to have just bent the levers back but you can only bend metal so many times before it breaks. When it breaks it will probally be a coyote in the trap & he'll be gone.

I will keep buying MB 550 as they hold up much better. Thankyou for your comment. Jim

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