So it seems like the pre 2016 traps had the higher pan tension. I wonder what changed? I know the first generation mb 550’s have a different pan and a longer dog. But I don’t remember hearing of any changes to them in the past 10 years, besides their little disclaimer on the website of them maybe, sometimes, using foreign parts. I’d be curious to see if the pre 2016 traps maybe had a little stronger, made in the USA springs, and the latter ones maybe have foreign made ones. Or perhaps something happened with the grinding of the dogs or stamping the pans. Either way the traps I own have a pan tension that is around 2.5-3 pounds. I’d prefer a little heavier, but they work for my purposes.

And I had said above that mine were 5 years old , but after thinking about it, I believe that I started buying the 550’s in 2016

I've done a lot of google searching on this topic, I can't find anything. Has anyone here ditched the pit pan setup on a mb550? I love these traps, but I am not a fan of pit pans. I'm sure its an unpopular opinion, but I'm wondering if its possible to swap pans for a traditional setup. Thanks