Will it hold they seem like they wouldn’t.

If they're stout, with a few swivels on a twice a day check. But I sure wouldn't go there.

I have caught a ton of coon in #1 LS. With that being said, they were modified so the chain was attached to the frame opposite the swivel and I only used them in drowning sets. Most of them were also the old original Blake and Lambs - very strong springs on them. Get a copy of Dobbins Adjustment of Leg Hold Traps, it shows how to do the modification to the #1s and a ton of other useful stuff.

On a standard setup number #1 with decent springs i ve had ok results as long as the coon have nothing to grab or push them selves off against. For example trees, fence posts, and logs

If you gotta do modifications and (maybe) buy stuff for those why not buy a #1 or 1.5 cs or a 1.5 ls or make a coon box.

It maybe all he has on a limited budget. And you don't have to buy anything to do it, you remove the jaws and take the swivel that's on the spring and move it onto the frame opposite of the spring and reinsert your jaws.

Drowner or a cable going into the water if the water isn’t deep enough.

I like them better then a 1.5 less leverage and tougher to get to the foot.

I have caught and held hundreds of coon and beaver in #1 stoploss set for Muskrats.Coon up to 38 pounds and beaver up to 53pounds. I stake well and am cautious when approaching a rat house.
Have a trapped coon come flying off a rat house at you,and you learn to be cautious.
When working on BMPs,#1 coils were one of the traps we had to use.Caught many coon and a huge otter in those small coils,they also held well.
Tom

I didn't know the man but Nebraska's Don Bolte once took 980 coon using No.1 longsprings.And you can bet he wasn't checking twice a day.

New guy here so I might ask a few newby type questions.
My son and I just started running a few traps late in the season last year. He was gifted several Blake and Lamb #1 that are dls. He had several coons pull out of them, but they were to close to stuff they could pull against or wrap around. We have moved the chains to the center and swiveled them. Do you think they will hold a coon?
He has acquired other traps that are larger, but it would be nice to use these to.

First question--were the springs weak?
Tom

Welcome to trapperman. As long as the springs are good a dls is plenty to hold coon

A dls is a #11, which is just fine. A #1 single long spring was not intended to hold coon. Will it, if staked properly and well swiveled, yes. I never with good odds held them with a 24 hour check, not with good odds. Just my opinion.

I have one with excellent springs good and strong

By all means use it then

That is good to know, I was going by the #1 on the pan. Yes all but a couple have good strong springs. We did not realize that they weaker until we moved the chains. They very well could have been the ones that the coons pulled out of.
Thanks for the info.

When I was a kid,all I had was #1 B&L longspring and held I think all the coon that wandered into my rat sets. I used about 1.5" brush saplings so the animals could move around back then. Only swivel was at the trap.

Thank you all for the responses I have a friend who wants it so I was asking. I’m going to put some heavier duty chain (not to heavy) and but some swivels on it for him.

When I was a kid just starting my dad's cousin gave me 4 old #1's. I ordered some of those little helper springs from F.C. Taylor, and put those inside the weak springs and caught enough coons to buy some new traps the next year. One old trap in particular had warped jaws and was almost off set jaws on the opposite side to the spring. I had it set at the bottom of a steep bank and staked in about 3 ft of water. I had no hip boots and got wet more than once. But that one trap was a money maker even at $2.75 a head! I've did lots of things, but those little things are great memories.