Whipped this up in a few minutes with some scraps I had on my work bench. The nails were the biggest I had, I think 16d or 20d. The bigger the better so they don't bend. The plates are 1/8" thick and the center plate matched the thickness of the tongue that holds the dog for a snug fit. She ain't pretty, but got the job done and saved the $25 for the commercially available tool.

I may have to build one. I've been using a pair of pliers for 35 years, time to step up my game maybe. lol

I had been using an adjustable wrench, but some of my traps I got used and they took a lot of adjustment. Since I could only get the wrench on one side of the dog, it was hard to bend the tongue much without twisting it.

Yes sir. Makes sense. You're a problem solver.

Just a cheapskate!

Neat idea, from a new trapper.