I’ve got boxes and buckets of trap parts buckets of frames, springs and jaws new and used stuff. Building user traps out of old parts might be worth it but the first time you add a new part your just going backwards then.

New parts are a losing deal most of the time as what you need to get out of them is about the price of the traps themselves almost making it unpractical in many cases if it’s not a collector part.

I was thinking of selling Ikea trap kits (build your own from parts) but if one part won’t work the kits would be worthless then, if I had to fit every part I would just complete the trap myself then so what to do?

Any ideas I’ll post some pics shortly.

Just send all the parts to leftlane to put together for you. He’s been spending to much time on the water so he must have a lot of free time. But I would get a contract written up first, if not he probably just scrap it and buy some chinese tackle boxes.

I was thinking cheaper labor maybe if I had to feed him I’d be in the hole pretty quickly. LOL

Any Sleepy 3 CSs in there?

You need to find some kids that have the trapping bug, tell em they can have any traps they put together free or cheap. Or for every 2 assembled they can have 1. They'll learn a lot about hardware in the process.

Send them to wolf dog, he will cobble up some good users

Majority are 1, 1.5 and 2s longs/jumps some 3 and 4 longs mostly older Victor, B/L, Diamond and the older types

"Some assembly required"....

Reason I asked is there's a bunch of run-overs coming here.
I liked the kid or poor person idea.
Like you said, easy to get into them more than they are worth.

I might get a picture for the "USA traps don't need adjusted" guys lol.

Better to stick with with used parts heck one spring is the price of some traps.

Id bet alot of us have a couple buckets of traps like that. I know I do. NTA or FTA should collect these buckets and donate them to kids trapping camps

Best idea in my opinion. Teaches them how to work on them and gives them some cheap users they can be proud of.

I have almost 100 #1 longs built for myself ready to go I’ll see what I can put together, I had about 20 kids last year I supplied with stuff when we came up short or what they needed for a critter they caught but the 1s might work better for the younger kids.

it sure wouldn't work mail order but more like going to the junk yard and piecing together something

definitely get the kids involved in building their own traps

kids often just need a push in the right direction

2 weeks ago my son had no idea how to rebuild brakes

now he has fabricated from bulk tubing all new lines from master cylinder to wheel cylinder , replaced wheel cylinders and replaced the brake shoes and hardware.

learned to deal with broken rusted bolts , and several other complications.

he may not see the growth , or remember the whole emotional roller-coaster of tossing his hands up in frustration then I come in and show him something , suddenly it is doable. but they learn so fast when you point them in the right direction.

worst thing is 12 years from now some 12 year old you got started is getting married and his new wife comes over to you at the wedding reception and says SO , I hear your the reason I have a garage full of traps and no were to park my car. to which you can say , well you knew that going in and you still married him , enjoy life together trapping.

you can always start your car and warm it up when you get back from checking the line while your changing into work cloths

Good answer, Pete. I eespecially like that last sentence, wife learns something too!