Just finished fixing a 330 Belisle spring eye that got around the corner of the jaw somehow. How this happened is beyond me as the spring corner is wider than the spring eye. I have used this brand of traps for years and this is the first time I have had this happen. I should have taken pictures, however did not think it would be such a wrestling match to make this repair.

Anyway, to help someone who may have a similar issue in the future, here is what I did to get the spring back into position.

Tools used: Leather or other protective gloves, safety glasses, trapper setter, large flat head screw driver, crowbar narrow enough to fit inside spring eye, small ballpein hammer, bench vice.

1. Set the spring and engage the safety hook. This was a little harder with the spring eye around the corner and it took a little extra effort to compress the spring enough to set the safety hook.
2. Twist the set spring around until it is past one of the jaw corners.
3 With the large screw driver, start to spread out the gap on the end of the spring. It needs to be gapped enough so you can tap the spring gap over the jaw of the trap.
4. Position the gap in the spring over the other jaw and use the crowbar to work it into position so it is tight over the jaw and hold it in position. You may need to widen the gap here, you will need to judge that.
5. With the gap positioned over the other jaw, now take the hammer and tap the spring eye until it goes over the jaw.
6. Now repeat to get over the other jaw.
7. Compress the spring eye shut with a vice to close it back up.

I hope this never happens again, as it was a bit of a challenge to fix and do not think I could make the repair in the field.

Probably be easier to open the spring eye in the vise,remove the one end of spring from the frame,re position then close the spring eye with the vise.

I have this problem very often with my Duke 330’s. Except they can be pulled back around much easier than the Belisle’s by the sounds of it.

A Belisle thing?
All my BGs came out of the box
around the corner.

Would of liked to see the before picks. Only way that makes sense for that happen to me is that a spring eye was open and needs closed

Been using Belisles for 20 years. Never had that happen.

All other brands of bodygrips......it happens all the time....and is why I dont use anything but Belisles. Have lost a couple otters in Dukes and Victors because of this. And had many more otters get halfway out.

x2 only other thing I can think of is the jaws are bent so they don't close correctly and one passes the other, so it closes smaller on the corner.... ???

Because they weren't Belisles