About 10" of old T post and several inches of stainless chain. I'll attach the chain to the posts with cold shut links.
These will go in hard ground that is difficult to get cable stakes out of.
I only trap my own place, and a good location is a good location.
I'll just attach more chain to get out of the burn circle, if need be.

Martin I did a bunch of those in the late 1980s...some are still in the ground. Suggestion run a single link of chain from stake...by splitting the link in the middle feeding it through stake hole then re-welding it closed...you might need a bigger, longer link. Next, add a swivel to the link and then add another link to swivel.... weld j-hooks. Now you can add your trap chain to the extra link and remove it easily. This adds extra swiveling as well as easy trap chain removal at seasons end.
Hope this helps.

Yeah, I was debating whether I needed a swivel at the stake. There are 2 swivels on the trap already, and there are no additional swivels when using a cable stake.

The more swivels the better.
A guy could add a homemade j-hook from the stake too...cut and bend a stout 20 penny nail push through hole, use single chain link hook up and weld j-hooks closed.

Thanks

Thanks for the post. An extra trick in your bag is always a good thing. I have a ton of old T-Post

Attach the chain to that stake with a 3/16" quick link. Then you can just unscrew it and remove chain when pulling traps.

I made a few and put them in the ground in areas I set every season. Mine were made of 10" piece of rebar and 18" of #3 chain attached to it. Buried the rebar in the ground with 3 links sticking out in the spring so they are ready come fall.

That's the premise I'm working from.
Have a section of chain sticking up out of the ground that I can quick-link the trap chain (swivel) to.
The intent is to have the top of the section of post a couple inches below the surface of the ground.

I’ve left cables in the ground with plans of using it the following year. Let’s just say I recommend a length of orange plastic twine at the end of season.

Our soil will eat cable, to acid.

With all the trouble it would be to get those chunk of t posts in the ground I'd take a chainsaw an head to some hard woods an just cut some clogs an toss em out at your permanent locations. Coyote can't get a 50 lb clog very far. Lag bolt or long fence staples to a lil chunk of chain to attach trap chain. Move them out of the way after season

Finished product. The lap links and cold shut are bigger than I wanted, but it was slim pickins at Tractor Supply.

Flint, I use something like that for dog-proofs.
A tool joint from 4" drill pipe.

Yes, I've done that, and the cables rot after a few years, but I still do it.
I definitely agree with tagging them with something highly visible.

So here is the first stake, deployed. I caught 3 coyotes here in 2 years (still learning).
The last 2 were tethered to a tree by about 20 feet of chain, with the tree at the brush line.
Now, the coyote can get away from the set, still, and get almost in the brush.
The idea is that it will stay close to the brush and away from the set, but I won't have to use but half of the original length of chain.

I like this idea. Couple questions. How long of a chain do you use from stake to trap . Have you had any of these pulled out?

I haven't used these before, except maybe when I was a kid.
I don't expect pull-outs, due to the trap size I have been using (#4s), although I have boughten several 3s lately.
Catches have been above the paw..

What does the stake driver look like?

A hammer