I recently inheretid some victor 1 3/4 laminated os and regular jaw traps along with some Montgomery #4 laminated os traps I want to know what chain and swivel set up you would run for this and how many links between swivels it will be used for coyote otter beaver and nutria

I use the standard chain that comes with the trap and add a mid-chain swivel 2-3 links from the trap.

Would number 3 strait link machine chain be big enough the traps came with no original chain

Yes. #3 is plenty. If it were good chain #2 strait link is plenty IMO. I like the chain long enough to set the trap over my knee when it's staked to the ground. If the traps are designed for, and in good shape, they'll hold your target animals just fine.

Good deal thank you very much for the advice

You are welcome. I'll add to it a little. Some people like very short chains for the reason of the animals will not get a long run in the trap and hitting the end of the chain hard. Their theory is it'll stop some jaws from popping out or simply pulling the foot out of the trap. Other people prefer a longer chain even 4-5+' long. Their thinking is once an animal hits the end of the chain hard it'll cause shoulder discomfort and the next time they won't hit it as hard, so long as you have a trap that can take that first lunge you're good to go. Plus some that use the longer chains do so because they use rebar stakes and it's hard for the animal to "jack" the stake. "Jack" meaning they jump up and pull the stake a little, the end swivel falls down the stake where it binds and when they jump again it pulls the stake a little more, over and over until the stake is free of the ground. All them are valid points so it's basically up to you as a trapper to decide what will work best for you in your situation, but truth be told the average trapper won't catch a big enough number of animals to see much of any difference on their actual trap line.

I choose the length of chain I use based on ease of resetting the trap and ease of burying or bedding the chain under the trap. Like I said earlier if you're using a good trap designed for your target animal IMO the chain isn't a huge concern. Good swiveling is certainly more important. That is why I said at least a mid-chain swivel near the trap is a good idea.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

Good response Jayme!
I noticed that all the traps are offset and lam.ed...which are fine for dryland predator/coyote trapping but FYI some prefer a regular jaw style jaw for water/beaver and otter trapping.
BUT with all that said...use what you got...and use ADC's advice add swivels!
good luck!

I have a dozen regular jaw. Would an offset work for a coyote in the water? I have one that keeps pulling out of my old #2 longspring sin a crawfish pond.

Beaver or coyote - makes no difference to me as I would rig a drowning lock and cable drowner to either if water sets and the water is deep close by. ......................... the mike

I can catch coyote in a #2 on dry land, but the water provides additional lubrication on the jaw face and fur. I recommend a #3 DLS for that reason, but everything in water is harder. In the states that still allow um vintage hardware to be used in water is because of how harder it is to stop pullouts. Offset would help some, but in my opinion you need the bigger jaws to catch higher along with a little bit higher spring strength, OR you need a double jaw that provides additional grip on the animals paw.

My otter setups mimic what Mr. Sevin used in terms of a center base swivel, double long spring #11, but I just love the #2s. I have both, but the #11s even with double jaws can't grab beaver high enough to make a good hold. On otter though, jeez no issue. I also recommend adding a pullspring at the trap end, because this just de-amplifies their ability to get momentum that they use to pull their foot out of the trap. IDK what your crawfish water quality is at, but I haven't found water in the state that is not high in tannic acid, which means they will just eat the normal traps after a few seasons, just FYI.

Well I got my first coyote today had a pipe set with jack mackerel and a victor 1.75 offset in a pond full front pad catch no issues with the offset slipping in water.