WHY? I am old and from the era when they used to cut pans smaller, that makes more sense to me. Now adays I just leave them alone. Besides getting more toe catches what is the advantages of the big pans?.......jk

I replaced a lot of rectangular pans with smaller round pans in the past the 1.5 1.75 Victor and 1.5 #2 B/L coil pans were interchangeable just to mention a few that I swapped I agree bigger is not better.

I agree for the most part except for mink traps. You will catch more mink with the expanded pans

Agree on the mink with the smaller feet and all more so with larger traps.

Lot of trappers back then and even today didn't study physics too well. Outside of buried bait sers where guys buried the bait directly under the trap did it make sense to cut down the pans.

It makes all kinds of sense to leave pans alone!! Make them bigger and you will have problems.

If you install them incorrectly or dont level the pans. Toe catches arent from bigger pans. Ive donf the experiments with dead coyotes to prove it. Even on my hair triggered dogless traps

Dead coyote feet don't step on a pan anything like a live coyote foot. Bigger pans do cause toe catches. If you don't think coyotes standing on the pan and the jaw causes toe catches what physically happens that does?

Big pans, not for me, makes no sense. Can see them for mink maybe, but not needed there either.

Because you cant fire the trap in that situation! Not possible. All the weight will be on the jaw of the trap and none on the pan. For that to happen, the pan must be above the jaws of the trap or the coyote has to flex its toes downwards. When the pressure shifts off the jaws to the pan as it moves forward, the trap will fire. Foot is going down so unless your using a 1.5 a full pad catch occurs.

Here is a video I did a number of years ago. Not scientific by any stretch of the imagination so take it for what it's worth, which isn't much.

I have one MB550 with an expanded pan on it to try and catch a bobcat but don't think I would even try and catch a coyote with it.

I do know that it takes a lot less pressure out on the edge to set it off than in the middle of the pan which leads me to believe I will eventually end up with a skunk or even a squirrel

Small pan for me

Yes everyone is right have a nice day. LOL Do what works for you.

Not sure what you're targeting but I was told I would get more toe catches on coon when I swapped out all my 1.5s to big pans..and I was actually expecting that. I got the exact opposite: Less snapped traps and substantially less toe catches...And these traps were set up for mink and rats with zero added tension. BUT I don't run hair triggers. If you run hair triggers maybe that's the reason for toe catches (what I found anyhow...and why I don't run hair triggers...or anything even close).

I had a buddy that swapped his pans out at the same time and he said he got the same results as I did.

Still takes 2-3,# on a 4# center tested pan. What was used in the video above couldn't of been more than 3 oz? Dont think most guys would want to set traps up for coyotes like in that video... you'd get pinched alot bedding the trap. My traps when a possum or coon get in them, the possims are buried back foot catches and most of the coo. Are other than the odd big boar, which is not much over 15# here.

I would love to see a video of a a force plate used to see how much peak pressure when walking each critters puts on a foot. Id wager on coyotes is much closer to 10# than 2# that seems ro be the standard.