playing a trap base board-Tray or plastic under a cage trap on shingles etc . stops them from being able to pull any material inside from under . Especiallyin ADC Work.

building a cage With 1" x 1/2" cage wire stops that also.

1x1" wire is not something I use unless only on rocks or sand

I have a Wickenkamp 302 ADC cage with 1/2" x 1" wire. Entire cage. Due to the way the pan's trigger sets on top of that bolt end, I thought it would be easier to set if I cut out one section at the trigger so I could put my finger in to set it. It is easier to set. It is the only hole a coon can get his paw thru. They typically will dig out a hole the size of a soup bowl just outside that hole. If the whole cage has wire that big, they will dig out a moat.

As to the picture ADC posted of that Duke cage by the downed tree, if there is a coon in that trap, from where I sit, the caught coon is the one what stripped it. Tree damage stops where the cage wire goes from 1 inch to 1/2 inch at bait end. They are brutal. Can only surmise they are trying to pull themselves out of the trap. Same principle as "a drowning man will clutch at a straw".

are the poly ones any good?

like this one?

https://trapshed.com/collections/tomahawk-live-cage-traps/products/tomahawk-plastic-raccoon-trap

I could see how it would look that way. However the tracks in the snow show she had at least one if not more visitors and there is no way that big ol' sow coon could reach that far through 1" wire. But even you are correct it still shows the toughness of the trap, which was the reason I posted it.

I believe Jim's traps are made by Tomahawk. Anyway the beaver traps are. They are sold by the name Tomahawk Comstock.

The bigger the trap opening the more the coon feel at ease when entering thus you will catch more coon.

Tomahawk puts a product catalog in the box the trap ships in. There must be well over 100 different traps they offer, including all of the Comstock traps. Building they operate out of is about the size of your typical Tractor Supply retail store. Maybe bigger. Judging from number of cars and trucks in the parking lot, must have a pretty big payroll.

When I'm ready to lower the boom on problem coon, I have been know to pre-bait these traps before arming them. Free vittles in form of scattered dry cat food for a week and they come racing up to see who gets in first. On the traps with gravity doors took me a while to figure out to just turn them upside down to lock the door open when pre-baiting them. The doors on the others locked open by running a stick under the door.......to hold the door open.

Best cage traps I have used were Williams traps. Bought over 100 in the 1990's and all are still in good working condition today. I often used them as a step stool to reach something higher than I could reach and I weighed over 300 pounds, they held me without bending. He made a great woodchuck trap that was 8x8x24, held 100's of coons in them, many so big that they had to squeeze into the door when I used the cage trap in blind trail set locations. Do not believe they are still being made.

Have heard of Williams. Never seen one. Found this image that is supposed to be one. If so, very similar to the Wickenkamp, and those are still being made and available.