I had shoulder surgery a couple years ago and lost some muscle mass on my right arm. Probably doesn't help that I'm 67 next month, lol. Do any of you know if they make a setter for the #14 jumps? Any tips would be appreciated.

One hand setters used to make setters for them. It's my understanding that he's very hard to get a hold of these days, so you may need to find an alternate source of setters. But they can be made.

Thanks ADC. They look like they work great on the coilsprings but I'm still not sure how they'd work on a jump trap with the tiny end. Do you know if they'd work?

Yes they work. His setters are designed to work with various traps.

Great! Now I have to find out who carries them. Really appreciate the help.

I don't think you'll find them, but you could build a similar set for yourself if you have materials and equipment to do so. I sent you a PM.

Lance, try this ....place the trap on a flat surface, place one foot as close as you can to the chain area closest to the swivel/rivet connecting the chain to trap...step on this.
Next, take the other foot and step on the spring and bend down to open the jaws up. Control the power side/dog side jaw and fully depress to the trap frame, engage to dog and you should be good. This method works for me and I pre-set my big jumps and slide a wood wedge under the pan.

Thanks MChewk. That's great for setting them the first time but once I catch one, I'd have to take the trap off the slide wire and go up on the bank to set with my feet. I was hoping to avoid that but I certainly appreciate the input and I'll try it out for now until I find a setter.

Yep, good point and awkward is the word that best describes that and frustrating....lol

Many moons ago, back in the Northwoods I met a fellow that made a decent setter for #14s.
I bought one as it is some kind of handy when standing on snow shoes or in knee deep snow, or when sitting in a canoe.

I would have to measure it, but first I would have to dig it out.
He took a board, probably hardwood, about 8 or 9 inches wide and maybe twice the length of a #14.
At one end, in a bit from the end, he fashioned something that the swiveled end of the trap would fit into. It may have been metal or out of wood, it was back in the late 70s.
He would slop the swivel end of the trap in place to mark where the end of the base of the trap would land. He fashioned a tapered picas of would that the base would set on. The widest end of the taper (I think the tapered piece might have been 3/4" thick, and the piece was tapered like wood shingle.
The tapered piece was fastened to the longer bottom board.

You could slide the swivel end of the trap into the holder. With the base place centered on the tapered piece (which I think was around 5" wide) and with one hand you could push down on the spring. Easy peasy, the jaws would drop open.
I think the end where the chained end or swivel end fit into the holder, the board sort of extended beyond the hold down enough so that you could put some pressure on the board to sort of stabilize it while you were using the spring down.

Reading this great explanation, it is rather hard to understand and even harder to believe that a fourth grader did not write it out.


If you are really interested in making it, send me a private message along with an email address or cell number. I will hunt that master piece of not so fine woodworking and take a picture of it. It really does work pretty well.

Mac

Mr. Dobbins had a board with a flat peace metal forum to hold the chain or swivel end then you could push the spring down easier. Mac has it there for you. I the Charles used this while boat trapping.

Guys, I remember a tool called The Lands Trap Setter..it was specifically made for setting jump traps..I believe it came out of North East states.

https://youtu.be/3guEpCferko?si=QPDMHGTD-l_lygze
I i made one without the jump attachment I used half by half Square tube that you can buy at Menards on the end of the jump trap part he has a chain link or something similar to slide the swivel into
Maybe TomCat on here can build you a one hand style setter. He's been building other styles.

That pair of setters is incredible, l’d love to have one of those. It sure would eliminate carrying separate ones for each style of trap.

Tomcat will probably build that someday. I had him build me a pair of setters for TS-85’s that work slick.

Bob Coreal (spelling?) made a great setter...never used the jump attachment as it broke off from one of my trapline mishaps. I still use it on my Newhouse traps though.

You may already have one - do you have one of those vise grip ratchet squeeze clamps ? If so use it upside down and come in with it from the loose jaw side near the eye hole of the spring and squeeze the handle.

channel locks

i have Dave Sheldons setter for 14s, work slick and in my 80 year old hands a necessity. Havent heard how Dave is doing, the fellow had bad back problems. I have four differant setters from Dave.

I have the setters from Dave, but GREENCOUNTYPETE has the win IMO. The back of the top jaw holding the pan up seems to solve one of the major problem, the OV14’s pan to frame fitment has a bunch of slop.