I am modifying some ts 85s for wolf trapping and was told to offset 3/8
have read countless post on offset jaws for trapping in general but found none on wolf
some say its only to make levers come up higher for better lock up others say its for comfort or circulation to stop chew outs
Ive seen these ts85s offset with the jaws milled out and then they dont lay flat unless a piece of 3/16 keystock is welded on levers were they contact the jaws
then and Ive seen them with just a bead of weld on the jaws to off set and the levers come up almost as much as without -within 1/8 or so
either way is then outside laminated with 1/4 cold roll
I like the bead of weld on jaws over removing metal from jaws -
my trapping partner who has more experience than I by far says offset is unnecessary
I would like yalls opinion thanks in advance

I would agree that unless the jaws were made to accommodate levers that were made for said jaws, leave them be. As an aside, mad_mike and I had Kendall, (NO BS Traps), build us 2 dozen Canine Extremes specifically for wolverine without off-set jaws. At the time, that wasn't an option, (might still not be?), and a fine job he did. We had our reasons for those traps, and they worked fantastic on gulo. They also held several wolves for Mike, when they dummied into wolverine sets.
So my 2 cents would be, set them as they are.

I milled (actually used a bench mounted belt sander) a quarter inch offset in the TS 85s that I modified. I believe after you four coil them you are going to need that keystock on the levers whether you offset the jaws or not. I also welded a piece of keystock low on the inside of the jaw the pan hooks on. So you hook the pan on that instead of the jaw, causing the pan to set lower than the jaws. I have also offset some other models of traps by welding a bead on the jaw, can't recall doing it to anything but longsprings, but it worked fine on them.

Yes, a closed jaw will work fine (if they are legal in Montana, some states they are not when set on land, and over a certain jawspread) I prefer an offset trap, more for incidentals and/or nontargets than for the actual wolves. Also I prefer a 1/4 over a 3/8 offset, if you are making your own.

I aways liked offset jaws for wolves. Better lock up on jaws, general less paw and wrist damage (even less if it has offset with teeth). I maded my personal 9's with a 1/2" offset. the ones i manufactured had a 3/8" offset.

I haven’t yet seen or heard of a wolf chewing out. My wolf specific gear is all 3/8” offset. Results may vary, there are a myriad of reasons that guys run with a certain set up. The most common, IMO, is it varies to what works for them.

I've never used closed jawed traps, but I've not had any appreciable foot damage on wolves with offsets varying from 3/16 to 3/8. With 3/8 offsets I have had foot damage on coyotes, with the larger traps they are often caught high above the thick fleshy part of the foot and the wider offset allows them to slide their foot sideways rubbing on the jaw. This is worse with smooth jawed traps like the TS85 than with cast jaws.