Thanks for the kind words everyone I enjoy making things very relaxing. Specially after spending all day everyday working on cnc stuff it’s a well needed break haha!

I am impressed with your work. In the past, Tom Stalker and John Cloud have done some mods for me, but we lost John not to long ago.

Do you constantly (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) cut the sleeves off yer T-shirts, and smell bad? If so you might be a great replacement!

A lot of sleeveless work shirts plus burn holes through most, I smell like old machine coolant and waylube so yeah probably got the smelling bad down

Welded that little triangle on to a Northwoods 110 coni and now it is a magnum. No more live mink for me in dry land sets. Not pretty but it is effective.....jk

Here are the pictures of the #2 Mont dogless SJ and the dog on RJ that I have used for years. Mid picture is of the underside where the base was cut and the Bridger Levers inserted and rewelded. Never an issue for me as those levers come up high and lock. I like the RJ's but the SJ gives me a little bigger jaw area and I like the dogless trigger as you might as well replace the dog on the RJ right away because the 1st or 2nd coyote will eat it !!!!!! If someone has a better idea on how to switch the levers I am all ears but at my age you may have to speak up so I can hear LOL.................... the mike

Jk that is a nice mod!!!
Wife, those jaw ends break you said when you bend them? Couldn’t you just heat them with a little nap gas torch to bend straight to remove? Would save on cutting the frame. If they are breaking from bending that little bit it takes to get them out of frame then it’s very cheap metal I’ve bent 1,000s of jaw tips down and back in my days of modifying traps for people and only ever had two break off and those were wolf creek jaws.

Or are these a cast steel jaw trap?

Not cast jaws from what I know. Many guys have tried heating the jaw tips with poor results. Too much and it softens the jaw leg and too little results in broken tips as you still have to re-insert the tip. For some reason (the type of steel I think) it does not remain that soft and can break on the put back. Like I mentioned, I still like the old RJ Monts and call them the "poor man's MB" when you fiddle with the jaw and dog. Bought both the #1.5 and #2's (closed and OS RJ's) in the early 80's and out of the box, they were superior to the squares. Don't like to tinker (like you guys) but if it can be made better with a little retro then I will try it. I am comfortable with the dogless squares with the Bridger levers and the jaw filed smooth or laminated. The center swiveled base has never bowed on me with no reinforcement on the coyotes I have snagged in the last 30 years. So levers and jaws and I'm ready to go with the squares. Some unsuspecting mechanics cut the bolt off the underside of the pan on the dogless, thinking it is a tension adjustment. It is a jaw stop to keep the coyote from pulling the pan up and out of the jaws and bending it. Too much thought sometimes. I pick one up like that now and again. If anyone on here knows how to get those jaws out of the SJ #2 dogless Mont w/o cutting the base let me know as I may only have a few seasons left LOL. .................... the "aging older" mike

I did laminations and pit pans on a dozen Sleepy Creek 4 1/2's. I thought they turned out great.

I wish I could find some of the traps my dad Frankenstein-ed together with trap parts lying around.

Looks like I have plenty of folks to send traps to if I ever want mods, lol.

This is a great idea! All bodygrip companies that have spring eyes that slip over the corners should do this. They'd sell more traps.

I need a couple of these..if any of you shop jocks are up to the task. I'd prefer aluminum...just like these...

Swamp wolf, I’m looking into the aluminum and just machining it out of one solid piece and threading the handle on.

Those look sick!!! Nice work!

Awesome!

Thanks, I bought the lams from J.C. Conner, made it easy, just had to clamp them in place and weld them.
Got the pan kits from Ed.


I will make a mental note of that my friend!

I was first introduced the concept of trap modifications in 1982 by Charlie Dobbins . He was someone that could /would analize what he thought was a problem and than set out to find a way to fix it .Many of his ideas where basic and simple to do At the same time he was taking stock traps and turning them into refined tools that had become works of art .Once he open that door many more improvements followed . What began with adding swivels and filing the triggers and notches created traps that so much improved that it seemed like they where a complete new invention .Just a few strokes of a file and taking the slack out of the trigger allowed the pan to set level and not wobble And that for me anyways resulted in fewer snapped empty traps and better grips on the quarry's foot pad . I had purchased some 1.75 coil spring traps After using them for a short time I was not happy with their performance A little bit of research pointed to putting inside lams on the jaws and base plating them That included swiveling them on the base plate . I starting liking that set up I quickly add additional traps of the arrangement. And it allowed me to improvement my catch due to it being more versatile to set for different animals And the lams made it a better holding trap Many of you have taken it to another level Iam impressed While it might be over kill to some people I see things that make me think I want me some of that Thanks for the pictures and the thought concepts behind your ideas There is always room for a better way of doing something.

Some number five size traps modified to fit PA jaw spread laws and some mink trapping mods.