Could you elaborate on the pan configuration a little. Looking to get some dbl longs for cats and coyotes but I would like a bigger pan

Bearcat2, that wolfs paw makes that 4.5 look like a #2 long!

I tack-welded round electrical box covers on pit pans that I installed on some 3 and 4 victor double long springs to enlarge the pan for exposed sets. They were still bright and shiny when I decided to use them mid-season. So I just glued a piece of sandpaper on - temporary to get me through the season. I'll take the sandpaper off and paint them (brown latex thinned with acetone) when it warms up. I'll dust the wet paint with a little sand. The idea is to make the pan resemble a comfy flat stone to step on. Some trappers just hot glue a round piece of asphalt shingle on the pan.

Back a few pages I see where you are using Bridger dogless pans onyour long springs. I would like to do that to some of my #3 victor longs. What size works bridger 2 or 3 dogless. And could someone post a picture of where you are welding the pan screw attachment. I do appreciate your help.

Here is one i dod on a #4 dbl victor, only i used an expanda pan. This was a pan for a #2 bridger dogless, and i had the factory pan on before this. I don't actually have a picture of where I mounted the bolt attachment, but what I did was very simple. Went to surplus city and got a roll pin the correct size, cut it to length, wired the springs open, then bolted the roll pin to the pan, and just found the right spot for it UNDER the trap frame, and once I found where it let the pan sit level with it hooked on the jaw, I just tacked it, double checked everything, and welded it fast

Thank you I’ll be making some mods.

Has anyone ever used a #5 Duke Long Spring on Wolf or mountain lion?

I've not had ahold of a Duke, but I've got a Bridger 5 and in my opinion I would have to do some mods before I would trust them to hold a wolf. But Enigmatic Gwichin has caught quite a few in Bridger 5 longsprings without mods, so they will do it. Advantage of them is I can set them over my knee, unlike the Sleepy Creek.

Lions don't generally fight a trap as hard, but they can be dang powerful if they do.

Between Bridger and Duke #5s, which one has the better springs? Wanting to play around with a franken trap. I'm guessing LPC would be the best, but they're proud of their springs for sure

Duke for sure on the longsprings

Duke #5 springs are stiff and they're center swiveled. Duke used to have a reputation for weak springs, but everything I've gotten from them in the past couple years has been night and day difference, they must have started sourcing spring steel from elsewhere or changed their tempering process because they're very strong now

What mods do you think the #5 Duke needs to hold a wolf or lion ? Surprised it’s not considered more than enough as is ?

The Duke #5's would hold a wolf from the factory, once. They could use some beefing up to be consistently used to that end. But they do have stronger springs and a better attachment point than the bridgers do, so I'd buy those first if I was in the market

I have caught and held several full gown wolves in an MB550 ment for coyotes.

No doubt, I've heard of way too many people holding wolves in coyote traps to doubt it can be done. Because of the jaw spread they are doubtless usually toe catches, but as long as they hold, it is still a catch. The smaller jawspread of a 550 sized trap means that it doesn't need near as strong of springs to close fast and hold tight, because the wolf doesn't have near the leverage to pry or bend the jaws open. But, that smaller jawspread doesn't just provide a smaller kill area, it doesn't come up through several inches of snow near as high either. I know a couple guys who use the NOBS coyote extremes (same size as an MB 650) to trap wolves around stock and stock dogs. They will all tell you that the big wolf traps are a superior wolf trap, but the coyote extremes will hold any wolf who steps in them and won't hold a cow or an elk, etc. They are not only more foot friendly on stock dogs, but considerably easier for a cowboy to release a dog out of.

I will ask, was the 550 resettable after it held a wolf, or did you have to do some tweaking to it? The majority of the time I catch a wolf in a dog on wolf trap I have to straighten the dog, because the wolf has bent it all up, and they have heavy dogs. I've had them bend pans also, but have much less tweaking to do on dogless traps on average. If jaw tips aren't bubbled they can pop jaws out, they chew and bend bases on traps, crunch "crunchproof" swivels, etc. At least with the bigger western wolves, if you don't weld J hooks or any other connections, you are going to lose wolves, you won't loose every one, but you will lose some.

How many have you held in 550s, and have you pinched any that pulled out or otherwise got away?

Like I said, I haven't had ahold of the Duke 5, the Bridger 5 I would bugle jaw tips, laminate jaws, and baseplate for starters. Also either replace the dog now or carry spares when checking to replace it if you have a catch and it is too far gone to repair in the field. Also, weld every J hook in the chain.

I suspect Tramp is , the #5 Dbls will hold one, as long as the J hooks are welded, but you'll either be replacing or repairing them after a catch

Bearcat I've been considering fabricating some longsprings specifically for wolves, probably similar dimensions to a #114 newhouse. There seems to be a lack of them commercially available, everyone uses coils now (mostly understandable) but I will always love longsprings and jumps.

Sleepy creek 4.5 or LPC are the way to go. I’ve caught wolves in Duke and Bridger 5s but they don’t hold up the same

I have only caught 4 wolves (incedentals) all in MB550's. All four traps where usable and reset without having to do anything to them. (J hooks had been welded before in case of an incidental wolf catch.) I agree with you there are other traps better suited for wolves for many reasons and some wolves are more aggressive than others. It was early season without snow, standard step down set with good pad catches. If we had a season on wolves here, the MB550 would NOT be my first choice but they can hold them.

Are you allowed to keep those incidental wolves?