Does anybody have a trick to setting pan tension without having to fully set & snap the trap? I know each trap is different but I was just wondering.
Thanks

I figure that when the pan holds itself up, it's at least 2#. Before or after that, you have to test.

Gotchya, ya I have to have 10lb for my wolf traps so I was just hoping for a trick to get close. My tester only goes to 8.

Take a 2# hammer Set it on the trap and then set a gallon jug of water on top of it... 10# right there.

Test a few like Sniper says, and you will get a feel for how stiff the pan needs to be unset to make it 10# set. Just remember different models of traps will add different amounts of tension when set. I realize you are stuck with the 10# by law, but I would try and stay as close to that as you possibly can. Ten pounds on a trap on your shop floor is a lot, get a little frost in the works and a crusty snow over that trap and the pressure needed to drop that pan is going to go up significantly.

Best i can say is to put your set trap on a digital bathroom scale and push down on the pan with a stick and watch to see what the poundage is when it snaps.