Was cleaning up a few traps yesterday and noticed a couple of my MB550s had pans that appeared to be bent up slightly where the "round" part meets the "base" of the pan.

I was going to bend them back down so they will sit flat but thought before I started "experimenting" I would check and see what methods are proven.

Not even sure how the pans got bent upward to begin with?
But looking at them from the side that is what appears to be the issue

All of the 550's I own have pans that came formed like that from MB..

Never had a problem with them.

Guess I need to look at the rest but thought they all sat level when I looked at them before

Not a big bend, maybe 5deg up slope from dog

Yes, the pan post on 550's can get bent backwards sometimes after a catch, causing the pan to sit higher and not level. I carry this tool(https://trapshed.com/products/trap-pan-adjuster) with me and bend the post slightly forward to make pan set level. You don't need that tool though, you can use a pair of channel locks or pliers to bend it where you want it.

BTL,

I read your post again an interpreted it was about the pan hump that engages the trigger. Not the pan post. Yes, you can bend the post like silky said. Same ahs any other dog on trap.

I looked at the others I had and they were not bent

So I started thinking and a light bulb lit up in my brain.
Just need something under the part where the round meets (by all means if someone knows the terminology please educate me) the back part and bend the pan down a bit.

So I dug around and a 1/2" nut seemed to work just right
Then I set the trap and the pan dang near had no space beneath it
When I lifted up on the pan with the trap set (from underneath like you would set night latch, I am not that stupid :D) it pushed the dog back a bit and the pan was perfect.

So now I will be looking at the dogs and the pans

The pan was bent slightly as a straight edge in front of the rod bump was hitting out near the front edge of the pan

I do appreciate the advice

now I need to figure out how to bend a rod dog
I have 1 MB550 with an expanded pan on it and center of the pan the trap has about 1.5-1.75#s of tension

I need to research pan tension for a bobcat

Not sure if you're trying to bend the rod dog to a certain angle or to straighten the curvature. I will have rod dogs that are out of alignment and lay them on a piece of flat iron and smack it with a ball peen hammer. It resolves the issue I'm dealing with, but you may be talking about something totally different.

What I read was that I need to bend the dog up to increase pan tension.
5deg would get ~1/2#

Unless under 2# is good for bobcats?

4 coiling with up your pan tension

Many different ways you can do it, and I'm sure someone probably sells a tool for it. You can lay the dog on an anvil with something like a screwdriver under the base of the rod and tap on it with a hammer (a rock, snowmobile bumper, axe head, etc. all work as an anvil in the field when straightening for remakes). You can grab the base with a pair of vice grips and then grab the end with another pair or a pair of pliers and bend them, that takes some muscle but is also a good "field fix". You can also clamp the base of the dog in a vice (this can take some finagling and depending on your vice jaws you may have to design a jig to be able to clamp just the base of the rod and leave enough dog sticking up to bend) and use a pipe just a little bigger than the rod slipped over the end to bend the dog. (the tool made for removing coil springs from levers works good for this). This is probably the easiest way to make fine adjustments and if I'm in the shop is the route I go.

There's a couple of videos BT on bending the dog. Looks like they are trying to decrease pan tension but just bend dog opposite direction to increase. Hope this helps.

Thanks all

I tried holding the dog with a pair of channel locks an using a pair of kleins to bend the dog

Don't think I moved it a hair
Need some wheaties I guess

I'd try to get them at 2#, at least.
That will help with your opossums and coons.

Good luck on those pretty Texas spotted cats !!

Spouse uses his vise to change the dog angle on our 550s.

I need to get me a shop built

BT, if you want to bend the rod dog. Use a piece of bar stock, rebar or smooth.

Place it under the rod near the middle depending on which way you want to bend it. Make sure the trap is held firm, smack the dog with a pretty big hammer and check. If too much, reverse the process.

Rod dogs are hard to bend. Made like that intentionally to keep coyotes from bending them.

If you don't have room to hit it with the hammer, use a hardened punch or anything that will fit that is sturdy enough to transfer the hit from the hammer to the rod dog.

P.S. Bending the dog post is pretty easy. Pliers, vise, vice grips, etc.

There is a reason I said vice grips, I've tried it with regular pliers and I think I need more wheaties, also With vice grips on the base of the dog I can usually brace them against something, frame of the fourwheeler, etc. and then really bear down on the pliers on the end of the dog. It works in the field if that is what tools you have, but I prefer the hammer method in the field and a vice if I am adjusting at home.

And not all rod dogs are created equal, some brands bend much easier than others.