I am needing to buy chain for about 80 drags I had made. Curious on what size y’all are running and where you get it from. I run 10’ of chain per drag and I burry the drag and chain at each set.

I use number 3 American made.

I run #3 American made machine chain.

What traps used for?

If I'm buying, I use #5, I've also got some drags with other chain, some of it considerably heavier, because it is chain I had around. But, all my drags are set up for wolves, that way I don't have to sort between wolf and coyote drags, just grab a drag and it will work for both. Also we have cougars and bears, so you want a stout anchoring system.

I've always bought my chain from MTP, really good prices on good quality chain. Just a fraction of the price of locally, and quality is always good.

I use #2 for about everything.

Thanks everybody for your input. I have a mix of between number two and number three chain on my existing traps. I’m assuming no one uses the heavier gauge double loop chain? I’ve ordered most of my chain from FNT or MTP. I just didn’t know if there was a cheaper place to buy it in bulk. If I could, I would just buy 1000 foot.

I use all # 5 chain, just because of the size of the critters I could catch.
All set up the same, 10' foot of chain and 3 swivels.

If I was in up to coyote size I'd use #3 chain.

Don't know what the size is but repurposed the side chains from a set of tire chains off those for the big rigs (tractor/trailer)

2 is fine. If you can find a deal on bigger chain, the bigger the better.

I use #2 and have held incidental lions just fine. Im sure #3 works better, plus adds more weight which only helps with the whole drag system. But that's also why I use #2. A lot of my sets I have to hike into. Carrying 4 traps and a 2-3 drags gets heavy and I dont want the added weight. I've even cut down from 10' to 8' of chain and haven't seen a difference in hook up. If I was targeting coyotes or fox where I dont have to hike up to rim rock and saddles, I would have 10' of #3 chain.

all my drags have either #2 or 3 and 10 feet long

the shorter the chain the heavier the chain and have converted one recently to try 5ft of cable with 2 feet of an old tow chain

#5....10 foot long.

I’ve used #2 twist link at 10’ and held wolves and lions fine.

But it’s not what I’d recommend for targeting them.

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“I’ve used #2 twist link at 10’ and held wolves and lions fine.”

Because they knew a Marine was on the other end of their leash!

I use #3 chain on my coyote taps and drags. Traps have ~ 28" of chain to the end termination. Drags usually have two 5' sections of #3 chain with end swivels. If I feel the need for more I can add an additional 5' length, and weld the swivel J hooks shut using the vehicle battery, not the prettiest but it works.

All my wolf traps and drags are set up with #5 chain similar to my yote traps and drags, all ready if there is ever another wolf season.

The size of the chain has less to do with strength and more with length and weight to keep the drag working on the ground. Of course, common sense must to used to match chain/drag to the targeted or largest animal you may connect with.

As to where I get my chain ... most often from MTP at our state convention. I'll send them a DM with what I'm be needing ahead of time, they have it all put together for me, saves time and $$$ on shipping especially these days, regardless of the carrier.

I,d rather have smaller straight link chain then larger twist loop if your considering price comparison On my drags 3-4 feet off 1/8 cable another 3-4 feet chain on the traps heavy drag cause i walk less every year make a trench with a shovel to bury a couple feet of chain nearest the set But my ground is heavy and usually wet especially after i set traps and burying drags and chain is out of the question If I suddenly was surrounded by sand I'd rethink everything ..Maybe

For your coyote bobcat #3 is fine,I would run 10",if and when you are after bigger coyote WOLVES #5 chain welded swivels 10' to 12' chain.I would weld my straight coyote bobcats draged chain also 10' chain 3 to 4 swivels 12' chain set up 5 to 6 welded swivels.

A lot of my drags have a wolf swivel attaching the chain to the drag, because I had them laying around and I needed to attach the chain to the drag somehow. And I don't like the big wolf swivels next to a trap to bed underneath it, even on wolf traps that come with them I have been replacing with welded crunch proof swivels. But in my opinion swivels more than three or four feet from the trap are unnecessary, that chain is usually tangled around brush anyways.

The obvious answer, should depend on your target animal . . . and just as important, the terrain.

Many trappers don't use chain that is heavy enough.
The longer the chain , the lighter you can get away with . . . although , nothing is 100 %.

Remember you have to pack it all in . . . and back out and the longer the chain, the more weight it adds to your pack.

* I have some High Plains Plows on 10 ft #2 twist link (welded) if anyone is interested,
( Should be at the NTA in Richmond.)

My setup is 1' of #5 American-made chain off drag + swivel + 8.3' (100'/12 = 8.3') of #3 American hooked to trap chain... I buy all my chain from FNT.

Not syrexwhat size it is but when ever driving the highway and see chains beside the road pick them up, especially those from big rigs, and use the long piece, saves $
Yea I'm cheap

If you’re in an area with a lot of brush you could get away with 8 or 10ft of #2 high quality chain. If you’re in a more open area it’s never to heavy or long. I run 10ft of #3 but my drags are heavy ( pretty much wolf drags). If I was using a normal size coyote drags I’d use 10ft of #5. I’m getting older and I don’t have time to run down a coyote three football fields away.

I run #2 China, 8 ft length.

I always ran 9’ of #3 chain on my homemade drags for my open country(“open” being a relative term) and cut back to 6’ of chain in the shin-tange brush. You’ll see two coyotes on my drags in this video. One went a few feet and one a few yards. 30 degree offsetting diggers about 10” between and 3-5 lbs. I normally used drags in snow trails because of being able to literally drop the trap in with minimal disturbance and toss the drag. Seldom did I use drags as seen in the video only because of lack of good staking soil. I treated my foothold trail sets like a snareman, just move the traps up and down the trail after a catch.
https://youtu.be/4TzMmDz25mw?is=Lv8TTeVidvc81HM8