It appears that they are no longer being made. Anybody know the story? I have used them for years but let them go when I left Alaska and sold my many Alaska-oriented traps. I sure could use a couple now.

Kurt Beaugard...made them for years and just decided to hang it up

Probably a couple of dozen along the Willamette river shoals you could find with a medal detector during summer flow. I never got down to cabling them to the traps so lost 'em all eventually.

I actually find 3/8ths rebar cut into 24-30" lengths far better in the kinds of places I trap and it doesn't matter much if I lose a few during the season.

I’m sorry to hear that they are no longer manufactured. They are a pretty easy DIY project to fabricate & weld or as I did make my own using the principle but not neccesarily a carbon copy as you can see in my videos with my beaver skaters (name after those little skater insects you see on still water)
https://youtu.be/0g5yx0RKw7U?si=07uHvRPysQNJx9Se
https://youtu.be/pVP-0b9M6bY?si=Vz3O7027cYa-yw9w

I bought a half dozen of those once.
Hated them always tangled up with traps,and never held the trap solid.
I was going to trash them a couple years ago until I heard a local trapper used them so gave them to him.
I consider them junk.

Me too.

Junk? Hardly . . . bring yours to the fall rondy, Gary, if you've got any left. I'll take 'em off your hands.

KB stabilizer with a #150 bodygrip tethered with paracord. The bottom edge dream set for mink and 'rats on non-rock substrate.

After using the skaters I cut the 4 horizontal legs off and added a pair of 6” vertical legs. I liked them that way better so I could just stick’em in rather than sit on and stay put after the trap has fired, no problem for me to retrieve since I had placed the trap there as well. The principle of offsetting a coil spring properly was the trickiest part of making them work correctly.

Before transporting them, tie your paracord to the stabilizer and through the coil of the spring of the #150. Lay the #150 flat on the stabilizer, and wrap the extra cord around the unit. Tie the cord off to a part so it says in place. Load these up in a bucket or packbasket and away you go. Time to make a set, reach in, grab a unit, unwind cord, set #150 on stabilizer and tie off to something nearby. No tangles. You can pack dozens of these together without a problem.

Perhaps you tried to anchor a #110 size trap on the stabilizer. That is not a good fit, as the bend in the jaws does not allow the trap to set evenly on the stabilizer. The #150 takes care of this with the wider jaws.

Sidenote: I've used this stabilizer on traps from #150s up to #330s.

Anyway . . . they work for me.

No Mr. rat I don't have any. I gave them away just like Boco. And I'm with seldom they needed legs on them so they could be actually STABILIZED. I liked those stabilizers where a 110 H stand was welded to a 3-foot section of rod. Stabilized and staked all at the same time. And you could actually stand on the bank and with a hook you could pull up the trap and remove the catch. And then slid the trap back down the rod. Well, that was a bit more difficult. LOL

Just like a lot of things, they serve a particular purpose. I tried a dozen with 330s and 150s. Worked good when setting on rocky bottoms or concrete. Been making my own for about 10 years for very cheap. Mine have horizontal legs that can be bent to adapt to rocky set sites. Most of my 150s have a 6" spike that replaces the jaw rivet opp. the spring side. I use these the most on sandy or gravel bottoms. The KB style definitely has its place though if you want to be able to set every possible scenario.
..

I sold a lot of KB products lots of stabilizers even the first model, I believe that Sterling fur sells the stabilizer. I still have some new ones I will be bringing to the FTA in August He has a lot of good ideas still ,(Kurt) the trap he invented has been copied but never equaled , I use it for everything----I don't have any to sell!

There are pro’s & con’s to using about any stabilizer/holder which all depends on the perspective of the trapper/user! I personally did not like the 4 legs and found that 2 vertical legs pushed into the bottom worked far better for me. I use them at every under-ice otter set I make at crossovers and find them very easy & efficient to use. The problem with the manufacturer quitting making them is that most trappers don’t understand how to DIY the coil spring principle in relation to the stabilizer which is the entire concept of the KB!! Also, there is a good reason why I don’t use KB’s at BE sets, choosing either plated trap stabilizers or horizontal rerod spikes.

Two truckloads of Georgia otters have died in 280s clipped onto a KB stabilizer on crossovers for me. Easy to use and plenty stable....even on a slope.

I have 2 dozen and put an 18" 3/32" cable on each one and then clip that onto the 6ft tie off 1/8" cable on the 280.
Always turn the 280 and the KB with the cables on the same side so you have slack in the stop-loss cable and so it isn't laying across the trail.

Years of BG killin' with this setup.

If you do ever cable them to your traps it goes a long way towards making a big tangled mess later, I have a few hanging up, and haven’t thought to use them for a while now.

I used them once in a great while in rocky bottoms and they were fine.

I never had any "tangled mess" problems. The Belisle 280 didn't give the otters enough time to tangle anything.

Me Beav and Les know what we're talking about-throw that junk away.

Typical ^^^^^ from you.

You gotta admit though I am very seldom wrong.

The KB is a pretty simple and fast stabilizer.

I did expect you to be able to figure it out. Guess I was wrong....this time.

You could have caught way more than that if you hadnt been messing with those junky stabilizers.

Dang Swamp Wolf, I thought I was really cutting the cheese by catching my otter limits up here this past season but not now!!

Kurt has always tested his products before they were sold to the public and he recognizes that not everyone is a fan, that's fine but calling equipment "junk" because you don't like it?? It's like saying you don't know how to hunt because you don't use a bow or a pistol or whatever!

I tried them and I consider them junk,dont have a bird over vernacular.
Maybe the best thing since sliced bread for you and others but for me junk and reasons given which were verified by a couple other posters..

Maybe . . . . those who say they're junk really don't know how to effectively use them.

Boco, you let me down. I expect this from the Beav.

Not rocket science to use them,lol,just I have more efficient ways.
Not gonna mess around with unnecessary stuff that only slows me down or cause misses.
I need my beaver traps rock solid and dont have the inkling to untangle stuff all the time.
If you like them fine,dont know why people want to get argumentative because I consider them junk,them arguing cant change what I know.

Just keep cutting or looking for the right sticks at every set.....it'll be OK.....

Seldom,
I had three or four winters where I had the right "otter trapping conditions" and I went at 'em hard. I miss those days....and that otter market.

I actually found that in my situation I usually had to add stabilization to them so I kind of scratched my head and said what's the point then? And in probably most of my potential sets they just wouldn't work and I had better ways to stabilize. Wasn't ever a fan.

The tangling happens after the trapping is done ,in the pile of traps and gear in the truck, unnoticed at first until you need something…

I never had any "tangled mess" problems. The Belisle 280 didn't give the otters enough time to tangle anything.[/quote]
This. Many Alaskan otter died with this set-up. ^
My current use is an ADC job that has marmots digging holes under buildings that are skirted below the siding, with steel posts for foundation. Then a slab for the floor system. These are huge 2 story buildings, and the marmots have several entrances at each building. They have a little run-out from the hole, and I can guide them into a coni, but stabilizing, without going full Rube Goldburg, is a challenge easily solved with a KB. Some of the "dens" also go under the edge of large pavement parking lots, as well as pavement lumber drying areas. I have used the KB stabilizers for a long time and am very familiar with them. I think I have found a source for my needs on The Shed.
Have taken 20 so far on this property, but I am still seeing them every day. Putting a dent in them, and may never get them all as the surrounding properties are also loaded with them. job security.

They aren’t enough stabilizer for a 330 body grip,IMO, there are others I like better. But I have used them a bit. And mine have a cable to attach to the 6’ of cable that is on every trap. I like coni-stands better for the trapping I do.

I would indeed use stands if the ground allowed. That's the rub on a current ADC job. "Ground" is either pavement, or rocks, clay, and gravel mix.

I don't know how you could use a KB stabilizer In my conditions when I trapped In SC. 2 tobacco stakes driven in at an inverted V let you stabilize that 330 or 280 in just about any condition I ran into. And it let me position my trap at any depth. Try that with a KB stabilizer. My best 2 months catch was 82 otter. The feds even looked into my catch when I took them too NAFA. Some of those stakes were there for 10 years or so. And I bet If I went down there next year, they would still be in place.

That's what I do too but rather than stakes I use pieces of rebar because they fit in those tight Belisle springs. Plus with rebar I can pound them in in cobblestone/gravel bottoms.

Yes...location determines the stabilizer use. The KBs are the fastest and easiest on dryland trails/crossovers and shallow(inches deep) streams.

I use KB's when trapping otter with BE sets in the little creeks around home. We have a LOT of stone beds, so driving in any kind of stake is difficult. I turn the springs up vertical and slide a stick through the eyes and into the bank, which is mud.
I use a KB on the bottom, to keep the trap from swinging. The setup has worked well for me, in this application.

Use them for ADC work in ponds with rip rap stone edges, no way to drive a stabilizing stick, rod or h-stand into the ground. For 330's I just use two per trap to add more stabilization because as was mentioned find them to be somewhat tippy with the bigger traps.

Rarely use them fur trapping but glad I have them for the ADC side of the house.

KB's on crossovers probably work good because you can press the legs in the ground a little.

For rocky streams they are useless.

Your area of contact on a rocky creek bottom is limited to the 4 legs with KB's design. They are probably 1/8" diameter.

In order to stabilize a big 330 you need a much larger footprint and much more bottom contact than 4 little legs.

Probably 75% of my trapping is in places you'd never drive rebar in the bottom of the creek. You'd bend 3/8" rebar like a pretzel.

These work a lot better

Those of us who don't know any better will continue to use the KB stabilizer where appropriate.

#330s on the KB can easily be stabilized with the addition of one stick through the corner of the jaws. You can do the same with any bodygrip and you'll have a stable unit. One stick.

Another reason to use the KB is it allows the beaver to kick out of the set area. The problem with a stand is it keeps the dead critter in place. I would rather have that bottom edge location freed up for the next critter to swim through and not find his dead buddy laying there.

CD2 . . if I had to deal with rocky stream bottoms I would copy your design in a heartbeat. Very nice.

One thing I have done to most of my KB's, is spread the legs open about 10-15 degrees, making them a slight X shape, instead of parallel to each other.

In swift water and or, inside large culverts I would use two.

You nailed it Mike!!!

I don't have rocky streams....just muddy and sandy bottoms. Your stabilizer looks like it would work great for 330s, but ol'Boco won't like it.

I can't take credit for them. That's the Hammer's design. 11"x7" with 1/2" rebar. They work good on their own but if you can set a rock on one or both of the springs an alligator couldn't knock it over

You can see the big rocks I set on the springs in some of these pics.

No sense in beating a dead horse. But you can' t adjust your height with a kb.
I don't see how you could stabilize 330 or a 280 in a dam break or in a wet cross over. Or when setting a beaver pull out or castor mound set when you need to have the trap half under the water, so the triggers aren't exposed.
With 2 short stakes you can adjust the trap and the fine adjustment Is when you either push the springs down to raise the trap or pull them up to lower the trap. And those short stakes allow the beaver or otter to get off the stabilizing stakes. And with the staking system you don't have to screw around tying on some extra gear. And the best part wood Is FREE.
I can see the use of a KB in a rat trapping or mink trapping when making a B&E set.
I never tried them, but I bet the Hagz bracket system would work Better then a KB system. Drive in the stake slide the trap down the stake till it rests on the bottom. Or what's wrong with using 120. Slid it down the stake keep the bottom spring flat and pull up on the top spring, so the trap locks up against the stake. Just leave a 6" or so at the bottom so you can stick it in the bottom. There are all kinds of systems that will out preform a KB.
Oh well to each his own.

Still better than toting an armload of 'backer sticks around Beav....lol

Never tried 'em . . . but there are all kinds of systems that will out perform 'em. Hmmmmm . . . me thinks the Beav missed his calling when they cast the crew for the Red Green Show. He would've made a great Hap Shaughnessy!

Hey rat lets go to South Carolina and you bring your KBs and I'll haul around bacca sticks and we will see who comes out on top. LOL

KB stabilizers are another tool in the tool box. If you like them, use them. If you don't like them, use something else. I have never had a beaver or otter or any other critter complain about them.

And according to Wheelers........

The above was posted by him on another thread today.

I agree. Have a few and use them situations using related to rocky conditions a handful of times a year.

I read a lot of the thread but not all. If I could have one and only one commercially made bodygrip stabilizer it would hands down be the KB. Frozen shore early spring beaver trapping they are the best! So many scenarios they are all I need with a small stick for aid here and there. I’ll likely be making some new ones of my own similar to Seldoms. I trap muck, rock, frozen ground, you name it, I love em.

As far as the tangle deal, I don’t think they’re too bad. I have the big steel carabiners on cable hooking them to the inside of the spring eyes. Happy trapping! ScottW