pan tension

[muslmutt]

I have always gone by feel when adjusting pan tension. Last year I got it too light, so this year I plan to use a more repeatable method. To what weight do you set yours, and how do you measure it? Do you have different settings for different animals, or 1 magic setting?

[Thumper]

Having your tension set to light can make for a lot of misses and toe catches. Couple of good jerks and they are out. You can get tension testers at just about any trapping supply place. They are pretty easy to use and only cost about $10.00. You want to adjust the pan so it will not free fall, it should be just tight enough so you can move it by hand. Most trappers I know want it set so it takes 3-4# pounds of pressure to fire. This way the animal is committed on the pan and you get a nice solid catch. Don't make the mistake of setting as a hair trigger. Most animals are very wary and on edge when coming into a set, and their reflexes are heightened. With all this in mind, trap bedding is very important here. Your side plates and jaws CAN NOT MOVE. If they feel any movement under foot, you're busted. The only thing that should move is the pan. If you are getting a lot of pull outs and misses, I think the above information should solve it.  Good Luck!

[muslmutt]

Good awnser.  Is 3 to 4 pounds a little heavy for coons and fox? Sounds good for yotes and bobcats. Just asking.

[Thumper]

Coons maybe a little lighter, like 3#. For canines I use at least 4#. Any body else?

[muslmutt]

How do you test it to tell if you have it at 3 or 4 pounds?

[RdFx]

To make a cheap testor take a 20 oz pop bottle and cut off top 1/4 and fill with sand or lead weights: tape top of bottle to keep ingrediants inside;  to what ever poundage you want yr trap to go off at.  Set yr trap and have dog and trigger as you are going to use actually trapping ( wax  scrapped or burnt off or what ever you do to pan and dog )  Then set trap and put  bottle weight on pan. if pan goes off too quickly tighten pan screw or if  doesnt loosen pan screw.... once you know  what pan tension you want feels like  you wont need to use weight and can do it by  hand feel... Good Luck

[Wackyquacker]

I'm more HI tech that old tight wade RdFX and use a tension tester.  I don't know if Boggy carries one or not. Mone is a Sullivan tester.

I like this type tester because I know what poundage it fired...3 lbs, 2.5, 2.75, 3.25 etc., this , to me, makes final tweaks easier.  As for poundage I set my traps two ways my smaller 1.75 and #2 rd jaws are set pretty close to 3#.  My large traps , that I use screen covers are a bit lighter, around  2.5 pounds.  These setings tend to exclude all rabbits and rats, most fox and give good pad catches on the cats and coyotes.

[muslmutt]

I saw those in the catalog, they are only about $11. I figure that is the sort of thing that if I buy Rascal will never let me hear the end of.

[RdFx]

Yep Wacky has a good idea there but id rather spend my time setting traps and trapping than meticulously adjusting trap pans   :-D .  Either way  once you get the feel of the pan let down you will be doing it by hand and guess what ?  Some trappers dont use any pan tension at all just so pan doesnt wobble side to side.  But they use  step down type sets so pan tension probably doesnt make much differance.    Good luck on your line... muslmutt what is Rascal doing now days?  Still putting up dishes?

[Wackyquacker]

Yeah how is Rascal??  You do me a favor...go over there and bust him one for not emailin me...he gave me another gray hair a while back and now it plum fell out.

As for "meticulously adjusting" traps; fact is that once you get the feel of things you sorta know what feels right and you won't be using the tester septin when you start tweaking string.  Now if you don't know what things feel like and what degree of variation you get after a couple firings, etc. etc. it is more difficult to communicate and hopefully help others.  It appears RdFx is up to his big toe in fat bore coon and the fat fumes are making him frisky.  This is scary, for I know what fresh coyote smell does to him :-D

[RdFx]

Yep  i start making my own personal urine posts  and get real edgy when i smell anothers urine on my post....Ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! :wink:

[lynx/cat-trapper]

Man...you guys make thing TOOOOOO hard...cepting for the "lazy" stinky duck... I have a 2lb and a 4lb sledge hammers...put a thick rubber hose around the handles...quck...easy...simple...cheep...EVERYTHING the average trapper's looking for!!!...did I say.... :grin:

[RdFx]

Lynx you forgot to weigh the handles, your over simplifing the pan tension  thing.  Less is better  use your fingers  :eek:

[muslmutt]

Last I saw of Rascal he was goin all out putting up dishes. He truck is never home. I am suprised he hasn't been posting in so long. Our season starts in a few weeks so he has to be thinking about it. Sounds like all one really needs to do is borrow one of those pan tension scales. It seems that pan tension for me is in a constant state of change. I adjust it the trap goes off a couple times and the tension has lightened, requiring more adjustment. Does this sound familiar? I don't see it written or discussed anywhere.

[RdFx]

Mus  your experience is  what everybody else goes thru.. if you wax    adjust after waxing  as you have to break wax bond first.  I keep a screwdriver  and nut driver in my trap bag for  my dog on traps.  Dogless are pretty much ready to go always.  Some people burn wax off dog and pan notch and that cures things also to keep things  at a  constant except for pan nut and screw tension.

[muslmutt]

I'm speed dipping, and that is pretty much how I've been dealing with it. But the other day I had my eye on a stainless turkey fryer set up at a garage sale. I seemed like a good set up for dyeing & waxing. Maybe a little small, but I don't have time to put out many traps anyway. I had it bought, till my wife found out what I was going to do with it! LOL.