Old long springs out of retirement

[ratboy]

Anybody ever use booster or lightning springs on old long spring traps? The inserts look like there is not anything to hold them inside the old spring. How much does it improve holding by switching the chain to the non spring side of the trap? I put an extra spring on a couple of old traps and it seems to enhance the holding power regardless of spring strength by keeping the jaws together. I have a couple new 1 1/2 coilsprings . How strong do long springs have to be to still take muskrat, mink, and coon?

[akchuck]

I've never used booster springs before most of my long springs are old B&L or Newhouse.  I do have all of my chains on swivels under the pan I think you get a better hold with less pull outs. It doesn't take much to hold a rat if you use a drowning set, 'coons need a pretty good trap to hold them and extra swivels won't hurt either, in all of my years trapping I don't remember catching a mink in a foot hold I use conibears for almost of my mink sets. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

[ratboy]

Thanks.  I'm sure these traps will hold muskrat, but can't guarantee a coon or mink won't get caught. I'm definately adding swivels. The old Victors seem to have a hole on the baseplate where a swivel and chain could be attached. If anybody ever used booster springs let me know. i think my coil spring comment was edited so I'll reword it, can traps be too strong for muskrat?

[andytrapper]

Booster spring and lighting spring work Really good. I put them all my older weaker longsprings.

[Asa Lenon]

Yes the booster springs work well and they do stay inside of the long-spring on their own without anything else to hold them in.  At lease this has been true with #3 and #4 long-springs, I never tried them on small er sized traps. Ace

[ratboy]

Thanks guys. Today. I bought some spring boosters, swivels, S-hooks. and drowning locks  at Molnars here in Ohio. This evening those traps are strong and swiveled with the chain moved to the non spring side with drowning locks or swivels at the end. I think they will hold anything now. Some were so old they had the forged jaws. The spring inserts were smaller than I expected, I  wired them in to the old spring.

[RdFx]

Booster springs  for the smaller nuumber 1 and 1 1/2 longsprings work very well.  These can be bought from trap supply dealers.  On the larger nbr  3 and 4 longsprings i used    weak  nbr one or 1 1/2 longsprings that i would  take the eyes of springs off.  Doesnt look  normal but works just fine.  with the smaller traps using the trap chain spring clevis to keep helper spring on works fine.  On longspring traps that i center based swiveled i take old chain clevises and  crimp the  booster spring   at the bend of the springs to keep booster in.   
   Another method to strengthen springs is to take a pipe larger than the inside radius of longspring bend and pound  pipe into bend to "spring" the trap spring open thus giving  more strength.  I have used this for years and never had to redo them once ive done this.   You can do this  with trap assembled or you can disassemble trap and do the operation on the springs.   

[jim-NE]

I use boosters in old #2 longs nearly exclusively now for coyotes, fox, and cats. They hold everything I get in them, and I got a bunch of old #2s for a song a few years back, so ended up with a great predator arsenal for not much investment. The boosters don't necessarily make them hold any more than without...long springs hold well by design anyway. The boosters made them a bit faster and stiffer though.