I bought some this year to try I liked the bigger pans & price, I usually buy MB 550. Anyway last coyote I caught bent the lever & i could not set it , straighten the lever & the dog would not engauge to the pan it hit the jaw & would not go down to the pan.
Not trying to bash Duke traps would like to know why this happen, any of you having this happen. Jim
Thanks for the help might be entanglement was rain soft mud no rocks. I'll try to look at the trap tomorrow it's on the work bench. Would love to know if this is a common problem. Rick I'll be buying MB 550 as you are probally right Thanks for answers to my question. Jim
I used the MBs and Dukes side by side this season, alongside a couple other brands.
Here are some of my observations.
I caught 8 Coyotes in the Dukes, out of those 8, 7 had the lever/levers bent to some degree or another. I was able to VERY easily bend them back with a pair of Leatherman pliers. Only one needed to have the dog post adjusted to level the pan after the catch.
Simultaneously I caught 11 Coyote in MBs, and none of those needed any adjustments after catches.
I should note I run 2 coiled, and both of these traps have extra long spring pins to facilitate 4 coiling so if they're not cut off short (which is what MTP recommends if you're not planning to 4 coil) they will get bent at some point.
I ran the same setup on all my traps, just the factory chain with added mid chain swivels and chain stakes.
The conditions were normal KY farm dirt with no rocks or anything like that to beat them up on.
So, while this might still be somewhat anecdotal, what with only 19 Coyote caught between the two, it does seem to suggest that they are not created quite equal.
For me personally, because I have only a short time to trap and need to make full use of that time, It makes sense to go with the equipment with the least downtime, and this is where the price difference becomes nil.
I readily recommend the Dukes to anyone who doesn't mind dealing with this issue. They catch and hold great, same as the MBs.
Maybe of interest, the Dukes have stronger springs out of the box.