Would laminations help foot cutting on a 1.75 northwoods?
Would I be able to do it without 4 coiling? These are for areas with mostly fox but do catch a few coyotes and don't want to 4 coil.

I had a couple catches in these this year and didn't like the foot condition. Coyote was worse than the fox. I have bigger laminated 4 coil traps for coyotes but no experience with this size.

The traps are baseplated, rough edges filed on jaws, new #2 music wire springs and 3 mb crunch proof swivels on 8"-10" of chain.

I appreciate any insight.

I have not caught a coyote or fox yet, but I wonder if adding a t spring in your chain would help? I was under the impression I needed to use offset jaws to help that animals foot out but then saw some videos from coon creek where it really didn't effect the surface area of the hold because the gap was essentially the same.

I wonder if the animal is pulling really hard against the anchor and the lunges are doing the damage more so than the trap?

I know in my trapper ed class they talked highly about 3-5 swivels and the springs in the chains.

I use a real short chain on my canine traps, only 7" long with 3 swivels and offset jaws with no damage to any of my trapped animals, they cannot make long runs with this short of chain, to try to pop loose from the trap.

I have never tried shock springs. The foot sliding in the trap would cause issues but I didn't see any evidence of that. The springs are new this year and very strong and center swiveled. Both animals were caught dead center, above the pad.

The reason I think it's the jaws is I have some sleepy creek 1.75 that have thicker jaw faces and feet are great. Same with my laminated #3 montana's, no issues at all.

That was my thinking on the shorter chain. These are regular jaws. These are the only 1.75 size traps I have in regular jaw and the first year using these. My sleepy creek 1.75 offsets are good on feet but the jaw face is quite a bit thicker on these also.

How have you been Mousey? I tried to send you a pm but your box is full.

It will definitely help. You can look at the BMps and a few other studies and traps modified with lams always do better on animals. Size really don't matter ..making those jaws wider just plain helps. Take a ride with any love mark guy down here and other using wide faced traps , either cast jaw or laminated or both with some guys, or CERTAIN rubber jaws.

Just make the lams as light as you can. If you want to stay 2 coil, really heavy lams will slow down a trap….

One way to put thick laminations on a trap and not effect it’s speed is to use flat stock steel and drill several holes through it. The reason you see more foot damage on your coyotes with those traps a because the trap is just to small and light for a coyote they fight the heck out of them smaller lighter traps.The true importance to less foot damage is lock up no foot movement at all once those jaws come closed. Take a flat head screwdriver stick it between the jaws and twist it shouldn’t twist at all or there is where the foot damage is mainly coming from.

Offset jaws?

First make sure you don't have any sharp edges on the jaws and my set up is Mb crush proof swivel at trap, 3 links of chain,Mb crush proof, 3 links of chain, MB crush proof.

If you decide to laminate do Inside lamination's It's more important then outside lamination's.
And In my opinion shock springs will not help foot damage. Spring or no spring when the animal makes those lunges and when that animal comes to end of the lunge there will be foot movement.

Thanks everyone.

I did file the sharp edges off the jaws when I got them. I will try the screwdriver between the jaws tonight to see if there is any play. It is a little smaller trap than I like for coyotes but I have a couple areas I feel this is a better size trap to use. If I use flat stock won't I be back to a sharp edge that I have to deal with?

The main reason for wanting to stay 2 coil is I set these in areas where I get 2-3 fox for every coyote and where farm dogs roam. In predominantly coyote areas I use a full mod #3 montana.

Beav,
I will keep in mind the inside lams. I never knew that inside was better. That will work better on these traps anyways since I put rod dogs on and 3/16" would be getting fairly tight to the dog eye.

This right here because outside lamination on a North woods the jaw might not drop past the dog into the frame. Have seen this with other size North woods.

Yes - laminate them with #9 wire or rod. I had issues with 1.75 traps also. 2 coil is fine. All the rest sounds good.

I like cast jaws, as they are wider by design, for reducing any foot damage. Even on my #1 and 1.5 long springs back in the early 70's I kept and bought every cast jaw one I could find and modified the chain and swivel for water users (sorry to say even a few Newhouse, Nortons and Oneida Victors, - not one of my better moves ). They proved their worth to me back then on rats and coons that were not drown. Still use them as those springs are tough. When I started hitting the coyotes a little harder it was the Montgomery RJ #2, I laminated them and filed that jaw surface flat instead of leaving it round (their jaws were made of round rod). Later went to 3N's, 550's, Oneida 4's LS. Through the years I have come to believe the SOIL TYPE (sandy vs. silty clay) has a lot to do with foot abrasion on all traps. Offset jaws in SAND causes more animal foot abrasion unless its a cast or really wide jaw surface for me, than in CLAY with a regular jaw. A wood fence post (8'X6") takes the place of an in-line shock spring for me as it allows that initial surge by the coyote to be buffered. Enough swelling under the jaws to help immobilize that foot position seems to occur before the final hang-up. I am going to guess and say 30 seconds is enough time for that to take place. Any 20-30 lb weight or bulky 15 lb. will do as long as he has some ground brush to tangle with in a reasonable distance. Don't like metal grapples in farm country (even the 3-5 lb. ones). I have snagged a lot of coyotes on the edge of a harvested soybean field and its kind of comical to see a coyote trying to hide behind a wooden fence post or tree log 100+' out in that 100 acre soybean field when I pull up. Those fox and coyote feet are in better shape for me than tacking a trap on a 20" chain with no shock spring so I continue to use those types of fastenings. Use an earth anchor AND a shock spring where I have to but the heavy drag proves better here and swivels go w/o saying... my take...................................................... the mike

I use to use a lot of 3 s and 4 s without lamination or being offset. I would have alot of foot damage--- alot-- now I use a duke 2# square jaw, laminated with #9 wire, base plated and 4 coiled AND offset.Here on the ranch with livestock guard dogs, I periodically catch my own dogs as well as coyotes----they are not happy but they are not damaged, and if a coyote steps on the pan of one of these---- they go for a ride in the truck and I dont worry about catching my or some farmers dog.

For all the things done to a trap to make it better on feet, IMO laminations are the single most effective improvement.

x2

This is my personal trap set up. I have 120 MJ 600 Sterlings set up like this =. Bout 28 inchs of chain. This includes = 4 swivels = Sterling or JC Conners. And a JC Conner = Shock bar. Why?? My hope is = come summer I get to work a coyote job in Montana. But I may go to = other states where trap checks are longer than 24 hrs. That being said. MJ 600 Sterling have NO lamination. BUT i have spoke to several pro traps that run a set up like mine. Coyote in traps for days = still have little foot damage. To be honest. Foot damage is not my # 1 concern. But I do deprivation work and do NOT want to walk up to trap and find = only a foot