So here Is my situation.

I have a lagoon area In a city park that I'm trapping rats. No foot holds allowed. Colony traps and BGs.

There Is a 5 yard buffer zone around most of the lagoon. It just about Impenetrable and It gets mowed down around the end of Oct. Last year was the first year I trapped It and I noticed all kinds of trails running through this buffer zone. They had to be rat runs since they were about 3" to 4" wide. So my question Is should I put pans On my 160s or should I just spread the trigger wires and hang some monofilament between them?
I do have a few 155s some are square jawed and some are RBGs.

So school me on pans.

If I bend down the trigger wires and slide on some type of pan will that make the trap one directional ? Or what If I cut off the trigger wires so they are about 3/4" of a inch long and just stick on a pan so It would be right In the middle of the trap. If the pan was about 3" long would a rat set off the trap? I hate to cut off the wires but I can always buy new trigger assembly's or just replace the wires.
I never had a whole lot of luck trying to get rats to go through a BG In a trail on dry land. But then I never used a pan system.
Help.

I had a dry marsh one winter similar to yours, trails in the snow like a spiderweb and every trail packed from use. I used 110s and left the triggersin a V but I also used single spring 160s. I bent the trigger wires into an arch looking affair with the trigger tips bent in about 1/2”. The gap between the trigger wires was about 2-3/4” wide. I killed a lot of rats with both and don’t remember any rats getting through the arched 160 triggers. I still use the “arched” configuration on my 160s today setting for mink.

I've had decent luck with 220 belisles with expandapans on them . They're heavy pans so the traps ends up being pretty sensitive so you better have the trigger and dog tuned . Usually end up with suitcase catches no matter which way they're going.

Those tight quarters I think you can get by with your standard triggers.

Beav: I have caught lots of rats in dry sets with my regular trigger configuration, the spread V style with bottom cross wire. How many refused to go through it I will never know.

160s work fine for me on rats, even if not in the water with the standard triggers. Mine are Dukes. Maybe I just have dumb rats. I'd blend them in a little if worried about refusals.

Beav,
I think you would find the green floral wire easier to wrap on the trigger wires than mono.
If it gets bumped off you can just re-wrap it back on.

I have not had good luck with pans for mink, rats or coons in trails, on slides, or even in boxes. I think it has something to do with the pan must be extended out away from the jaws on one side or another and the leverage to trip it is better (easier) at that end. Some folks will say to shorten the pan size and if you are going to do that why wouldn't you discard the pan and use the bare trigger on the bottom. I have for years done it that way and a thin wire at the rat's, mink's, or coon's feet seems to get more catches for me. You really don't know which direction the animal is traveling on a trail (unlike entering a box cubby) so a pan option has not been good to me on trails. Think about rat runs, slides, cattail or stream channel trails. Would or do folks use pan triggers there? Triggers on the bottom from my experience "wins the race". ............ the mike

Thanks for your input guys.
I think I'll try to work with just using a spread trigger arrangement. And adding a trip wire between the trigger wires.
Years ago I bought some minute coils that just fit on the trigger wires and once you slide the trip wire through them you just crush them down to hold the trip wire In place. I also have some of those really small wire splices that would also work to attach the trip wire to the trigger wires.
I'll let you know how It works out In a few days. These rats I'm going to catch are worth $20.00 apiece.

I just went out and worked up 10 160s. I did the bell shaped trigger configuration like Seldoms. Then I used some copper wire for a trip wire. Those little coils where actually meant to crush on to the trigger wires and then wrap your wire above them to keep It from coming off.
And Like PAskinner mentioned I think I will blend them In a little bit.

This is someone else's picture. I tried this and it works okay but sometimes my stabilizer hits the dog. It's okay but I went back to trigger wires using florist wire like below. I can slide them onto a Leffler holder and slide it right down onto a trial in the grass without bending a lot of grass.
The pans get in the way a lot. The wire was easier for my style of trapping and more versatile.

I wonder if they'd go through a 110 set sideways with a "trip" style wire trigger...if that makes sense.

I got a bunch of Leflers 110 stabilizers many years ago from Don when he was still on the Convention circuit. I like them for mink trails and for some rat runs. I still use his beaver cage traps.

I would try to bend the wires fairly wide and put the trigger on the bottom. Give them a good open “hole” to go through. If they are Dukes WAX them. They will go off 4 way and I bet if you can get the rats to go through they will fire them every time.