I want to know all the different ways that you open up your J-hooks. I have a heavy duty S-hook tool and I would say that easily 95% of all of the J-hooks that I have to open I cant even get the tool in it to get it open. I read in a forum that people use J-hooks to attatch there traps to there pogos, but if I do that I want an easy way to open these guys up on the line. You no what I mean.

I usually clap one end in a vice, and use either a screwdriver or a chisel and a hammer to open it. The HD ones are a rip to do though.

Wait, nevermind, You said on the line, should have read your whole post.

i used a small flat head screw driver and twisted it took a try or two to get em but now i have a S hook tool and it works alot easyer for me

I have a pair of fencing pliers and a pair of vicegrips. Always does the trick for me. I grip the Jhook stem with the vice grips, and then take the fencing pliers and squeeze the middle pliers part around the jhook. Most of the time, that will partially open it. Then I move the pliers a little more towards the opening part of the loop and just pull. It opens right up.

Not all S hook pliers are the same, I have one pair that easily opens J hooks, while another pair I have are pain to try to open them. I also have a pair of Ron Marsh's which work good.

I just put the point of a trowel in the eye and give it a smack with the hammer. Opens it just enough to slide the cable out.

Vicegrips for me here, too. Just clamp em with the vicegrips on teh "back" side (away from the open side), twist the oter side of it sideways a bit with your pliers, slip out the cable. Qucik fast and easy. Once you get the hang of it, doesn't take too long to get them open. One thing though, be careful about reusing them more than once or so, 'cause they'll get soft from bending them, and won't hold as well...be a shame to lose an anmial becasue you tried to reuse a $0.11 or $0.12 cent J-Hook once too many times...
Jeremy

Like jdulap said, I don't trust a j-hook that has been closed and reopened and then closed again on my coyote traps. But, they open fairly easily with a small pair of bolt cutters. I just line it up so the cutter spreads the j-hook open and then it can easily be opened with a little hand pressure.

i agree lil bit, pliers and fencing pliers

quick links work good for me,hate fighting a stubborn J-hook in -40 windchill,the quick link I carry a tiny set of visegrips and a 5" cresent in my pocket,always opens easy.

I like quick links too. I was wondering of the the J-hooks to deter trap thieves.

Ron Marsh s-hook tool none better

Two pairs of fencing pliars. Just grasp the J hook with each and roll one or the other. Works great and very fast. Much quicker than using a vice grip for me.

Lil' Bit, I vaguely recall introducing you to that combination a year or two ago. You beat me to it.

Hunter, Did you see this post?

S Hook Tool

Jonathan

when i leave the pliers or the s hook tool at the truck i attempt to usualy ends up with alot of cussin stompin and a heated argument with myself and a walk to the truck

rebar, never needs opening. LOL

I use a good pair of diagnal cutter some call dikes . Line em up with the openning and squeeze . It will open them enough to slip the cable right out . I don't reuse rivets either . They are a good deterant to trap thieves as well unless they are well prepared .

For openning them to put into the washers a pair of 1/4 in pipe nipples 6 in long .

Drifter

cut 'em with bolt cutters and then slide in a new J-hook

There have been some good arguments here about the J-hook opening. I like hearning the information from both negitive and positive. I to believe that if you open and close those J-hooks or S-hooks to much that you will risk losing an animal. I agree that they are very cheap and disposible. And I also agree that a small set of bolt cutters and cutting them off and sticking a new one on there is the best answer to my solution. I would not have thought of this by myself because I have not learned that, that is the cost of doing business. I still must think that because I put it together once that it should be that way for the season. The first thought that came through my mind was to squeeze every nickle out of my line and reuse, reuse. This blinded me to the point that I could not see the tree because of the forest. Thanks for saving me all that time thinking about how to get thoughs stupid things up.

Bolt cutters, as most of mine are welded shut.

Same here, once opened I do not use them again, since I bought one of Bob Custer's benders. Too quick and easy to make them. Tom

I used to do a ton of j-hooks for building my coon cage this summer. Use an awl and a hammer to get those bad boys open.

~ADC~

Indeed you did two years ago! *mwah* Prior to that, I had the fun occassion to listen to John cuss in the other room while trying to open them a million different ways, usually ending in him cutting them off and us using copius amounts of replacement j-hooks unnecessarilly.

they don't get soft it is actually called work hardening. think of it as a piece of wire you bend it back and forth enough it breaks cause it gets hard

Be careful about re-using J-hooks, I learned the hard way. Your better off just to cut them and use new ones.

Here's what I carry on my side all the time, a pair of Knipex cutters made in Germany. 8" long and cuts thru j-hooks like butter. Their like mini-bolt cutters

Good point, that is the correct terminology...my point was valid, but my terminology was certainly off!
Jeremy