was wondering what others do that own alot of connibear traps, i leave my springs set or compressed year round, i do not think it matters?

I agree with you. I haven't seen any problems with leaving the safties hooked year around.

~ADC~

I wouldn't do it. It could only weaken them.

I dont & would not either. Minnow

if you leave a load too long on a trailer, etc. the springs will take a set.....I wire them down before I go out on line but when season is over I let em relax....Mac~

I bought a doz vic 330's at a auction last year the old guy told me the last time he used them was in 1979 or 80. 10 of them had the safties on and 2 did not there is no dif at all.

The ONLY time my coni springs are NOT compressed. Is when a animal is it the trap.

Yes, I left springs compressed on a Sauvageau, it did make them weaker.

Post deleted by madtrapper

I dont see no difference in my Sauvageaus.They have been set for 3 years now. Unless there is a animal in them.

Hey newt that was a nice demostration on otter at herk, in NY. Hows the sheep

This is an Email on dukes:

Scott,

Thanks for your question. If you just want to compress the springs for a short time before taking to your field sets, that should not weaken the springs.

On the other hand, we don't recommend long term storing the springs compressed. Also, you should not dye or wax the traps with the springs compressed.

The springs on all of our body traps should last many years and give you good performance. Good luck this season.
Thanks,
Bill

Well, I think we could agree that leaving them compressed won't make them any stronger. Why would anyone want to leave them compressed in the off season?

They store much nicer if you have a pile of them with the springs compressed. If it weakens them it's not enough to notice IMO.

~ADC~

It was always my understanding that pitting of the steel is the cause of weak springs, not leaving them compressed, but what do I know, I'm a muddy coon trapper.

Look at it this way - you don't buy new ones compressed right from the manufacturer. Think if it didn't matter the manufacturer would ship them compressed as they wouldn't take up as much room.
Besides plain common sense tells you not to leave ANY SPRING compressed.

Someone did an article on this awhile back in FFG or Trapper. They talked to an engineer and said leaving springs compressed makes no difference at all.

i think i rember reading this,it may have been in hal sullivans article? i agree it does not make a noticable difference,when you buy new traps,they are not going to compress and hook the springs on them, it is a lot easier on hands if you have many traps to leave hooks set, i have hand problems which comes from years of doing same kind of work in factory

Mr Pete Askins of Sleepy Creek was a field tester for Victor for more years than most of us have been alive. He will tell you that tempered spring steel will not weaken when body grippers are stored compressed. he also states that the temp. of boiling water doesnt even come close to getting hot enough to change the strength of spring steel. If any one would know it would be Mr. Pete. From my experience I agree with him.

I would venture to bet that everyone who said they do not store thier bodygrips hooked, have a gun cabinet full of cocked guns. Now if you are conserned about spring strength on your bodygrips shouldn't you be equally as conserned about the spring strength on you firing pin of your rifle????? Just a thought. My self? My bodygrips get stored both ways (how every they come off the line when I put them away usually hooked), and yes all my guns are cocked.

Why is it nobody listens to the manufacture

Over the last 6 years I have been on these forums I have read many threads dealing with this issue.

My question is this.
If you had a 365 day trapping season and you trapped all season, how many of you would compress the springs of your traps in the field and for how many days would you compress them.

For the record I unset all of my body grippers when done using them and reset them a few days before setting out again in the fall. After reading these posts the only change is that I am not in such a sense of urgency to get them all un set as I used to be.

Bryce

What Plueger said. I have heard Pete say it more than once. Mine stay set till the catch something.

Manufactures tell you to leave them unset out of liability concerns nothing else. If they said other wise and one snapped with a safety off and someone was hurt, what do you think would happen??

Todays steel is not bothered by being set like the old steel is, won't hurt them one bit leaving them set until your ready to use them!!

it would seem if leavin them cocked weakened them much if any then a adc person usin them all year would have worn out traps in just a single year or so.

Interesting point, that could be.

It seems that there is a 50/50 opinion on this. I would say it wouldn't make a noticable difference since there isn't anything that is causing the grain structure of the steel to change. If heat is introduced such as someone stated, boiling, then maybe. But even then that is not a lot of heat but could I guess. I've had a few 220's for almost 11 years now and have always had the safteys latched. They seem almost as hard to set now as they did 11 years ago. just my .02

October arrives, and you set your springs on a coni. It catches around midnight. At 4am you arrive and collect your fur, and reset. Another long day and evening draw on with your springs in the set position. Only for a brief time are they "relaxed" around the body of your catch. Again and again, day after day, the springs remain set, save for those moments when fur is in the trap. From Oct. to Feb. In all kinds of weather your springs spend most of the time set. If they weren't set, you couldn't catch the animal. So what difference does it make, if they are set or not? In one sense, they are in storage, and another sense, they are standing sentinel. I have "weak" conis that are "easy" to set and they kill just as well as my besliles.

I concur... Plueger, Newt, Pete Askins, what 20 other on this board have as many years or as much expirience that would disagree?

I leave mine compressed if i thought it would weaken them and cost me money i would spring them.I have never had to replace a bodygrip spring yet larger than a 110.I do however have to replace coils and they are sprung,wonder how that works.

Dane, again, if you ever get the chance to listen to Pete Askins you will never replace one of those either unless pitted badly.
I laugh everytime I see a post on that.