Question for the Newhouse guys...

What traps did the "dog snap style retainer" appear on?

# 4 1/2 Newhouse models?

That's what I thought were there any other models that utilized the snap?
I'm asking because my thoughts are on the light weight snap ...were there any failures because of it?

I think the 4 1/2 designers had a back up plan...Hence the split chain and DRAG...

The #4 1/2 is the only Newhouse trap with the dog snap from the factory. The snap was not designed to hold the full force of the anchored trap, but to attach a log for extra weight. Here is an illustration from the Wolf trapping Book "How to Catch Wolves with the Newhouse Wolf Trap", put out by Oneida Community.



Here is another illistration fron the tenth edition Newhouse Trappers Guide.

Although the OPs question specified Newhouse guys, I would point out for completeness that the competing Triumph 415 Wolf Trap had a similar Y chain with snap and drag set up.

Thanks guys...always learning.

Dean,

You ARE the Newhouse Guru! Like we discussed before, the paper items and trap ephemera are the hardest items to find, much harder than the traps themselves.

I never heard of that Newhouse book!

Art

I LOVE the price on those #4 1/2 traps at that time $40.00 a dz!!!

I find it interesting that a 4 1/2 could be ordered with or without the chain.
I think I would have paid the extra 42 cents per trap to have the chains...

Sounds cheap today but back in the day 40 bucks was a whole month wages for many people, when my ma started working for Woolworth back in the 50s her starting pay was .65 cents an hour or roughly about a hundred dollars a month so buying a dozen 4 1/2s for 40. bucks is kind of like buying a dozen 650 sterlings today

You are correct Nightlife...but what an investment!

While you are correct,the value of fur was much more inline with the cost of living then.I remember reading that the bounty(ok,its not fur)for wolves in Michigan at the turn of the 19-20th century was $25 per wolf.And the host of the article had caught 2 wolves shortly before the writer arrived at his place.Both in one night.

Slightly changing the subject - has anyone ever seen a legit 3 prong drag like in the old catalog on a 4.5?

No, I have seen a lot of 3 prong drags but never one that I could say was a factory Newhouse 3 prong drag.

I have seen some that the owners claimed were the real deal.. I have yet to see two that look even close to the same...

Same here, I was wondering if there was any evidence of a real one out there.

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While you are correct,the value of fur was much more inline with the cost of living then.I remember reading that the bounty(ok,its not fur)for wolves in Michigan at the turn of the 19-20th century was $25 per wolf.And the host of the article had caught 2 wolves shortly before the writer arrived at his place.Both in one night.
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O I agree without a doubt, I remember my uncle talking about how he bought his farm back in the teens after a season spent trapping where he cleared a bit over 2000 dollars so he invested in a 160 acre farm complete with house, barn, team of horses 5 pigs and other assorted livestock for the sum of 600 dollars of his trapping money