My buddies and I made 200 of them about 3 years ago. Learned a bunch from the first prototype we started to what we finished with. We had the chance to run them for 3 years now and decided to make some minor modifications to them based on performance. I have a few pull outs every year but I blame myself on all of them. I don't care what kind of trap you are setting if you give a big coon something solid to pull against he will most likely be able to power out.
1. Winding springs - Sorry but we already have the next 200 springs and catch loops already wound and bent so I can only show a finished set. I you want to see a winder search for users freeburgtrapper and Merc on www.trapperman.com they have posts on the winders like we made. The first batch of traps the catch loop is square and pinches against a 3/16" pinch block of steel inside the trap. The modification here was to round the catch loop and radius the pinch lug. Also when winding the springs we stopped just a bit less on the last coil to add some more strength. Hopefully this will decrease some of the pull outs my buddy has experienced in the dairy barns he traps.
Our Spring and Catch Loop
Here are some pics of our early attempts using the baler springs from Tractor Supply. Thankfully either Merc or Freeburgtrapper posted a video of their winder and we switched over to the wound spring.
First design we bent the catch lug. Didn't like it so we switched to a welded in lug.
First triggering set-up. Too many parts and hard to weld straight so we switched to the bent base and trigger/ spring legged part we have now
Now on to our new traps. My buddies and I looked at Gary's Grizz trap and started modifying to what we wanted. I drew all the parts up on our Pro-E software (during lunches and breaks of course) and had them nested to the lasers. I was able to take some pictures of the lasers while they burnt out the parts.
Here is the new Trumph at work cutting the plate that the catch loop and trigger goes through. Guy running it said on light 20 ga steel it runs 1000 inches per minute (I think that is the figure he used) On the .119 material we were cutting today it was 170 inches per minute. Took a total of 3 hours on 2 lasers to cut enough parts to make the 300 traps we plan on making.
Computer nest of the 300 face plates
Our other laser cutting out the top plate
Finished triggers and dogs
Finished base of trap, holes in wings are for the spring and trigger pins (we use 16 and 20 penny nails). The slots and hole around the base are for drainage. I have to bend them on the brake before they will be ready to weld up.
1. Winding springs - Sorry but we already have the next 200 springs and catch loops already wound and bent so I can only show a finished set. I you want to see a winder search for users freeburgtrapper and Merc on www.trapperman.com they have posts on the winders like we made. The first batch of traps the catch loop is square and pinches against a 3/16" pinch block of steel inside the trap. The modification here was to round the catch loop and radius the pinch lug. Also when winding the springs we stopped just a bit less on the last coil to add some more strength. Hopefully this will decrease some of the pull outs my buddy has experienced in the dairy barns he traps.
Our Spring and Catch Loop
Here are some pics of our early attempts using the baler springs from Tractor Supply. Thankfully either Merc or Freeburgtrapper posted a video of their winder and we switched over to the wound spring.
First design we bent the catch lug. Didn't like it so we switched to a welded in lug.
First triggering set-up. Too many parts and hard to weld straight so we switched to the bent base and trigger/ spring legged part we have now
Now on to our new traps. My buddies and I looked at Gary's Grizz trap and started modifying to what we wanted. I drew all the parts up on our Pro-E software (during lunches and breaks of course) and had them nested to the lasers. I was able to take some pictures of the lasers while they burnt out the parts.
Here is the new Trumph at work cutting the plate that the catch loop and trigger goes through. Guy running it said on light 20 ga steel it runs 1000 inches per minute (I think that is the figure he used) On the .119 material we were cutting today it was 170 inches per minute. Took a total of 3 hours on 2 lasers to cut enough parts to make the 300 traps we plan on making.
Computer nest of the 300 face plates
Our other laser cutting out the top plate
Finished triggers and dogs
Finished base of trap, holes in wings are for the spring and trigger pins (we use 16 and 20 penny nails). The slots and hole around the base are for drainage. I have to bend them on the brake before they will be ready to weld up.
