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#10519 - 12/29/05 11:29 PM Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
Mike McChurin Offline
Member

Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 497
Loc: NE Oklahoma
Blake's post on the Help board got me to thinking. I have used both methods to stake traps at my sets. Right now I am using Berkshire disposables but I am considering going back to rebar.

My first trapping season I had to walk to most of my sets cause I was trapping out of a 4 door sedan. The rebar and traps and other equipment made for a heavy packbasket even if I didn't have to walk far.

Now that I have a 4WD Toyota I can pretty much drive anywhere I need to. Packing rebar 50-60 feet is easier than packing it 500-600 yds.

Plus, you can use rebar over and over. With most of my disposables if I get 3 sets out of them, then they went far. And at $35-$40 a hundred for just the ends (no cable or ferrules) they are expensive. I can buy a lot of rebar and nuts for $40 and use them for years to come.

I don't think I will give up on cable stakes completely, as they can be handy for places where rebar is impractical.

I would like to hear everyone's input on this.

Mike

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#10520 - 12/30/05 12:32 AM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
Toenailer Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 02/26/03
Posts: 8
Loc: AR
I'm using rebar more again because it's easier to retrieve and doesn't wear out. I can change to a fresh set nearby a catch circle very quickly. On public land I still like the cable stakes because thieves have a harder time with them.

Randy

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#10521 - 12/30/05 01:01 AM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
Mike McChurin Offline
Member

Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 497
Loc: NE Oklahoma
I agree. I would love to watch a thief pull one of my traps with a cable stake on it. Then again, unless they are a "professional" trap thief they may not be able to pull rebar stakes very easily either.

Mike

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#10522 - 12/30/05 02:22 AM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
Hal Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 07/17/00
Posts: 10227
Loc: Blue Creek, Ohio, USA
All good points. There are certainly good applications for cable stakes, but sometimes, things gain popularity just because of the novelty.

Rebar is infinitely reusable, and definitely easier to retrieve.

smile -- Hal
_________________________
Endeavor to persevere.

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#10523 - 12/30/05 03:49 AM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
WACKYQUACKER Offline
Member

Registered: 04/03/02
Posts: 683
Loc: CORRALES, NM
I use a mixture of both. I always try to put in cable at locations that I will likely use year after year. At many locations it is faster and possible to drive a rebar stake. I still like the security of a cable anchor and the ability to use short trap chains with no worry of pump outs. I never try to retrieve a cable, one of the niceties of trapping range land versus farm country. I settled on Pogo type anchors for the very reason that the are cheap and I am not tied to a distant supplier. I doubt I would use nearly as many cables if I had to rely on bullets or even Berkshires; I'm Scottish don't ya know.

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#10524 - 12/31/05 01:13 AM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
KYBOY Offline
Member

Registered: 05/30/05
Posts: 115
Loc: Wolf creek, KY
My favorite places for cable stakes is muddy creeks(pogo's) There they shine for me.

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#10525 - 01/01/06 04:38 PM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
MKBorders Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/29/05
Posts: 5
Loc: Jasper, Indiana
I use rebar. Trap theft is a minimum as I'm double staking with 24-30" rebar and the big stuff is permenately fixed (welded) to the cross stake device.

However, I've got some deep sandy areas were a cable stake would be nice. What about home made Pogo anchors? Low cost, low wieght, but can they hold as well as berkshires or even the factory pogos?

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#10526 - 01/01/06 04:53 PM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
WACKYQUACKER Offline
Member

Registered: 04/03/02
Posts: 683
Loc: CORRALES, NM
I am told that the engineers use a term "cone of compression" when describing anchors. I had it explained that the best cone of compression originates from a disc rather than a cylinder or rectangle. The diagram detailed the disc as the large opening of a cone with force or stress lines converging upward and toward the center; in the case at hand the cable. I am not an engineer and do not know if my understanding is just right, but when explained I was satisfied.

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#10527 - 01/01/06 05:56 PM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
Ric Offline


Registered: 07/22/00
Posts: 3695
Loc: Wellington,OH=USA
No reason you can't make your own and yes they work just as good as the store bought kind.If.. you do your part.What you use for the "stake end" can be many and varied.The first cable state type anchors I ever used were worn out sickle bar sections that was in the late 60's.

Pay attention to the driver don't focus only on the stake.

Read the Disposeable stake vs Re-Bar thread on the Help page

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#10528 - 01/01/06 08:17 PM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
Hal Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 07/17/00
Posts: 10227
Loc: Blue Creek, Ohio, USA
I'm glad somebody finally mentioned drivers. That's a very important aspect of this cable stake business. Most of these things take a specialized driver. And, many of these drivers are rather expensive. Bend your driver or lose your driver and you could quickly be out of business.

This is one reason I prefer the "Berkshire" type anchors. All you need to drive them is a sharpened piece of rebar.

smile -- Hal
_________________________
Endeavor to persevere.

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#10529 - 01/01/06 08:43 PM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
BillWI Offline
Member

Registered: 01/01/01
Posts: 339
Loc: Bonduel,WI,US
I've been using the pogos for three years now and seem to like them. The one thing about the Berkshires is if they fold when pulling and then you restraighten them thetab will develop a crack where the cable attaches. I can take a pogo and open the J hook pound the washer flat and reattach. I ussually will replace the J hook and flip the washer so the same side isn't being pulled on. Drivers are the one cost that can be a pain I have two and like Hal said if you lose one or bend it your about done with this system.
I still like to use metal stakes for my snares because their easier to drive in the frozen ground.
Bill

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#10530 - 01/01/06 11:58 PM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
WACKYQUACKER Offline
Member

Registered: 04/03/02
Posts: 683
Loc: CORRALES, NM
On drivers, find you a gunsmith that does rebarreling. Spent rifle barrels make great drivers; the tapper make removal from the ground easy. With a hack saw and file you can make the slots and depressions needed, but for sure a sawsall and grinder are faster.

I've seen the demos where the anchors go into the ground eaily...not in my country. I now drive a concrete stake (3/4" round steel rod) to form a pilot hole then tap the anchor into place. This system is not an ultra light rig but it still beats the weight of 30 or 100 rebar stakes and they don't pump out.

I still use rebar. The cables are just another tool which have their place on some lines.

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#10531 - 01/02/06 09:18 AM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
animalpest Offline
Member+

Registered: 08/18/05
Posts: 197
Loc: Western Australia
I would use 90% cable stakes when trapping K9's and other carnivores (which is all of my trapping). I find the convenience a real bonus compared to rebar. I like the fact I simply have never lost a trap using them and can keep the trap chain real short, which makes for removing live animals much easier. While they cost me dearly to have them sent over here, they are a small portion of the overall trapping costs. In sand they are simply brilliant, but in the rocky country I trap, you cannot rely solely on them (too hard to get in) so I stick to rebar or drags.
Mike

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#10532 - 01/02/06 09:32 PM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar.
MKBorders Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/29/05
Posts: 5
Loc: Jasper, Indiana
WQ has made the best statement on the subject so far. Pogos, Berkshires, Rebar,they are tools.

Each has it's correct use.

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#24118 - 09/21/16 03:46 PM Re: Stakes - Cable versus Rebar. [Re: Mike McChurin]
Archive Offline


Registered: 03/12/03
Posts: 1486
Dated for search.

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