I'm considering purchasing Paws-I-Trip or some other brand of pan tension kits for my #3 Bridgers to make it easier to keep the correct pan tension. I'd like to hear from some of you who have these kits as to your opinions of their effectiveness and worth.

Go to the archives, and open "Traps & Equipment".
The ninth item currently down the list is a post by Hal on PIT Pans. This is one of the better ones I have read, and it will give you lots of information.
Adios,
45/70,
RKBA !!!

Sorry Hal, I meant this to be a reply; I guess I clicked the wrong place.

I read Hals archive thread on the PIT systems. The thread is excellent and full of well documented research, but I want to be sure I understand how his summary pertains to my trapping situation. I use #3 Bridgers, and my main target species are coyote, but I still want to catch every large coon and cat that investigates. All I read and hear tells me 3-4 pounds of tension is right for this. Is this correct??? If so am I right in feeling that PIT systems should work well for me???

I use almost all 2&3 bridgers, and ALL you need to due to them is nite latch and tune pan tension from there...a simple 3 lb hammer w/wooden or rubber handle will get close enough-actually the nite latch puts them very close, (w/4 coil). I would not change the pans, even if I had them on hand.

Nite-latching is a description of a certain Dog-Pan engaugement system.It has nothing to do with pan tension.If your Nite-Latched trap has adjustable tension you can set the tension anywhere you wish.
The Posi-trip system is very effective at what it does.Repeatedly giving you a consistant tension.If you are looking for an ~4lb. tension.They are worth looking at

I should have been clearer...I am by no-means putting down the pans. I use them on several traps myself...but, I was thinking (-a dangerous thing-)that if one can install new pans, then one is familiar with the pan bolt and it's effect on tension...assumtions...anyhow, I stand by my choice of using stock pans on bridger traps, especially #3's...#2's are a little different and are a little harder to tune-watch the file position and angle if adding a nite latch type engagment system..jmo...Good luck w/your traps, if you have any questions pm me if you like...

Ric
Persuant to your reply, is 3-4 pounds tension correct for large coon, cats and coyotes? I'm well aware of how to tune tension on my #3 Bridger traps. I have a 2 liter bottle with enough water in it to weigh 3# and it works OK, but I get tired of having to re-adjust tension after every catch and then never being sure if it's just right. I lost 2 coyotes this year due to what I believe to have been too little pan tension and I'm looking for a more constant solution.

I'm not Ric but...

3-4 pounds of tension is right for the animals you have suggested, with the possible exception of small cats. Even so an animal in the 12-15 pound range shoud fire the trap.

-- Hal

The higher the pan tension the larger % of small animals you are going to exclude.When after coyotes at times when the fur is not marketable,I'll use 4 lbs or so just for that reason.That may be a little heavy for smaller Bobcats,I don't know,never trapped them.They would be the lightest of the critters you mentioned.Nothing is fool-proof as I have caught a few mink and muskrat in CDR's

Dated for search.