SCM - Tips & Information

• Trap Pan Hinge Bolts on #3 and #4 size SCM traps are stainless steel with brass nuts. All other SCM traps have brass bolts and nuts. Since the year 2000, all SCM traps have two flats on the pan bolt to prevent accidental loss of the nut.

• Pan Tension is useful in preventing birds and small animals from firing the trap. It also helps prevent nearly all toe catches.
Example: If your target furbearer's weight is 20 pounds, that equals five pounds per foot. One half of that, or 2-1/2 pounds maximum, is a good starting weight. The pan should hold 2 pounds and fire with 2-1/2 pounds. It sounds technical, but most trappers 'guesstimate' with fingers and a screwdriver and do it just right.

• One-piece Pans and Crosses will be available on all SCM traps by 2006. Although slightly increasing the tooling costs to produce these traps, the cleverly designed gussets greatly improve trap strength. The notch in the one-piece pan allows the exact dog engagement to be seen. It also helps SCM to control costs which would otherwise be passed on to the trapper.

• A Down Pan Stop. First used by BMP raccoon trappers on SCM #11 and #1-1/2 coil spring double jaw traps to prevent toe chewing. For those who feel the need for a pan/dog engagement, more like that of a fine rifle trigger, follow these steps:
     1. Make a hole location on the end of the cross opposite the pan post.
     2. The hole should allow the pan to hit the screw when falling.
     3. Pick a screw length to allow the pan to fall under all conditions.
     4. Adust the pan tension for 1 to 2 pounds.
     5. Set the trap. Pull the pan down until there is no more than 1/64 inch engagement between the dog and the pan when the pan is level.
     6. Now, fire the trap. See, it fired and you didn't feel the pan move. Neither will the animal.

• Varied Conditions faced by the trapper are largely offset by the proper trap design. Metal fits, that at first glance seem awful, are actually a thing of beauty when analyzed.
For instance, at conventions I have set many traps with .005 dog/pan engagements to prove what "out of the box traps" with the burr filed off the dog, can do. All this with square axle jaws fitting round sloppy holes, dogs with a large eye and pan pivot holes with .022 slop! The square axle jaws continually remove rust. The dog eye centers on a sharp edge. Pulling the pan down level after setting negates the .022 hole slop.
Now, take a trap made with precision fits complete with bearings. It would look and work really nice right out of the box. Put that same trap through boiling, waxing, dying, rain, mud, beating around in a pick-up, soaking in water high in tannic acid (marshes) for a couple weeks, being walked on by cattle, etc. That trap would require almost daily maintenance, besides the original cost of $50 to $100 each. I almost forgot -60 to 100 degree Fahrenheit working temperature range.

• Pull Testing information should give trappers 'food for thought.' Many trappers have no idea of chain strength. Occasionally, when faced with a broken chain, a trapper will call the factory citing 'faulty chain.' This instance happened about three years ago, and turned out to be a 'snatch and jerk' by a four-wheeler in an orchard.

We hope you never have an unexplained problem on your trapline. But if you do, perhaps the pull test results will help diagnose what actually happened. All traps tested were SCM. No other brands were tested, nor is further testing planned at this time. J-Hooks and Chain are also SCM products. The only products out-sourced are nuts, bolts, rivets and chain.

• Code for Responsible Trapping.
Responsible trappers obtain the landowner’s permission before trapping on his land.
Avoid setting traps in areas where domestic animals may be caught.
Check their traps regularly and preferably in the morning.
Assist farmers and other landowners who are having problems with predators.
Set their traps to kill quickly utilizing water sets where possible.
Make an effort to concentrate trapping in areas where animals are overabundant for the supporting habitat.
Support strict enforcement of regulations.