Fenn trap box

[Lloyd90]

17 minutes ago, Miserableolgit said:

I tend to bend the brass bit a touch.

How’d I go about that please? 🙏🏻 

[old'un]

Over the years I have used these traps on numerous occasions and never found the need to mess with them. They work straight out the box if set correctly.

I can only think you have some bad traps?

[Miserableolgit]

7 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

How’d I go about that please? 🙏🏻 

Use pliers to slightly bow the brass plate that goes under the hook, in effect that shortens its length. Alternatively you could reduce the length a bit with a file.

As old’un says they are usually good to go from the off though. 

Edited May 15 by Miserableolgit

[Bigbob]

I would set it remember the safety catch use your fingers and pull up on the catch plate till you have raised it a bit , reset it and see if it has been raised enough to trip it with out hitting the ground 

[Miserableolgit]

32 minutes ago, Bigbob said:

I would set it remember the safety catch use your fingers and pull up on the catch plate till you have raised it a bit , reset it and see if it has been raised enough to trip it with out hitting the ground 

Good method.

[Lloyd90]

1 hour ago, Bigbob said:

I would set it remember the safety catch use your fingers and pull up on the catch plate till you have raised it a bit , reset it and see if it has been raised enough to trip it with out hitting the ground 

I tried that, if I push the plate down vigorously it goes off but I was able to push the plate right down without the trigger releasing! 

[Lloyd90]

That’s the plate pressed down. 

[old'un]

1 hour ago, Lloyd90 said:

That’s the plate pressed down. 

That looks faulty to me, it should have tripped way before that.

[Miserableolgit]

Agreed, that's not right. Try bending the plate marked with a circle so that it releases the catch sooner or bend the brass plate a bit [marked with a star] so that it is arched over the wire and releases sooner.


 
 

[old'un]

Just now, Miserableolgit said:

Agreed, that's not right. Try bending the plate marked with a circle so that it releases the catch sooner or bend the brass plate a bit [marked with a star] so that it is arched over the wire and releases sooner.


 
 

I would be inclined to shorten the brass release arm, marked with a star.

When the trip plate is level with the upright steel flange the hook should be fully engaged with the brass release arm, looks like you will have to file some off the brass release arm, as I said it looks faulty to me.

 

 

[Miserableolgit]

Just dug one out and set it (with the safety on). Note how the plate still has sufficient downward travel to release the catch. In real life I would probably set it finer (‘on the tittle’ as the owd boys called it)

[Lloyd90]

Yes it appears the trigger plate is way too low. 
 

On the bright side, just nailed another rat from the window with the 177!!! 

[old'un]

Ditto, I Just pulled an old trap out the shed and when its set the release arm is fully engaged with the hook, pushed the trip plate down about a ¼ of an inch and it tripped, obviously it can be set a lot finer than this.

 

[Lloyd90]

17 minutes ago, old'un said:

Ditto, I Just pulled an old trap out the shed and when its set the release arm is fully engaged with the hook, pushed the trip plate down about a ¼ of an inch and it tripped, obviously it can be set a lot finer than this.

 

Thank you gentleman. 
 

A bit of plate bending on the trigger plate and all my traps are now much more sensitive. 
 

Sorted I reckon. 
 

 

41 minutes ago, Miserableolgit said:

Agreed, that's not right. Try bending the plate marked with a circle so that it releases the catch sooner or bend the brass plate a bit [marked with a star] so that it is arched over the wire and releases sooner.


 
 

I’ve bent the plate with the circle 👍🏻

[Miserableolgit]

1 hour ago, Lloyd90 said:

Thank you gentleman. 
 

A bit of plate bending on the trigger plate and all my traps are now much more sensitive. 
 

Sorted I reckon. 
 

 

I’ve bent the plate with the circle 👍🏻

Sorted and all ready to catch some vermin!

[Bigbob]

There's nothing wrong with the trigger plates standing a bit above the catch square they sit in The prey still has to stand on it too trip it 

[Lloyd90]

Success! 
 

 

[old'un]

45 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Success! 
 

 

Well done, your now a member of the fen trap clan.

Did you catch it where the trap is or in the box?

[Lloyd90]

6 minutes ago, old'un said:

Well done, your now a member of the fen trap clan.

Did you catch it where the trap is or in the box?

Where the trap is, but I used bricks and a lid over the top to seal it off to avoid non target species, I’ve removed the lid and peg for that. 
 

I used the original box that was too small to block the hole in the fence, so when they come under the fence they’re inside the box. 
 

They then have to jump through the hole to get in / out of the box and the fenn trap is waiting right under the hole. 

[Lloyd90]

As a bonus a magpie flew down to scope out the rat and I shot that with the 22 🤣

 

Although within an hour another rat was spotted in the garden!! I initially thought we had spotted the same rat several times but it appears there are many. 
 

If we can’t get on top of them asap I will have to stop feeding the birds as the wife isn’t happy, especially with a baby around. 
 

I did say if we remove the feed it doesn’t mean the rats aren’t there 🤣

[Miserableolgit]

6 hours ago, old'un said:

Well done, your now a member of the fen trap clan.

Did you catch it where the trap is or in the box?

Result!

[Bigbob]

Good going and its a nice catch for your first one 

[Bigbob]

This is what I use for Squirrels, handy for the odd Rat as well as they drop right on to the trap, Bad point is Mice and Slugs can get in to eat the bait.

 

[Lloyd90]

Adjusted my boxes and took a side off so I can press them against the fence where they come through. 
 

So when they come through / under they’re inside the box already… then run over the trap on their way to the exit hole. 
 

 

[old'un]

31 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Adjusted my boxes and took a side off so I can press them against the fence where they come through. 
 

So when they come through / under they’re inside the box already… then run over the trap on their way to the exit hole. 
 

 

Yep, think you have cracked it now, Funny how the trip plate was bent low, never seen that on genuine fen traps before, as I said before, fen traps when set correctly will catch, no need for messing with them.