Buidling your own stakes

[model 70]

Take some 1/4-1/2 thread rod. Cut it to what ever length you like. I usually cut all mine between 18"-24". Then, you take 2 appropriate size nuts and washers. At one end tighten the washers between the 2 nuts . I usually leave about 1/4" of thread sticking out of the top to "mushroom" down after beeing pounded into solid earth a few times. I normally use 2 or 3 washers stacked between the nuts to make them more rigid. I also use PLENTY of permenant loc-tite on the threads. To speed things up I'll place the end with the washers and nuts in salt water to corode the whole assemby to sore of lock them all into place. This is one istance where rust is a good thing.

On the other end I cut the threaded rod at an angle, file it to a point and that's it.

[justwannano]

I use rerod -used for support in concrete- and weld a washer on it.
Lots of guys make a T but I've found that a trap chain can get tangled so it won't swivel. Especially in coon trapping you don't want to provide a solid stationary object for the coon to power out of the trap.
You can also make your own stakes by using angle iron. Drill a hole close to the top and put a S hook in it.
You can add a swivel -recommended- if you want.
I'm guesing the ready rod -threaded rod- would make stakes kinda expensive but maybe cheaper than hiring a welder to do it.
Keep an eye out at trapping conventions for stakes for sale. Lots of guys sell homemade stuff to defray their travel costs. Dicker with them on price.

best of luck
just

[model 70]

as far as cost, each stake does run me $3-4 a piece. not sure if that's steep or not. i don't weld nor do i have access to a welder. any other ideas?

[justwannano]

Originally posted by model 70
as far as cost, each stake does run me $3-4 a piece. not sure if that's steep or not. i don't weld nor do i have access to a welder. any other ideas?

I don't know your situation out there. Do you have a local fur buyer?
Its in his best interest to help you, after all he wants to buy your fur,so maybe he can supply trap stakes at a deep discount.
Its been years since I've seen a trapping magazine but they used to sell trap stakes.
You might be able to get hold of some teen to weld your stakes in shop class. You might even be able to find someone at your local jr college to help you out.
You can buy re rod in short pieces at Menards.
Thats all I can think of at the moment.

I just Googled trap supplies and found that the first supplier I tried (Sullivan) sells 24"rebar stakes for $17.95 a dozen. There is probably shipping on that so you would want to find a supplier near you.

best of luck
just



best of luck
just

[Trapper_Stephen88]

I guess I'm lucky. My brother-inlaw works in construction, he can get me as much rebar as I need...for free! And he has a welder. I make my stakes about 18" long with a 1/2" washer welded about an inch or so from the top. Then I grind the other end to a point. I just made about a dozen stakes and they were free!!! You might try walking around construction sites if your allowed to, when I worked for my brother inlaw we threw all kinds of rebar away.

[Woodywoodduck]

I can not believe you guys lug that Heavy Rebar Stakes around!


Haven't any of you heard of the lightweight cable stakes like Berkshires, duckbill, bullet point or pogo washers?


I'd rather lug around 20 dozen of the cable stakes that only weigh about as much as 5 rebar stakes and NO Critter is going to pump the cable stakes out of the ground, no need to double cross stake yote sets, just 1, 12-18 inch cable stake in the ground and yote is not pumping anything out of the ground and they are MUCH CHEAPER then buying rebar to make stakes!

[justwannano]

Looks like Super stakes an earth anchor sold by Snare Shop in 2003 for 18.00. Samr price as their 18" rebar stakes.
Plus you need the driver and thats another 8 bucks.
Then again they are a real pain to pull out. Unless of course you just want to leave them.
I sometimes just want to move a trap a few feet. Not practical with a anchor that needs special tools to pull.
They have their place but not on most of my line.

Have a good one
just

[Woodywoodduck]

Originally posted by justwannano
Looks like Super stakes an earth anchor sold by Snare Shop in 2003 for 18.00. Samr price as their 18" rebar stakes.

1 dozen duckbills at the trapping store in my area are 12.00....driver is 7.00
Rebar is a tad higher and that is just for a Straight piece of rebar, no nuts or washer welded on them.

Originally posted by justwannano
I sometimes just want to move a trap a few feet. Not practical with a anchor that needs special tools to pull.
They have their place but not on most of my line.

You can move them withOUT a special Tool! I'm not going to post it openly on ANY Internet site to give the trap thieves a know how to pull them without a tool but if you stand and look at them and think about it, you can figure out how to pull them without the need for a special puller!

All that is needed in regular ground is a 12 inch cable stake, coyotes can not pull them out, many guys around me that are catching Coyotes regularly are using nothing but 12 inch cable stakes and have never had a coyote "Pump" a 12 inch cable stake!
Now, rebar, you need to cross stake with 2 stakes to keep a Coyote from "Pumping" the stake out and running off, not the case with the cable stakes, just 1 needed!


Like I said, they are much lighter and easier to use, heck, if you do it right and get the correct cable stakes, you do not even have to have a tool to drive them down in the ground, all you need is 1 piece of rebar that is about the same length as the cable stakes.


12 inch cable stakes will hold coons, fox, coyotes in regular ground BUT if you are trapping in muddy/sandy soil, then 1 would need the 24 inch or longer cable stakes to hold!


I have a tool I bought 5 years ago to pound the cable stakes into the ground, I been using it for the past 5 years, All I have had to do is pound a bend out of it from hitting large rocks a time or 2, many guys I have talked to do not even think about pounding our a bend in thier drivers, they just pitch them and buy a new 1 which is NOT Needed!

When season is over and I pull my traps, I simply "PULL" them, with a methoid that works very well on those 12 inch cable stakes even with a Painful Back that has pinched nerves and a few blown discs, not hard to do, just have to do it correctly and no need to buy a special puller,
If you stand and look at how the cable stakes work, you can then understand how to pull them without the need for a pulling tool, but like I'm saying, you have to look at them and understand how they work and hold when a Critter gets caught in a trap held by a cable stake, then you just do your pulling different then how they hold critters! Ever see any of the videos of cable stakes being used, they hook up a horse and let it pull but the stake does not come out then they hook up a tractor and pull and the stake does not come out, AH but if they did things a tad bit differentent with the Tractor, those stakes would POP straight out of the ground with not much pressure put on them!


If your trapping a place were year in and year out and you are setting the same locations, you can just leave the cables in the ground and use quick connects and just disconnect the trap from the cable and let the cable in the ground till next season, if you are taking both trap and cable stake then J-Hooks would need to be used on the eend of the trap chain and connected to the cable stakes.

I'll take many dozens of cable stakes over 1 dozen of rebar, no heavy rebar to be carried, no extra gadgets to be bought to hook onto the end of the trap chain to hold 2 rebar stakes crossed, no worry about trap thieves walking off with my traps, no wories about a coyote "pumping" my stakes out of the ground, less weight on my back to be carried in and then out,

[justwannano]

2 each his own
just

[Woodywoodduck]

Try this,

Get yourself 12 cable stakes that are 12 inchs long

then get 12 Rebar Stakes that are the normal size used

1 cable stake driver and 2 hammers of the same size and weight

Put cable stakes and rebar stakes in a seperate bucket of the same size and place a hammer in each bucket and the Cable Stake Driver in the bucket with the cable stakes and carry for a mile.



Funny thing about Cable Stakes is that it seems from reading different sites, the Cable Stakes have not caught on to much in the West, but are pretty much the chosen stakes in the East, you do not see to many guys going for rebar much here in the East!

[justwannano]

Originally posted by Woodywoodduck
Try this,

Get yourself 12 cable stakes that are 12 inchs long

then get 12 Rebar Stakes that are the normal size used

1 cable stake driver and 2 hammers of the same size and weight

Put cable stakes and rebar stakes in a seperate bucket of the same size and place a hammer in each bucket and the Cable Stake Driver in the bucket with the cable stakes and carry for a mile.



Funny thing about Cable Stakes is that it seems from reading different sites, the Cable Stakes have not caught on to much in the West, but are pretty much the chosen stakes in the East, you do not see to many guys going for rebar much here in the East!

You must think you are talking to a rookie.
I tried cable stakes 10 years ago. Come to think of it it was nearly 18 years ago.
I don't like the fact that they are left in the ground. Thats littering even if you can't see them.
I don't like the fact that they cannot be moved easily.
I don't like the fact that pulling them requires more than a pair of pliers.
Sure they are light. If you want light weight look for a natural anchoring device like a tree or a rock. Thats what the old boys like Hawbaker did.
Apparently you walk your line. Now if you really want light weight ,which is what you seem to be using as a selling point, throw away your traps and use snares.
Cable stakes are just another tool. The wise trapper uses the best tool for the particular job he is doing.
If you really want a life changing experience just try layng in the weeds under a mower in the hot sun unwraping wire which bound up the mower blades.
I actually do have 1 cable stake out.
Its near a corner post on our farm.
I control that land.

OK?
Have a good one
just

[Woodywoodduck]

Originally posted by justwannano

If you really want a life changing experience just try layng in the weeds under a mower in the hot sun unwraping wire which bound up the mower blades.

I'm not trying to Change YOU, I'm trying to show others what they are missing by lugging rebar around all the time, your just throwing the Correct Replies out to use as examples!

Just something to add from what you said,

I'm in PA, Snares are only Legal for Beavers, We can only use Cable Restraints for Fox and Coyotes and they are totally different then snares and only have a short season!

also, your comment about walking, Heck, I thought we were trappers and not Road Trappers? Trappers are supposed to walk their location and check, not run it with a motorized vehicle !