boxcar
Tinder Gatherer
Have been reading about disposable trap stakes and think they would be better than rebar. Anybody ever used them? Dont know if the subject has been brought up before if so sorry.
"disposable" trap stakes
- Thread starter boxcar
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Ohio Bushcrafter
Scout
You mean a wood stake?? lol because depending on the size of animal wood,would work fine...
boxcar
Tinder Gatherer
The cable stakes apparently there are several styles. I have seen a couple pretty smart mods for removing them.
Skab
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I have used them in the past when I was trapping. They work well and can be made by someone that is handy with just a with tools.
GKiT
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They work well. If you pull them you may need to make or buy a puller to lever them out of the ground. I do not consider them disposable as I would not want them to get caught up in farm equipment etc..
If you were setting the same spots every year and they are not a problem to leave, I could see leaving a few in the ground.
off all the designs, I do not really like the "bullet" design as it is heavier than the flat metal ones and the socket holds dirt and the driver gets stuck in them sometimes. You have to keep the socket clean of dirt on those.
The stake driver you use is important. Buy or make a good one that will hold up to hard use and will not mushroom or bend. Carry an extra stake driver or two in the vehicle as it becomes yet another tool to forget and leave at the set. Painting them and your hammer with orange or red spray paint is a good tip.
If you have a hard rocky soil to deal with they can be hard to get in and hard to get out, but then so is rebar in that situation.
You will need to experiment with cable length based on your soil type. 12" may work or you may need 15" to 18". Should almost never need more than that, perhaps up to 24" for pure sand.. Make/buy a driver that is a few inches longer than the cable length.
Overall, I would recommend them over rebar only if you are walking/carrying in equipment or trapping in very soft or sandy soil where only long double staked rebar would hold.. If you are trapping off a truck or ATV, there is little advantage.
Different strokes...buy or make a dozen and give them a try, you may love them.
If you were setting the same spots every year and they are not a problem to leave, I could see leaving a few in the ground.
off all the designs, I do not really like the "bullet" design as it is heavier than the flat metal ones and the socket holds dirt and the driver gets stuck in them sometimes. You have to keep the socket clean of dirt on those.
The stake driver you use is important. Buy or make a good one that will hold up to hard use and will not mushroom or bend. Carry an extra stake driver or two in the vehicle as it becomes yet another tool to forget and leave at the set. Painting them and your hammer with orange or red spray paint is a good tip.
If you have a hard rocky soil to deal with they can be hard to get in and hard to get out, but then so is rebar in that situation.
You will need to experiment with cable length based on your soil type. 12" may work or you may need 15" to 18". Should almost never need more than that, perhaps up to 24" for pure sand.. Make/buy a driver that is a few inches longer than the cable length.
Overall, I would recommend them over rebar only if you are walking/carrying in equipment or trapping in very soft or sandy soil where only long double staked rebar would hold.. If you are trapping off a truck or ATV, there is little advantage.
Different strokes...buy or make a dozen and give them a try, you may love them.
Last edited:
wingnut
Scout
i used to use those for securing a dog run at each end in the back yard. they were repurposed anchors i was using. they worked great very difficult to remove. i agree about the good driver i bent several of the one that came with them.
boxcar
Tinder Gatherer
Thanx for the input everybody. Am planning on running my line out of my boat next season, so will need to shave weight and will be encountering different soil types.