My preference is probably useless to you but I'm going to throw it out there anyhow.

I've always loved the 1.75 Northhwoods and consider it the best all-around Pa. trap. Like you I like the square jaw. It's a big trap for a 1.75, all but 5 1/4" outside to outside and it is identical in design to the Bridger traps.

Way back they were the premier fox trap around here. When my daughter got me back into trapping 7-8 years ago I still had some and still had a fondness for them.

I kept my old ones and, over the years, bought a bunch more.

I actually found a place with OEM Northwoods parts and put new springs on all my old traps and every used one I buy. I keep the square link chain attachment on the frame (same set up as Bridger) or put it back on if it's missing. I run a swivel at the frame, mid-chain and stake end, I replace the ring with a flat stake swivel.

One last thing I do is put the little shock springs back on. I know they are not very effective and don't do much...but it's a nostalgia thing...

I do run # 2 Bridgers when I'm targeting yotes up north but I've often considered (and still do) selling them off an standardizing with all NW 1.75's.

There ya have it...

In my opinion people are getting out of control with all of the mods that they do to traps, and the amount of money that these modified traps cost........I dont think that it is at all necessary........I mean what did trappers do before people started doing all of these mods???

I have caught a few coyotes in Duke 1.5's and have held them no problem.......the only mods that I have done to any of my traps are: I center swivel all of them.......a lot of them I just drill a 1/4" hole right through the X of the trap frame and install a J hook.......some of them do have center locators, and even a few baseplates....but anything more than a hole with the J hook is basically unnecessary as far as I am concerned......the only other thing that I do is bend the jaw tips up, or bubble weld them.......I mostly run Duke 1.5's for my fox sets, and if it is in an area with a high probability of a coyote catch I will go up to a Duke #2

I am sure that those 17 dollar a piece traps are nice, but I can't see spending that when you can get 3 or more traps for the same price.....