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Which mousetrap(s) is everyone using? I've been using the standard victor wooden ones. Has anyone found more powerful mousetraps? Also, if a rat trap is within the 6x12 dimensions can it be used?

Rezalis wrote:Which mousetrap(s) is everyone using? I've been using the standard victor wooden ones. Has anyone found more powerful mousetraps? Also, if a rat trap is within the 6x12 dimensions can it be used?

I haven’t experimented with other ones but Victor mousetraps work just fine and I’d say they’re good because they’re universally available so if you need any you can just pick them up at a walmart or something

If you want to get the max out of the springs, bring a kitchen scale to the store if you have one. Invert the MT and hold it on top of the scale and let it press down. I have found that the Victor MT varies from 870 g to 1100 g, mostly between 950 to 1000 g. The difference is only about 10%. If you are lucky to find some 1100 g MTs, it still won't help you if your vehicle is not optimized. BTW, keep one or two spare. They do break and you don't want to scramble for one on the day of the competition.

bobo wrote:If you want to get the max out of the springs, bring a kitchen scale to the store if you have one. Invert the MT and hold it on top of the scale and let it press down. I have found that the Victor MT varies from 870 g to 1100 g, mostly between 950 to 1000 g. The difference is only about 10%. If you are lucky to find some 1100 g MTs, it still won't help you if your vehicle is not optimized. BTW, keep one or two spare. They do break and you don't want to scramble for one on the day of the competition.

I'm wondering if the work of optimizing the potential energy of the mousetraps is worth the work?
Would it actually change the run time by much? And even so isn't distance more important?

Rêveur wrote:

bobo wrote:If you want to get the max out of the springs, bring a kitchen scale to the store if you have one. Invert the MT and hold it on top of the scale and let it press down. I have found that the Victor MT varies from 870 g to 1100 g, mostly between 950 to 1000 g. The difference is only about 10%. If you are lucky to find some 1100 g MTs, it still won't help you if your vehicle is not optimized. BTW, keep one or two spare. They do break and you don't want to scramble for one on the day of the competition.

I'm wondering if the work of optimizing the potential energy of the mousetraps is worth the work?
Would it actually change the run time by much? And even so isn't distance more important?

it’s a marginal improvement but not insignificant. Especially in an event that’s won often by hundredths of a point, it’s important to take every possible advantage.

Of course distance is important. That should be the number one priority, but top teams should and will all be accurate to the point that they can’t significantly improve anymore. At that point they should be looking to improve the time score.

so I'll have to buy as many spare mousetraps as possible ...

I got a four pack of generic ones, and they're about 900 to 1000 grams each. I got them at a thrift store that I always go to before State. They were 1 or 2 dollars. The second trap does make a world of difference. My car only worked on the concrete floor I had been practicing on until I put on a second one on. It also nearly halved my run time.

Apparently at nats fossil ridge was running with animal traps that weren't specifically meant for mice, but were still within the size specs, and the ES let them run without construction violations. Don't think they medaled, but from what I've heard they were insanely fast. This is all secondhand though, so I'm not sure how accurate it is.

Fridaychimp wrote:Apparently at nats fossil ridge was running with animal traps that weren't specifically meant for mice, but were still within the size specs, and the ES let them run without construction violations. Don't think they medaled, but from what I've heard they were insanely fast. This is all secondhand though, so I'm not sure how accurate it is.

Didn't they win?

antoine_ego wrote:

Fridaychimp wrote:Apparently at nats fossil ridge was running with animal traps that weren't specifically meant for mice, but were still within the size specs, and the ES let them run without construction violations. Don't think they medaled, but from what I've heard they were insanely fast. This is all secondhand though, so I'm not sure how accurate it is.

Didn't they win?

Yep, they did win.