kodiak, I always made my own stakes. Take 1/2 rerod and cut it to 16" lengths, weld a nut and washer on the top, and if coyote territories weld a triangle on the end ( an old combine cutting blade works great). If trapping fox and coyote you deffinately need to dye and wax your traps. The idea is that the dye is like camo to help the trap blend in and the wax seals the trap from foriegn odors. Remember to wear rubber gloves and boots at all sets. Many places sell a powder dye that you boil in water(works great) I always used walnut shells when I was starting out. Just get a bucket of black walnuts and boil them down to gush. When the water gets black boil the traps in it for a few minutes until the trap is black and then set the trap in the melted wax. For wax canning wax works great and is cheap. Put a nail between the jaws to insure wax gets the inside of the jaws. Let the trap drip dry. When dry the wax should be a thin layer not thick.
Good luck and let us know how you do.