I just replaced the “factory” couplers on my Spectrum FM16-44 with set of Kadee couplers. They work MUCH better with the uncoupler that I installed (also Kadee, #308). The problem is the wire that hangs down that simulates the brake hose (?) hits the slider portion of some of my turnouts. I tried bending the wire a little but was afraid I might break the coupler. Is there a remedy for this? If I cut some of the wire (say 1mm or so) will that affect the uncoupling action?
Kadee makes a special tool for adjusting the height of what they call the “Glad Hand.” If you’re going to convert very many items to Kadee couplers or any of their clones, you should consider investing in one of these tools.
While you’re at it, get a Kadee coupler height gauge, too.
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page160.htm
I just can’t believe that the people at Kadee don’t know how to spell “pliers.”
I use a needle nose pliers to bend the couple trip pin up and I am yet to break a coupler…
You should invest in a KD coupler height gauge and that will ensure you get you couplers and trip pins are the correct height.
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page120.htm
You could invest in a pair of coupler trip pin pilers as well.
Hi there,
There is a tool made just for adjusting brake lines on kadee and kadee style cuplers. Talk to your LHS and they should have on in stock.
Here is a link to Walthers with a picture.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/380-237
Hope this helps
slickfg
The low glad-hand might be hitting things because the “hose” doesn’t have enough bend in it, but it could also be happening because the whole coupler is too low. For that, you really should have the Kadee coupler height gauge. It will show you how to set the coupler height correctly, and there’s also a guide on it to get the glad-hand positioned correctly.
I’ve found that most of the glad-hands I needed to adjust were actually too high, so they needed to be straightened out a bit. That’s why I’m suspicious that your coupler mount may be too low.
The cure for low couplers is to put small washers between the trucks and the car frame to raise the whole car up.
I’ll second what MisterBeasley said. Usually if the hose is too low, it is because the whole coupler is too low. The reasons for that are as varied as the type of equipment the couplers are on. Unfortunately, the remedies are just as varied. I am not familiar with the piece of equipment you are talking about but a Kadee coupler gauge is a must-have piece of equipment. If I find a coupler is just a tad too low, I might remedy the problem my bending the hose SLIGHTLTY. If it takes more than that to correct, than you need to determine why the coupler is too low and what the fix is for whatever equipment you are dealing with. A sagging couple won’t just have problems with the hoses catching on trackwork. It can result in unwanted uncoupling or prevent uncoupling when you want it.
MisterBeasley wrote:
“The cure for low couplers is to put small washers between the trucks and the car frame to raise the whole car up.”
Well, sometimes.
Keep in mind that Kadee makes a variety of couplers, some of which have overset and underset shanks. Check out Kadee’s website for more info. These offer a more elegant solution to the problem of having a coupler box that doesn’t allow standard height mounting.
Roger that, on Mlehman’s comment.
For me, the Walthers streamlined Budds that I’ve acquired in the past year sit too high. Rather than playing around with shims or spacers, I discovered that the Kadee 40 series overset shank couplers eliminated the height problem and now the coupler height of the cars is very close to that of the Kadee height gauge.
Holy crap, there are a lot of different couplers. I also realized that I might not have Kadee couplers after all. None of the pictures I saw on their web site look exactly like what I got (though I didn’t look at all of them). Now I know what you are saying, “How can he not know what he has”. Well, here’s the deal I won an auction on eBay for a box car, The seller contacted me about my payment method (paypal, that’s another story though). We got to talking and in the end he through in a 2 bay hopper and a bunch of knuckle couplers at no extra cost, those folks in Idaho sure are nice. Anyway I don’t remember what brand he said they were but they did suspiciously resemble the Bachmann ones that came with the loco.
Thanks for the info looks like I got some research to do.
J.P.
I think small spacers are availible that can fit number 5 pockets to raise couplers a little bit. Or even the trucks under the frame can be spaced to raise the car body until the couplers fit the gauge.
Alot of stuff coming out of the factory in HO scale has the plastic couplers, they are ok but eventually get replaced by Kaydees. Except for a few good RTR’s I am seeing more and more rolling stock fresh from the LHS with the bad case of the droops. When we get into Underset-Overset, long shank etc etc etc… I know then that it’s gonna be a pain.
Some folks even snip the trip wire under the coupler and use a stick to uncouple.
I usually use the Pliers to bend by trip pins upwards just a little bit so they skate across any problem areas instead of jerking the train to a halt.
Dont forget the graphite to lube those Kaydee boxes when yer done with them.
Just a quick note. They are not “hoses” or “glad hands” (the glad hand is actually the metal coupling at the end of the air hose on the prototype). They are referred to as trip pins, per Kadee.
If you are adjusting the trip pins without using the trip pin adjusting pliers, you should use two pair of needlenose pliers. One to hold it and one to bend it.
For the record there should be NO reason to use over or under shank couplers…After 55 years in the hobby I am yet to find a need for those couplers.
Hello Brake,
For the record? Hmmmm. NO reason? Then why did Kadee produce over and under shanks???
All I can attest to is that for my Walthers Budd cars, those overset shank 40 series Kadees have worked out great.
Well, I myself never thought of under or overs until last year when one of my cabooses really failed the Kaydee Coupler Test. I had to put a overset on that one. It is the only one of all of my stock that required it.
I think the Overs and Unders is ok, but is a form of cheating because the coupler box is set too high or low.
Safety,
What is the Kadee coupler test? I looked on their site and didn’t see anything reguarding this?
J.P.
After using a friend of mine’s trip pin pliers I went out and bought my own a few years ago. Its something that every tool box should have, along with a Kadee height gauge.
Kadee makes a coupler height guage (item #205). If you have that, you then can test every coupler you have for correct height/clearance. Thats what safety valve was referring to.
Yeah, but it’s an easy way to correct the problem, especially if the coupler pocket can’t be moved and raising or lowering the car is out of the question. I’ve had instances where this has been the case and a coupler with an over or under set shank saved the day.
Jeffrey,I must respectfully disagree…I am a firm believer that fixing the problem is the best solution then a stop gap measure like the over/under shank couplers.
Why? Simply put we strive to model as accurate as we can and to my mind the over/under shank coupler kills that illusion because no real freight car has such looking couplers.
As I stated I am yet to find a freight or passenger car I can’t use a #5 on.No doubt you have read where the Athearn freight car coupler droops and requires cutting off the coupler box and adding a KD coupler box…While this is a better way of mounting a coupler its not really needed and thus it is with the over/under shank coupler…