Body mounting KD's

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,
I have been in touch with KD re fitting their couplings and had a very quick reply from their Sam Clarke. I was given the details of the couplers I would need except I think some of them are truck mounts. I want to fit body mounts to various Bachmann, 1xLGB drovers, 1xAristo snowplough, 1each USA pipe flat & work series car, a USA NW2 & GP38-2 and a Bachmann Connie. I have been told to use 830's on the cars, 787 for the NW2, 785 for the 38-2, 781 for the connie tender and a 779 for the pilot.
Are these all body mounts and are they suitable for 8' diameter curves?
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
Forgot to ask about the loco conversions. In 'N' KD supply small plates to infill where the original bogie mounts came through the body, does this apply in 'G'? or are they all bogie mounts?

[cacole]

Check Kadee's Web site (http://www.kadee.com), where they show pictures of all the different types of G and #1 scale couplers, and indicate whether they are body mount or replace existing truck mounted couplers. I replaced every coupler on my rolling stock using either 830s or 920s. I think the 920, a #1 scale rust-colored body mount coupler, has a more realistic knuckle size than the 830, which is a black G-scale coupler. These two types couple with each other just fine. After removing the truck mounted couplers, I cut the tongue off of the trucks with a Dremel so it doesn't interfere with the body mounted coupler. A major problem you're going to encounter is the difference in body height between different manufacturers' products, which can be up to one-half inch. Some will require shimming, and others will require cutting away material or adding washers between the truck and body to get the couplers at the recommended height. Sometimes I needed longer mounting bolts than the ones provided by Kadee, and was able to purchase these at a hobby shop that sells model airplanes. Pick up a sheet or two of different thicknesses of balsa wood while you're there, too, to use as shims. There were a couple of instances where I could not use machine bolts and nuts to fasten the coupler boxes, so I glued the box to the body using Loctite Handyman's All-Purpose Adhesive Sealant. Bolts were still necessary to hold the coupler box together. One or two pieces of rolling stock were so high on their trucks that they required a 1/8" shim cut out of Masonite in addition to the balsa.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Charles,
I checked the site out but I still wasn't sure - on the diesels - whether they where truck or body mounts. If you have any 8' diameters did you get any wheel catching on the 830's?
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[cacole]

I don't own any diesels, so I don't know about using body-mount couplers on them. The 920 should be able to be fit onto practically anything that has a surface to which the coupler box can be mounted. The coupler box for the 920 is narrower than for the 830, which is also an advantage, because the wheels will rub against the sides of the coupler box on too-tight a radius; however, I have ran my rolling stock on 6.5 foot diameter curves with no problems. All of the other models listed on Kadee's Web site are for direct replacement of truck-mounted couplers.

[Marty Cozad]

Kim some wheels may hit the #830s , so I install #789s which is a smaller box.

On the left is a 789, on the right is a 830. some shimming and cutting of the car end maybe needed. but its fun working with your cars. I look at making couplers fit as just something to do.
8ft dia is min for body mounts. I have 10ft dia min in my storage tracks.
830s have great slack action, where the is no play in the 789s
hope this helps

[grandpopswalt]

What is the effective diameter of a #4 switch? Do cars fitted with body mounted 830's have any problems on #4 switches?

Walt

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys, thanks for the info and Marty, the photo's explain a lot to me, how about your diesels, are they truck or body mount? Many thanks.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Marty Cozad]

Kim
there is more cutting on the engines. photo below is USAT SD40-2

Its lower than the Kadee gauge, but my battery cars are ajusted to adapt to it.
This is a photo of body mount on left and couplers put on the tongue of the engine with out cutting on the right.

the only reason i changed was with long 40 to 50 car trains the coupler on the right was pulling down ward under pressure and uncoupling. If you run shorter trains there is no need to body mount.
Its hard to exsplain in print

[Anonymous]

Marty,
Nice pictures and detailed expllainations as always [:)] Hey Dude, I'lll have to hire you to come down here some time next year to upgrade the larger locos fleet. I should be getting my newer larger layout ready by about this time(or earlier hopefully) next year and I'll need some technical advice to prepare the SD-45 fleet for the 100 car long haul freights. Maybe if I get around to it, I may have built an F-45 by that time too [:p][^] I need to get my **** together and start painting a fleet of BSB locos and cabeese so I can have the F-45 fit in with the rest [;)][:)]

[Marty Cozad]

Rock, whats funny is each time I get a loco, I have to turn one of the old ones over and see how I did it. age you????