KADEE COUPLERS NEED HELP

[Anonymous]

[:)]I WAS RECENTLY TOLD THAT WHEN FITTING KADEE NO5'S TO ATHERN ROLLINGSTOCK IS TO CUT THE PLASTIC WHERE THE MOUNTING BOX SITS AND TO SCREW THE THE KADEE GEAR BOX INTO THE BODY AND HVE THE COUPLER MOUNTED PERMANTLY TO THE BODY INSTEAD OF THE BEING ATTACHED TO THE BOGIE.I NEVER KNEW THIS, BEING RELATIVLY NEW,SO I DID THIS,BUT WHEN THE ROLLINGSTOCK WAS NEGOTIATING THE CURVES THEY WOULD DERAIL,BECAUSE THE COUPLERS WOULD HAVE NOT ENOUGH MOVEMENT.SO I LOSENED THE GEAR BOX SREW TO GIVE SOME PLAY.NOW THEY DO NOT DERAIL,BUT IS THIS NORMAL?
THANX IN ADVANCE


ADAM[:D]

[CP5415]

Are you talking about "blue box" Athearn, RTR or Genesis?
If it is a "blue box" piece, I wouldn't cut anything for the coupler mounting on a piece of Athearn rolling stock.
I have over a hundred pieces from Athearn & haven't modified anything on any of them.
As for the RTR or Genesis, I haven't modified any of these yet either, I'm going to wait until the couples on them "die", then replace them with KD's.
I hope this helps.

Gordon

[IRONROOSTER]

KDs should be mounted so that the coupler swivels freely within the draft gear box. The box itself is fixed to the body and doesn't move. If your curves are very sharp, truck mounted couplers are needed so that the box swivels with the truck. The coupler still moves freely within the box. KDs frequently fit in the box that comes with the rolling stock, but you can always use the KD box. Generally, you want to avoid truck mounted couplers because they are more likely to derail when backing up. Good trackwork and proper weighting helps avoid this.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

You don't need to cut anything when fitting Kadees to Athearn stock (though the offset couplers are very handy for some cars). Just make sure you have a coupler height gauge, and some of the red/grey spacing washers that Kadee sell as these are very handy for those times when a coupler is just a little too low - you fit them onto the truck mounting pivots and refit the trucks.