couplers

[union pacific 844]

what is the best couplers to replace ez mate couplers with ?

[WoundedBear]

To save a young, inexperienced modeler, like yourself, from a lot of grief, I would suggest replacing them with the same thing.....EZ-Mate's.  I truly believe that the myriad of parts and types that Kadee offers, will do nothing but frustrate you.

And the EZ-Mate answer is politically correct for these forums.

Sid

[union pacific 844]

ok  EZ-Mate  brake to easy and wear out to fast   and i think i can handle   Kadee and im not that  young as you think   im 21 and i rebuild lawn mower engine all time so kadee can't be that hard to understand

[bapguy]

If the  couplers are the standard length(short) centered shank then either Kadee # 5 which uses a seperate centering spring or # 148 which have " whisker" centering springs. Both Kadee and E Z mate have different shank lengths and over and under shank. The shank is the part that has the whole in one end and the coupler head on the other.  Joe.

[cwmeeks]

Political Correctness does count . I have found the Bachmann Ezmate Mark II to be very durable. The Mark II would be the one with the spring, as VS the one with the plastic 

c

[jonathan]

If you decide to go ahead with the Kadee couplers, be aware the Kadee shanks are a bit thicker than the EZMates.  You will have to file just a touch off the bottom and top of the shanks to get the Kadees to work freely in the Bachman coupler boxes.  The other option is to shim the coupler box covers. I prefer to file the shanks.  It seems easier to me.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Joe323]

The EZ Mate Mark II have worked for me.  The one thing I have been told is that EZ Mate II being plastic will not work on long trains but I do not run trains longer than 6 cars.  There are 2 things I have noticed One is that coupler hieght is important get a coupler hieght gauge (KD sells tham) and make sure all your coupler are the same height.  Second I would get one og those pliers KD sells and adjust the trip pins so they do not snag the track.

Finally I put The Staten Island West on a coupler standardization program.  I was told that different brands of couplers do not play well together.

[jbrock27]

Pretty funny Sid, I like that

Joe-where did you hear that from?  As long as I have had the knuckle couplers at the same height, I have never had a problem mixing brands.  PS- I was born in Staten Island (Richmond).

[WoundedBear]

ok  EZ-Mate  brake to easy and wear out to fast   and i think i can handle   Kadee and im not that  young as you think   im 21 and i rebuild lawn mower engine all time so kadee can't be that hard to understand

My apologies....there I go assuming things again......I think I glanced at your profile some time back, but thought I read 12 instead of 21.....and judging from your communication skills, I was pretty much settled on the fact you were 12.

Once again.....I'm sorry....and we'll approach this like adults then.

My next question to you then, would be , how are you wearing these couplers out? Are you running excessive loads and steep grades? I have Bachmann Shays that run daily, and have for years, and have never had to change out a coupler yet. They all work and uncouple like the day they were new. All this while pulling loaded Rivarossi log cars up and down 2-3 percent grades.

Perhaps you are handling the cars a little too roughly? Have you taken the time and used a gauge to adjust all the trip pins and centerlines? Do you use graphite or some other dry lube in the pockets?

The Kadee's would definitely be a step up for you, given the fact that they are a metal construction. Like Jonathan says, some filing and fitting will be needed, but they work. Kadee is my choice of coupler when I assemble a new car for the layout and the kit doesn't include couplers. I also choose Kadee trucks if the kit doesn't have them included.

But I will say it again.....if you're blowing through couplers at a steady rate, you need to rethink your modeling practices. The EZ-Mates should be durable enough for most modelers.

Sid

[Jerrys HO]

UP

All are great responses to your question. I have one of my own. How the heck are you wearing EZ Mates out? are you using a magnet to uncouple or are you picking them apart like the old horn hooks.
Heck I have made the mistake of running too many trains at one time and had them run into each other head on and the couplers held up. (Kids don't try this at home. It could get expensive).
I learned to run only the trains I can watch and handle.
As for using KD's they are great and I use them too but I will tell you they are not as easy as you may think. I have trouble most of the time (fat fingers). Like jonathan said they do require filing,shimming and PATIENCE.

Jerry

[jward]

the main design flaw i've found with plastic couplers, and this may be how the op is destroying couplers, is that if the trip pins are set too low, they can snap on your trackwork. do this at any sort of speed, and you bend the coupler shank. once bent they are almost impossible to straighten out to where they were. it throws the coupler height off on a pretty much permanent basis unless you replace the couplers. i run them till they fail, then replace them with a metal one (kd#148 usually) and once adjusted there are no more problems.

you can save yourself alot of grief though, if you adjust the trip pins to the kadee coupler height guage before you ever run the car or locomotive on your layout.

on a related note: it would be great if bachmann would produce a metal version of the ez mate. is anybody listening?

[union pacific 844]

they won't couple when the couple  the won't stay couple  and i have  all  flat track the never  where like this last year  i do run my trains  alot 

[jward]

have you tried matching the coupler height? it is critical the heights match. if you don't already have one get yourself a kadee coupler height guage and adjust your couplers to that height.

one thing that helps whatever you do in this hobby is a mechanical aptitude. this is a mechanical hobby, and you'll have to do alot of figuring out how things work. because you can't have things out of spec and expect them to work.

to do this you have to do a little troubleshooting of your own. why won't they stay coupled? where won't they stay coupled. is it just certain cars or do they all do this. is your track laid right? is it level across the joints and from side to side? on the cars that consistently uncouple, have you dropped them on the floor? or otherwise bent the couplers? have they snagged on your switches? did you couple them too hard, or were they involved in a collision?

it isn't enough to say my trains won't work. you have to investigate WHY they don't work. tell us what you find and maybe we can really help you. or don't and wind up giving up the hobby in utter frustration. it's up to you.

[Doneldon]

844-

Other than being in a huge hurry to get something back on track, I can't think of a good reason to use anything but Kadees. They are the gold standard for reliable operation, durability and adaptability.  Add Model Railroader's two articles about HO knuckle couplers, which affirmed all of the above while indicating that all brands of knuckle couplers work best within a given manufacturer's line up, and it's hard to imagine using another brand. While you will find EZ Mates on rolling stock other than Bachmann's, you're much more likely to find Kadees. And since you'll want to change couplers which are other than your house brand some day, why not go with the best and easiest to fit? None of this is intended to be critical of EZ Mates, by the way. They seem to be a good, substantial product. It's just that Kadee offers more.

                     -- D

[Bucksco]

Remember folks this is the BACHMANN forum.......