Cutting the coupler hoses down, dragging on turnouts...

[tomustang]

Who else has ended up cutting their coupler hoses, since they drag on turnouts?

[eightyeightfan1]

If you mean the wire on the Kadees(as well as the other manufacturers) used for magnatic uncoupling....
I usually bend them up with a small pair of pliers. Kadee, does make pliers specially designed for the job. But if you're carefull, regular needlenose work just as well.
I have read that some people do cut these off, because they are not gonna use the uncoupler ramps made by Kadee.

[tomustang]

If you mean the wire on the Kadees(as well as the other manufacturers) used for magnatic uncoupling....
I usually bend them up with a small pair of pliers. Kadee, does make pliers specially designed for the job. But if you're carefull, regular needlenose work just as well.
I have read that some people do cut these off, because they are not gonna use the uncoupler ramps made by Kadee.

I'll try the bending next time

[Steamtrains]

Get your hands on a coupler-height gauge (made by Kadee) to help you set the coupler height, and adjust the uncoupling pin to get it to the proper height so it will clear the railheads and work over the uncoupling magnets.

Good luck..!!

[Russ Bellinis]

hen you bend the trip pin up for clearance, give the nose of the wire a slight curve upwards like the tip of a ski. That way, if it drags over anything, it will tend to ride up and over instead of digging in and derailing the train.

[RobertInOntario]

I've done this. It seems that they can catch or drag not only on turnouts but also on sharp curves. So I've either cut them or bent them upwards to avoid this. I'm not sure if this is a good idea but it seems to solve the problem. I'll read other comments here for feedback as well.

Rob

[shaygetz]

Go to a craft store and pick up what's called a three step ring plier, Kadee sells a similar one at twice the price if you want to go that route.



Just use it like this...



...to bend them up...



...to bend them down

[Steamtrains]

Shaygetz...Here's where the old addage about a picture & a thousand words applies....Good pics..!!

Wish I'd known about those craft-store pliers before.... :cry:

[ocalicreek]

I've got the kadee version, although I think I picked them up at a show at a discount tool booth. REALLY worth it. I was watching a clinic on assembling shake-the-box kits and the guy says, "You don't need one of those fancy-shmancy trip bending pliers" then proceeds to bend the pin with his needlenose pliers. If he hadn't been bleeding I would have laughed out loud.

The ring pliers (Shaygetz's have a nice spring feature and grippy handles...something mine does not... :mrgreen: ) are also useful for other sorts of metal wire & strip stock bending. The trick is to go slow and easy. I have found it is easier to bend it well the first time than to overbend and have to go back and unbend it (even though that isn't all that hard, as the picture shows).

Galen

[nachoman]

I cut all my HOn3 ones off. I don't plan on using the automatic uncouplers, and they tend to get in the way.

[LynnB]

I use the posted pliers as well to bend the hoses.

[railroader9731]

Me im undecided as i have some with and with out. If you look at the proto type our model couplers look a tad odd with em there and dont look right with out em. So :?: :?: :?: :?:

[Sumpter250]

Wish I'd known about those craft-store pliers before....

"never throw anything away", is the model railroader's creed.
There are others that our hobby seems to have bypassed. Like,
"look at all scales for inspiration",
"Just because the casting is O scale, doesn't mean it can't be used for something else in N scale",
"never pass up an opportunity to browse a foreign market...craft store,fabric store,etc. for usable items, and tools".
"Check out other modeling hobbies for tips and tricks"
Finally, "where/when ever possible, buy a new tool and try it out."There are far more uses for the pin bending tool, than just adjusting coupler pins.

Give me that crescent wrench over there! {Which size?} Doesn't matter, I'm going to use it as a hammer!

Oh, I cut my coupler pins flush with the underside of the knuckle. I don't use magnetic uncoupling, and it helps speed up the process of removing a train from the modular layout.