# Adapter for Kadee Body Mount to LGB Couplers?



## Jerrys-RR (Jun 21, 2010)

One of my track cleaning cars (G Clean I think) has flat ends that are drilled and tapped for Kadee Body Mount knuckle couplers.

While I can sort of couple them with LGB or Aristo knuckle couplers it is not a totally satisfactory solution.

I would like to come up with a solution that LGB knuckle and hook & loop couplers screw onto just as they do with LGB rolling stock truck tongues. Part of the need is for cleaning sharper curves than body mounts can handle.

This may be available from Kadee but I am not familiar with their product line.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jerry


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry

I use Kadee #831 truck mounted couplers. These have a full step up shank that mates with Kadee body mounted couplers.

All you have to do is cut off the button on the end of the coupler tongue on the LGB truck. This also works on USAT and Aristo trucks. On USAT and LGB trucks the assembled coupler screws into the old hole on the truck tongue. A direct fit, no further drilling necessary. I can't remember about the Aristo's.

Here is a picture of it mounted on a LGB F7, very similar to the mount on car trucks.










You can see the step up. The normal truck mounted Kadee (#835 in think) has a straight shank, for a lower coupler height.

Chuck


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

I think all the Kadee conversions would be for adapting Kadees, not the other way around. Could you post a photo of the car end?


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Perhaps the cleaning car that Jerry has does not have the coupler mounting tap on the truck. So, easy fix is to add the LGB or USA Trains truck with the tab and then use the Kadee 831 coupler.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'd guess that if he has a track cleaning car that has mounting for body mount couplers, that there is no "tang" on the trucks, because it would hit the body mount location.

So he needs a mounting adapter that will put a body mount Aristo where the body mount kadee goes.

"body mount Aristo" never had a draft gear box, just a screw through the end of the coupler shank. I would assume you use the mounting hole provided and perhaps some washers to set the coupler height.

Greg


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Paul Burch said:


> I think all the Kadee conversions would be for adapting Kadees, not the other way around. Could you post a photo of the car end?


Hi Paul,

Here is a photo of the G Clean car:










The ends are flat and I would like to mount LGB Hook & Loop and LGB Knuckle Couplers on the ends.

As it is there are simply two holes on each end to mount Kadee couplers. I've used that over the years but I would like a better solution as the Kadee couplers are not totally dependable when matched with LGB, Aristo or Bachmann knuckle couplers. 

I would prefer to use LGB/USA Hook & Loops as they would probably handle sharp curves better.

I'm mainly trying to reduce the wear on the LGB Track Cleaning Loco's wheels and save them mainly for cleaning the sidings.

Thanks,

Jerry


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry

Thanks for the picture, that explains a lot and without actually seeing and measuring the height of the car, there is very little that I can suggest. 

Looking closer it appears to me that the straight shank coupler in the kadee #835 set could be swapped out with the stepup on the car. This would give a straight shank coupler that would mate with a truck mounted Kadee or a LGB knuckle coupler. As long as the coupler on the engine is truck mounted, this should work. If it is body mounted it might not. 



Chuck


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Following up on a tip Dan had left elsewhere, this is how things have progressed:

My first idea was to use an Aristo 2-4-0 that I had put an LGB Mogul drive unit in (you can see why there is a poor coupling with the Kadee coupler).










It worked on dry track but when the loco got back to where it had started, the LGB Smoke/Cleaning fluid on the bottom of the LGB 5004 Track Cleaning Block caused the Mogul to lose traction.

Today I saw Dan's post:



Dan Pierce said:


> Jerry, I have found the best LGB pulling small diesel is the original 2063 diesel.


 and decided to try the LGB 2063 but again the cleaning fluid "greased the rails" and the loco slipped.

Then I found my other Track Cleaning Car that does have a hook & loop coupler so I used an LGB 2062 loco and MUed it to the 2063.










That track cleaner has a Scotch-Brite pad and weight but the two locos pulled it with no problem.










I should add that the locos had a particular problem both because of the slick rails from the cleaning fluid but also because I had weighted the cleaning block with some .45 ACP bullets.

Now I think the rails should be nice and clean.

Thanks for the ideas.

Jerry


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