Possible Sloppiness

I have been using the whisker couplers on all of my kits and really like them.  I have had a few though that had a bit of sloppiness to them.  On those few I added shims made from #5 coupler centering springs that I had on hand.  I clipped the sides of the spring off leaving me with a nice, flat plate.

shims

A friend with e-drafting skills and and a laser cutter has made us shims that will fit inside a coupler box to adjust height and cure droop.  The test batch was paper but they could be made of styrene or metal shim stock.

Low tech

The red and gray shims that Kaydee sells work well too.

Nick

Whisker Kadees

I've been using the Kadee Whisker couplers ever since they came out and love them. I use the scale head series in their various forms.

Much easier to install than the older types and definitely better (IMO) than any other brands.

Larry

I'm a fan of whichever

I'm a fan of whichever coupler I happen to find that will fit. Whisker, Classic #5. The coupler in the hand is better than the whisker at the dealer. 

I use Kadee shims

I use Kadee shims and just trim them down to fit what ever I need them for.

Awesome

Everything about Whiskers is better. Ease of installation and long term reliability. 

The wisker

The only thing that concerns me about wisker couplers is that if the little wiskers come off.........there goes the coupler.

Whisker vs. Box springs

The whiskers are pretty bomb proof.  I built fifty cars with Kadee  box springs before learning about Kadee whiskers.  They solve problems with sticky motion and weak pressure.  The box springs are a built in shim, however.

I changed all my couplers to

I changed all my couplers to Kadee Whiskers because they work more reliably with Kadee uncoupling magnets. I only use those magnets in staging now and prefer the RIX Tool elsewhere on the layout but I still think coupling at very slow speeds (speed step one) is better than with many of the couplers the cars and locos came with.

Watch those Springs

The only downside to the whisker springs is that those thin springs like to poke out of the coupler box sides as you are trying to put the coupler box together. Check all around the sides when you put the lid on to make sure part of the spring isn’t sticking out.

I'm a fan of whichever

I do the same thing.  In some cases the traditional KD with the bronze spring still works well in some cars or kits where the box suites it.   

Everything about Whiskers is

Are you suggesting the KD#5 is less reliable?  If installed properly, I don't think that assertion holds true.

Yes.  In some cases, I have used the KD with the bronze spring because it acts as a shim and helps the coupler height come out closer.  In some cases I've mounted that spring under the KD rather than on top, to get it a bit higher.  Some have pointed out the bronze spring is asymmetrical but I haven't found that to be a problem with centering.  

This is the first time I've

This is the first time I've heard fo Kadee shims. Do they just go into the existing Kadee box?

This is the first time I've

I'm guessing they are referring to the Kadee fiber washer that come in two thicknesses and use them as shims.  They've been around for a very long time and come in envelopes.  I used them between trucks and bolsters and occasionally in coupler boxes.

I just ran out of those,

I just ran out of those, jimfitch. I used to use them when I modified cars for different trucks in the hole where the screw would go in to hold the trucks to the car.

Fiber washers

Thanks!  I never thought of fiber washers as shims.  I have always cut plastic to fit or cut down box springs, which is lots more trouble.  And, they come in different thicknesses.

I believe shimming IS the

Deemiorgos I just ran out of

Yes, generally for those same reasons I always keep both sizes of Kadee fiber washers in my tool kit.  If I ever run out, I make sure I get another package.  They come in both 0.010 gray and 0.015 red thicknesses.

Try it, you might like it!

I did suggest and do use the red and gray fiber washers when I have a sagging coupler.

Nick

P. S.  Hey D, I hate it when I run out of them too!!!

Coupler shims

I like a coupler shim that runs the length of the box. This reduces the space for the coupler shank to droop or rise up, more so than the round truck shims. Once you find a punch to match the coupler box post, it's easy to punch a series of holes in thin metal or plastic and then trim the shim to fit the box.

Coupler Droop vs. Slop

Early in this thread I was speaking about coupler slop.  I was referring to a situation where the car's coupler box is a tad too big in it's interior height, allowing the whisker coupler to droop and rise a bit (the sloppiness of the installation).  I used Kadee #5 springs that I had on hand to fashion very thin metal shim plates.  Put the plate on top of or below the coupler as required to get the height as close as possible to correct.

The fiber washers do indeed go between the truck and the underframe of the car so that the car is raised slightly to correct a too-low coupler height.  While the shim inside the box can slightly alter the couplers height, the intent of it is to reduce the coupler's slop.

I like a coupler shim that

In general I prefer shims that fill the entire box too because they support the shank and make it harder for it to droop.  I use the Kadee fiber washers for truck spacers 99% of the time.

This why I keep at least some Kadee's around which have the bronze spring - it can double as a thin shim above or below the coupler shank to help get the coupler to the right height.  This is one use where the the older type Kadee's are actually better than the whisker type.

Moral of the story is have some of both types and used which ever works best for the particular application. 

Shims

The Kadee shims I'm talking about are #211 Styrene Gear Box Shims (.010" & 015" thick). They are the same size and shape as the 'standard' #5 box. I simply trim them down to what I need with a pair of shears.