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Old 07-17-2010, 05:54 PM   #1
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The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

This is my project I started about 6 months ago in january 2010 in Roswell,NM. I bought a 1994 blubird 82 passanger 40' bus air brakes, air operated entrance door, Cummins 5.9L turbo, 230,000 miles. for 1,995. from the las vegas school district. I bought the bus actually converted it then decided I wanted to make a whole different project all together. Now a 40' converted school bus is pretty cool uh? Well I decided how about a 72' motorhome ..an rv as big as a house trailer but able to be moved with no special permits and license and easy to go where ever you want. I had a 1984 34' fleetwood pace arrow motorhome I paid 550. for it at an auction in canoga park called howard sommers, had it about 2 years.replaced the fridge stove microwave. I decided to chop it up and make it into a trailer to tow behind my bus.Then building and fabricating the nose of the converted trailer to a slidout that comes out the front and connects the two you can walk from 1 vehicle to the other making it 72' feet long. the bus is currently in use in Hollywood,CA. What was great about this idea is I can use the 80 gal fuel tank on the trialer to run my generators with out the motorhome part useing gas from it (sense there no longer is an rv it is pulled by the bus.) I have had lots of rv's and even with 34' rv i still found myself out side screwing around alot. never have enough room. well with this I park and the slide out connects the two halfs and that it. I don't fool with gas cans and don't mess with any clutter. I have repainted the indise of the trailer part but when I am finished the bus will match the trailer.Oh just an update the bus/rv gets 9mpg I drove it from roswell,nm to los angeles,ca 1000miles for under 400.00 in diesel.Still have lots of work to do. have to fiberglass all that frameing I did. Then have to build some cabinets and panel the inside of the bus and paint it white to match up with the trailer half...and lots more work












So this is just a 1200watt pepboys generator I mounted in the campartment.If you see in the picture there is a hose running into the tank.That is the fuel from the elctric fuel pump that pumps from the 80gal tank. Will replace witha honda 1000. when i get the money.The rv also has a onan 6.5NH to run the heavy loads like A/C and microwave etc.















here are a few picks of the bus when I converted it the first time.I have removed all this stuff



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Old 07-17-2010, 07:32 PM   #2
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Kinda like one of the Metro flexi busses on steroids......
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Old 07-17-2010, 08:10 PM   #3
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Wow dame impressive
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Old 07-17-2010, 09:17 PM   #4
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

1.5 MPG over/under.
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Old 07-17-2010, 10:04 PM   #5
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

So... can you actually drive that thing? Seems like it would be a bit of a chore taking corners!
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Old 07-17-2010, 10:35 PM   #6
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

if its not broke don`t fix it
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Old 07-18-2010, 09:48 AM   #7
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Fascinating project. Can't imagine it can be driven in a lot of states. hmm or take corners. None the less, fascinating.
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Old 07-18-2010, 10:34 AM   #8
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

A short bus and a 20ft pull trailer and or RV conversion, you could stay under 50ft. Great to see a new idea.
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Old 07-18-2010, 08:10 PM   #9
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Thinking outside the box! It is so outrageous that it winds up being cool.
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Old 07-18-2010, 09:32 PM   #10
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

wow!!

btw is that a SMEAL?
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Old 07-19-2010, 12:03 PM   #11
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Thansk for showing interest in this vehicle.to answer a few questions. Yes it's legal. with a few loop holes. in CA you can go as long as 65 feet for a combination of 2 vehicle's. Now mine is 72' and I get away with that because well I am already towing a trailer so where dose the car go? Well the car is transported in the back of the bus. So because the bus is used to transport automobiles I can go 75' long And I have my D.B.A "Luckette towing" if they have any questions. As corners go I wheel this thing all over tight city streets.There are not to many turns I won't take. I will take up the left turn lane when turning and sometimes people have to back up or move way off the street ut I always make the turn! All the wood will be fiberglassed soon and the whole thing painted. For heat I'm going with a wood stove that I will install proubley around oct. It has been alot of work so far and it's about 70% complete.
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Old 07-22-2010, 06:57 PM   #12
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Quote:
Originally Posted by timmylc
LEGAL?? LMAO!!!!! AWESOME!! if i could i would (2 buses), how often are you hassled by the law?


whats funny is it was impounded for 2 weeks and the lapd would not release the vehicle back to me! they couldn't belive something like this could be legal.(they paid all the towing and storage fee's) yes I may have pushed the limits of the laws when building this. ..but the added room was worth it. but CA law is ..with a basic class c license you may drive any house car and tow any trailer under 10,000lbs. the length limit is 65feet..unless you are a vehicle transporter. and I do have my D.B.A luckette towing and the bus is going under a conversion so that the car will be driven into the back of the bus. after all I can't pull doubles...a trialer and car so the car has to go in the bus. Next i'm chopping up a box truck and cutting the back body off the bus and converting the back to a box truck. so it will have a garge door on back and added rear hieght about the last 20ft. and a set of ramps that always stay attached and flip up agianst the back of the bus when n ot in use so the slide out can connect them. so you get to a state park, the traier half unhooks pull the bus forward 20 feet the ramps lower and you back the car out. raise the ramps, back up hitch up to the trailer ,and connect the slideout and done. so the back of the bus is kinda like a toy hauler!
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Old 07-22-2010, 11:55 PM   #13
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome


Very interesting. I have the California Vehicle Code here, and it looks like you are playing with Sec. 35401.3.(b).

You mention you have a towing business -- at least on paper -- so I'm assuming your Blue Bird is registered as a commercial "motortruck". So far so good.

But I'm worried about the definition of "semitrailer". Can you point me to the section that qualifies your chopped-down RV as a "semitrailer", as opposed to a "trailer"? Looks to me like sec. 35401.3.(b) applies only to "semitrailer", so this might be a troublespot. For example, for the coupling device, the only reference is to "kingpin". Are you using a fifth wheel and kingpin, or a ball coupling? I have long wondered what the definition of a "semitrailer" actually is. Must be in this book somewhere?!

Even if you clear that hurdle, you are obviously riding the letter of the law, as opposed to the intent of the law. That section was intended for auto carriers who haul something like ten automobiles at once. Although sec. 35401.3.(b) does not specify that you must be able to haul more than one car at the time, you might want to be sure on the "semitrailer" matter.

As for me, I'm planning to haul a ten foot load overhang behind Millicent's trailer, which will put me at 75 feet. (Sec. 35410 and 35411.)
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Old 07-23-2010, 09:50 AM   #14
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome


Good morning. Found it. I'll condense the wording just a little for brevity:

Sec. 550 CVC, Semitrailer -- ...so constructed that some part of its weight rests on another vehicle.

Sec. 630 CVC, Trailer -- ......so constructed that no part of its weight rests on another vehicle.

That reads to me like all our usual utility trailers, boat trailers, camping trailers etc are technically "semitrailers". "Trailers" would be those that have an axle at each end, like a child's Radio Flyer wagon.

Again, as I read it.
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Old 07-23-2010, 11:05 AM   #15
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Pied Typer, yes that original definition of semitrailer versus trailer certainly makes sense. (I spent a quarter century driving 18-wheelers.) Presumably Chadluc has the weights, brakes, registration etc all figured out...?

Technically, it looks to me that all he needs to qualify as a motor vehicle carrier is a rack or tie-downs to load a motorcycle in; a motorcycle being a "motor vehicle". Obviously, he is begging for a court interpretation of the law -- which would likely go against him.

Silly thing is, I see nothing in the code that separates commercial from private on this point. Looks to me like he could toss his towing business and drive around with a 75 foot hobby rig -- so long as it is designed and used to haul at least a motorcycle. Again, it seems to me that he would likely lose a court interpretation.

I'd just hate to see him get in more trouble.

Oh, and if I remember right, in California, you must have brakes on the trailer at 1.500 pounds -- IF it is a camping trailer. 3.000 pounds for other trailers, yes.
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Old 07-23-2010, 12:05 PM   #16
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

This is all facinaing. well currently the bus is registered as a RV. as that I converted it and took it down to the dmv had it inspected and re registered. the trialer or rv half is just a trailer. If I changed the registration on the bus to a motortruck ..I'm sure the insurance would be outrages as it would now be used in transporting vehicles. the insurance would go from 400/year to 400/month I would guess. everything is in code it is length that is the issue. I'm 7 feet over the limit. is it a big fine? who knows are the highway polie going to pull out a 100' tape measure on the highway? Who knows? The easy way to cut 7 feet off would be my guess from the bus half by shortening the bus 7 feet off the back end. cutting the trailer down 7 ft would be to difficult as it would be relocating the axle, holding tanks,pluming, rear bedroom or lose that all together, huge modification to lose 7 ft. but it could be done if it had to be. I wonder what the fine is for being over the length limit..seems it would be to much work and complicated for any officer to want to try to figure out on a recreational vehicle. It was impounded and fee's paid by the city of los angeles because I losed the title and had paid registration fee's and I had the permit in the back window but the bus is kinda high and the officer didnt see plates so they just decided to tow it. Then after the had it they held it to investigate the modifications. in CA you can register a vehicle without a title but you won't have plates until you turn in the title. I can get the title have to just send to nevada for it
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Old 07-23-2010, 04:30 PM   #17
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

I own an S-280 Transportable Shelter like this one, just white. Technically it's a shelter by military standards, but it's a true trailer. It's difficult, but not impossible, to back up with an M109A3. Ask me how I know.........

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Old 07-24-2010, 03:17 PM   #18
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Smitty,

Thats a neat artical but absurd. Take case in point, when my RV/bus was towed I was not driving it but sitting in the drivers seat when the cops came. the engine was running as I was tinkering. Next thing I know I had 2 cops standing in front of the bus with guns drawn they called for back up in about 30 secounds 20 police vehicles 50 cops all with guns drawn and shot guns oh yes and a helicopter and treating me like a bank robber. I'm a 24 yr old actor in hollywood and have no record of anykind or weapons or drugs. They towed the vehicle because of registration, but then they wouldn't release it until CHP investigated the build and safety of the vehicle. So extra precaution should always be taken. most states will hang you by the balls if all your 1's and 2's are not correct. It's culture and society to keep the creative and artistic people down that go agianst main stream.But it is fourms like this and people who don't give up and fight back agianst these people who will win
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Old 07-25-2010, 01:05 PM   #19
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

out of the box
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Old 07-25-2010, 03:14 PM   #20
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Re: The 72 foot 1994 bluebird/fleetwood motorhome

Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceni John
... If native American peoples' land are considered sovereign nations...
I don't think the Native American lands (reservations) are considered "sovereign nations". From what I understand, anything more than jaywalking and the tribal cops have to delegate to the Feds (FBI). We used to live near an Eastern Tribe of the Cherokee reservation (Cherokee, NC). Back in the 1970's they had a problem with trespassing on Native lands. Non-Indians would get on the reservation in places they weren't supposed to. It got to where one month a white body would be found floating down the river, the next month a Cherokee body would be found floating down the river. The FBI pretty much set up shop in Cherokee and Bryson City. But it WAS the FBI investigating. We had a friend on the rez that told us the Fed's shut down the tribal cops with the first body. They slapped the local/state cops around after the second body. It was an interesting couple of summers (lasted about 3 summers).

BTW, you do know that Key West seceded (they were the Conch Republic) from the FL one day back in the early 1980's. Perhaps someone should contact them about a "position". I do believe all political positions are unpaid.

http://www.conchrepublic.com/history.htm

And then there are a few other places...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/02...nts/index.html
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