Diesel skoolie that can easily climb mountains

[dunnenuff]

I am new to skoolie. This is the big question as to whether I would consider renovating a skoolie into an RV. Are their any models that will easily climb mountains at least 55mph?

Thanks in advance,
Patrick

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by dunnenuff

Are their any models that will easily climb mountains at least 55mph?

This one will.

There are many others that will race up mountains. The question is how big a bus are you looking for?

[dunnenuff]

Thanks for the reply. Thanks m hoping convert a 30 ft or so, maybe about 15 yo 20 years old.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by dunnenuff

Thanks for the reply. Thanks m hoping convert a 30 ft or so, maybe about 15 yo 20 years old.

I've been told the old Crown buses had big motors that eat mountains. Try one of those.

[dunnenuff]

I did don't see that bus the first time I replied. Yeah, that'll work! Heh heh....

[JDOnTheGo]

Originally Posted by dunnenuff

Are their any models that will easily climb mountains at least 55mph?

Howdy and welcome Patrick!

You may have to be a little more specific about what you intend to climb and at what weight.

Mine is not exactly a "school" bus but it climbs most hills just fine (at 43K lbs and towing a Jeep (48k lbs total). There are a lot of mountain roads out here that you do not want to climb at 55mph - 35 mph is plenty (Monarch Pass in CO, for example). A 6% grade is requires some effort, 8% grades are much more work.

Edit: I should add, I rarely climb a serious hill/mountain at full throttle. Typically I throttle back, drop into about 3rd gear, and find a nice RPM (1500) and chug to the top at whatever speed results. Course, I'm in no rush.

[dunnenuff]

IH 70 in Colorado comes to mind, I understand that I would not want to be flying over Monarch Pass at 70. I just remember our last trip there and seeing numerous RVs of sorts in the right lane with flashers on going at a glacial pace. It's my understanding that diesel powered Class A RVs and diesel powered trucks pulling fifth wheels fly up the mountains compared to gas powered Class A and gas powered trucks. Will a diesel powered bus rv conversion do as well as a diesel powered Class A or say a diesel powered Ford F-350 or Dodge Ram?

[cadillackid]

heres the thing... sure its noce to "fly up the passes".. **BUT** its also MUCH easier to get in trouble going down if you were going up fast..
I would think miore about durability than speed.. ie if you have a full size bus and you are runnin I-70 regularly then you will want to make sure you have a transmission OTHER than the AT545.. (yes people can and do drive thoise over mountains.. but in a heavy full size bus it can get you in trouble going down hill.. as well as makes aloit of heat going up)..

you are likely going to want one of the inline 6 diesels.. the cummins 8.3 and navistar DT-466 are likely the top 2.. the 5.9 cummins isnt as powerful but it is reliable.. the CAT-3126 is a good motor but alot here hate it .. it can be expensive to repair.. doesnt have the pure brute of a DT-466 or cummins 8.3,

the T-444E is great in a short bus but i would not recommend it for a large bus in the mountains.. it tends to get hot if you stress it.
-Christopher

[dunnenuff]

Thanks Caddilackid,

Great info! Yes I get it going downhill. I would probably stick to main highways with whatever RV I get and use a tow car, or in the case if a fifth wheel, the truck to explore narrower roads. You are talking to someone so really green that I've never owned or driven any sort of RV. I'm considering building either a tiny home or fifth wheel since I was a carpenter before I began my career as a photographer. I could easily build one. But then I saw the prices of school buses and thought that might be a better way to go. They are cheap and can hold more weight.

Patrick

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by dunnenuff

Thanks Caddilackid,

Great info! Yes I get it going downhill. I would probably stick to main highways with whatever RV I get and use a tow car, or in the case if a fifth wheel, the truck to explore narrower roads. You are talking to someone so really green that I've never owned or driven any sort of RV. I'm considering building either a tiny home or fifth wheel since I was a carpenter before I began my career as a photographer. I could easily build one. But then I saw the prices of school buses and thought that might be a better way to go. They are cheap and can hold more weight.

Patrick

They are also stronger and will last much longer if taken care of.

[cadillackid]

Keep clean oil in it, keep the chassis lubed.. DRIVE IT.. (busses like to go and not sit for long periods of time).. DONT get it's engine hot, DO keep the tire pressures at spec.. and your bus can last you a very long time and as lot of miles..

School busses are medium duty trucks.. in fact if you noticed the conventional (has a hood like a truck).. are the same chassis that Straight Box trucks are made of.. many of these box trucks run 10-14 hours per day every day.. school busses run a couple hours a day.. so a well taken care of bus is just barely broken in when we buy them.. so they have lots of life and adventure just waiting for you!
-Christopher

[PatrickBaptist]

Like cadillackid said, the T444E is a little weaker in a full size, but I have a 40' with it and I last had a 30' class A motorhome with a 454 cabed engine and the diesel bus still would kill that gasser going up hill with more than double the 30' weight. and then there is fuel, doesn't cost half as much to run the bus...
Man that was fun busting that RV up, it left me started many times on the interstate.
I hate having the engine in a doghouse setup it makes the rig too loud to talk and makes more heat, I love a rear engine unit, so much better!
Stay away from CAT engines, they are more costly than they are ever worth. Cummins 5.9 are too underpowered for these I wouldn't recommend one, the 8.3 is a much better engine.
I'd love to have a DT530 in a bus but I don't know if they ever did...

[PigPen]

They did. I’ve seen them in big RE buses with the 3060 transmission.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by PatrickBaptist

Like cadillackid said, the T444E is a little weaker in a full size, but I have a 40' with it and I last had a 30' class A motorhome with a 454 cabed engine and the diesel bus still would kill that gasser going up hill with more than double the 30' weight. and then there is fuel, doesn't cost half as much to run the bus...
Man that was fun busting that RV up, it left me started many times on the interstate.
I hate having the engine in a doghouse setup it makes the rig too loud to talk and makes more heat, I love a rear engine unit, so much better!
Stay away from CAT engines, they are more costly than they are ever worth. Cummins 5.9 are too underpowered for these I wouldn't recommend one, the 8.3 is a much better engine.
I'd love to have a DT530 in a bus but I don't know if they ever did...

They come up for sale in Arizona all the time.
I want a DT530 in a short bus, but that would be a custom build for sure.

[cadillackid]

get a crown with a cummins 855 and pump it up...

[HazMatt]

Funny you should mention that... [emoji848]

[PNW_Steve]

JD's coach will likely outrun the lot of us on a big hill. Even at 43k #. A little different animal than your typical school bus.

The Crowns with 671 Detroit or Cummins 855 would be great contenders.

As far as common school buses go, I would be looking for a big motor and 5/6 speed transmission.

The DT-466 & 530 or Cummins 8.3 backed by an Allison 2000 or MD-3060 would be good drive train choices for Mountain driving.

I used my Bluebird RE with the 8.3 and MD-3060 as a moving truck over three mountain passes in 95F+ temps and was able to pass the semi's and RV's that were in the right lane with flashers on. I could not keep up with the car traffic.

If topping the passes at 60+ is important to you a later model MCI or Prevost may be worth considering.

[cowlitzcoach]

It costs $$$ to go fast.



When you consider the vast majority of school buses spend 95%+ of their service life at speeds under 35 MPH there isn't much call for buses with big HP and high speed rear ends. As a consequence most school buses have power and gearing to pickup/dropoff kids going to/from school.



There are the unicorn buses out there though but because they are so rare they command higher prices. Most of the big HP buses with high speed gearing are set up as trip buses. They will be found in places like WY and MT where a short extra curricular trip is 200 miles one way. 300+ HP and gearing to go 80 MPH is not unknown in some of the trip buses out west.


Our church has a Gillig Schoolcoach for sale. It will cruise all day long at 60 MPH, even while pulling an equipment trailer. It will slow down on the hills because the DT466 in it is rated at only about 210 HP. There are easy ways to increase the power but you will then run into the problems every rear engine bus builder has run into and that is keeping the engine from overheating. The way it is set up currently it does not overheat on a long uphill grade with a full load on a hot day.


It also has pass through under the floor luggage compartments with two luggage doors on the street side and one on the curb side.


The 78" ceiling height is a real plus as well.



https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/...936023944.html

[Ronnie]

Mine does better then I would have thought in the mountains, keeps up with the trucks.

However the short bus I have to work on, we got a 6-71 Detroit for it, 250 HP. Mountains what mountains?

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Ronnie

Mine does better then I would have thought in the mountains, keeps up with the trucks.

However the short bus I have to work on, we got a 6-71 Detroit for it, 250 HP. Mountains what mountains?

last summer once I got in the higher elevations which is what my carb was tuned for.. my 392 Hauled ass up the hills. till i damn near burned up the AT540.. but I was passing the big rigs through the cascades.. 3rd gear and about 2600 RPM and that little Gasser was rollin