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Old 03-10-2015, 03:09 PM   #1
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DIY Storage/Luggage Compartment under the bus??

We are still in the process of finding a bus but I have a few questions on storage compartments...

Ideally we want to find a bus with a good amount of under bus compartments but in the case we don't, is there anyone out there that made their own?

What did it take to build your own storage compartment?
Would it be better to just buy the compartment and install them?

We will be using these for batteries, future solar component storage and a few other things that don't need to be inside the bus.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Old 03-10-2015, 04:28 PM   #2
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The storage compartments installed at the factory are junk. Poorly mounted, never seal, can't take much weight, big gaps for rust to hide, ect.

A ton of time and money is whats needed to build good basement storage.

I will have about $5,000 to $6,000 in building my basement storage alone. It like the rest of the bus will be galvanized metal. I will use 14 ga for my boxes.

Nat
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Old 03-15-2015, 09:26 AM   #3
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The one side compartment I have installed so far was a normal box designed to fit in the back of a pickup truck, I turned it on its side and bolted it under the bus, It is mounted such that I can still use it lid and key, if you are going to put much weight in it you will want to reinforce the bottom of the box near the locking mechanism since too much weight will bend the box and prevent the box from closing and locking,
I plan on doing a few more, I also intend to cut the bottom of the box open so I can make the storage area extend all the way (27in) to the frame.
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Old 03-15-2015, 09:31 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
The storage compartments installed at the factory are junk. Poorly mounted, never seal, can't take much weight, big gaps for rust to hide, ect.

A ton of time and money is whats needed to build good basement storage.

I will have about $5,000 to $6,000 in building my basement storage alone. It like the rest of the bus will be galvanized metal. I will use 14 ga for my boxes.

Nat
That doesn't describe my storage boxes on the Ward at all. They are very nice.
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Old 03-15-2015, 09:36 AM   #5
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That doesn't describe my storage boxes on the Ward at all. They are very nice.
In your opinion they are vary nice. Please post detailed pics.

IMO they are probably still junk as I have a higher standard of expectation than most. I have seen hundreds upon hundreds of buses working at the the bus yard across the road from where I live. None of the boxes impressed me, except the polly tank boxes on the new reduced metal buses.

Nat
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Old 03-15-2015, 10:01 AM   #6
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No they are very nice. The quality may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer though.
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Old 03-15-2015, 01:27 PM   #7
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I haven't decided which way to go. I am not good enough to build my own or I would go fiberglass. I have looked at the truck bed boxes that open on the side. It would likely mean cutting and adding on to make use of the whole area between the frame and sides.
something like this:


There is the site I found the image on. They look like they have anything.
Truck Tool boxes for Light Truck to Semi Truck Tarp & Tie-down Storage.
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Old 03-16-2015, 08:58 AM   #8
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Take it from a guy who is learning the hard way, get a bus with no under storage and add your own. They are usually cheaper if they don't have the storage, and even though the compartments on my bus (International) are in great shape and don't leak, they just aren't big enough for the types of things you need in an RV. They are meant to hold sporting equipment for road games, not generators, lawn tables, water tanks and associated plumbing, etc. I searched long and paid more for a bus with storage all the way down both sides, and now I'm looking at ripping all of it out and replacing it with my own custom built. If you don't want to build them, just get storage boxes from the underside of flatbed trucks or transfer trailers, and bolt them right in. Gods, my mistakes are costing me time and money, neither of which I have in large supply.


If you are a good wielder and have the metal, build your own to suit. Remember, at least with front engine buses, they compartments only go 18"~24" deep, not all the way through like a standard RV.
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Old 03-16-2015, 11:14 AM   #9
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Th "compartments" on my bus are only the two bays that held the batteries. Neither one goes all the way to the floor bottom nor all the way to the closest beam that runs the length of the bus. That is a lot of lost space. But they do have a purpose. One holds the house bank. The other holds the inverters, cabling, etc involved with the electrical.

I have discovered... Super Strut! Building an open frame under the bus and enclosing or grating as needed. I long-term and almost everything I have is set up to ride/live inside the bus or travel on the Jeep. Or in the case of the gas grill, too yukky to travel inside. In NM, stuff left setting outside gets relocated by the wind to the neighbour's.
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Old 03-16-2015, 12:19 PM   #10
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Thanks everyone! All that info gave me lots of ideas to work with!
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Old 03-17-2015, 09:51 AM   #11
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Tractor supply company makes some nice steel boxes. You can trim the "skirt" on the sides of the bus up almost to the floor level, and use strut channel to make a mount that holds the box in place. The double-sided strut channel can be mounted to the thwart ship floor supports and then the box can mount to the strut channel. This will allow adjustment to align the box with the side of the bus. We have 3 boxes mounted this way.

Additionally, I made non weather-tight underfloor storage by welding up a cage that supports a plywood floor and sides. I extended the "skirt" in this case and then mounted aftermarket RV storage doors. the cage also holds my fresh and gray water tanks (no black tank for us).

Tractor Supply Co.® Underbed Truck Box, 48 in. - Tractor Supply Co.

Good luck. B
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Old 03-17-2015, 02:01 PM   #12
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As someone who has driven, worked on, owned, operated, and now involved in sales of buses I would agree with both Nat and EastCoastCB that factory luggage compartments range from really good to really bad.

Crown and Gillig were considered the Cadillac and Lincoln of the bus business. Both companies used premium parts and pieces to put their buses together but even their luggage compartments leave something to be desired.

The vast majority of yellow buses leave the factory without luggage compartments. They are not cheap even from the factory--over $1,200.00 for a 34.8 cubic foot box on the driver's side and over $2,200.00 for a 47.92 cubic foot box on the curb side. Or almost $5,000.00 for a 137 cubic foot pass through under the floor luggage compartment. If you decide to put them on after the bus leaves the factory you will pay that much just for the boxes in addition to the cost of installation.

I would venture a guess that most of the very clever and handy people who visit this forum could put together compartments on their buses for a lot less $$$ than what the factory charges. And I would also venture a guess that they would be a lot more weather tight and able to carry greater weight than factory boxes.
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Old 03-17-2015, 02:09 PM   #13
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Exactly, cowlitz.
hell, my International's boxes are very watertight. Dry as a bone and pretty much new looking inside.
The curb side box was hit by a car at some time in its life and needs a bit of english, but that's not the bus's fault.
If there were any reason to hate on the boxes, I'd do so but mine are awesome and I'm glad as hell to have them.
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Old 03-17-2015, 07:49 PM   #14
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Mine are the large pass through type and I intend to keep them. Watertight and plenty big. If they were any bigger they would be dragging the ground. And weight rating's not an issue IMO with the heavy stuff because I don't plan on having the compartment carry all the load.

The other big advantage to pass through luggage bays is the underside of the bus is like brand new.

Now when I go to actually convert this bus I may change my tune...
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Old 04-18-2015, 12:32 PM   #15
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I've been thinking about how to do under the floor storage myself. One possibility is buying the under the bed storage boxes and then coating them with bed liner. Bed liner paint can be found in all kinds of colors and is bomb proof so it will protect against all the rocks, grit and rain kicked up by the wheels.
The down side to this is most of the boxes you can buy are 18" deep and I have 24" of space to the frame. Now I have to decide if the trade off in space is worth the quality of construction above what I can do at home
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Old 04-19-2015, 09:42 AM   #16
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Both Merritt and ProTech make aluminum tool boxes that are made to attach to truck or trailer frames that are 24x24 in lengths up to 72" in standard boxes.

Longer boxes are available on a custom basis.
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Old 04-20-2015, 07:58 PM   #17
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I am in the process of building under-bus storage. Bought steel to build water tank mounts, an 8' long x 27" deep x 24" tall storage box on the passenger side and a 5.5' long x 27" deep x 24" tall box on the driver side. All said and done a little under $500 for materials, just a bunch of man hours to build. Check out my thread (Smells Like Teen Spirit) in the last page or two.
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Old 04-23-2018, 03:48 PM   #18
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Is it possible to add under storage on a short bus?

Has anyone added underbelly storage on a small bus? 5 to 6 windows bus
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Old 04-23-2018, 05:37 PM   #19
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Has anyone added underbelly storage on a small bus? 5 to 6 windows bus
Mine came with one small belly box.
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Old 04-23-2018, 07:01 PM   #20
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Has anyone added underbelly storage on a small bus? 5 to 6 windows bus
The biggest concern would be getting something too low to the ground.

Collins has had a skirt mounted luggage compartment standard on the curb side for several years now. On buses with batteries that are larger than the chassis OEM supplied the larger battery is mounted in the skirt compartment. On the street side skirt is either the condenser for the A/C unit or just a screen.
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