Best Home Yet

[nat_ster]

Glad it worked out. Nice pics. Thanks for sharing.

Nat

[lornaschinske]

Your wheels should NEVER be unsupported. No leveling system is designed for that. Those fancy systems do fail. I did a lot of research into the things for the Eagle. The wheels should never leave the ground.

I think we will be using jack posts for our bus. Personal decision. We just think the jacks that are used to jack up and as long term support in a house will work to stabilize the bus. We have stayed in very few places that required us to raise our tires more than 4" high. I do not want to raise more than that high. I also don't want to take the time to do a lot of cranking. I prefer to pull a pin and replace the pin, then use a pipe wrench to snug up the jack. I think it will be faster.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

Your wheels should NEVER be unsupported. No leveling system is designed for that. Those fancy systems do fail. I did a lot of research into the things for the Eagle. The wheels should never leave the ground.

I think we will be using jack posts for our bus. Personal decision. We just think the jacks that are used to jack up and as long term support in a house will work to stabilize the bus. We have stayed in very few places that required us to raise our tires more than 4" high. I do not want to raise more than that high. I also don't want to take the time to do a lot of cranking. I prefer to pull a pin and replace the pin, then use a pipe wrench to snug up the jack. I think it will be faster.

Jack posts are rated in how many tons they can support just like all other lifting devices. Although they are more than strong enough to lift and hold the weight of a bus, they offer no side to side support, and would be dangerous.

The 12 ton jack stands I posted will have no problem lifting, and supporting the weight of a bus, even with all 4 tires off the ground.

If you all want a stronger, safer, more permanent stabilizing system, look at what big rig trailers use when they unhook from the highway tractor. When permanently mounted to the frame, they would have no issues lifting the bus well beyond the tires off the ground. Over on pirate 4x4 a guy removed the crank handle, and replaced it with a nut for a socket. Another guy removed the crank guts, and used a hydraulic ram inside each one, powered by a electric over hydraulic pump he salvaged from a wheel chair lift from a bus. Others use a electric motor to run the crank.


and in case you want some extra support that you don't have to carry. Just unpin and drop.


Nat

Posted for educational purposes only.

[Das Mel]

Originally Posted by Accordion

I don't care if it's muddy it's WATER! *Dives in*

[Accordion]

Oh sure, Das Mel, I would surely have enjoyed seeing you jump into that water. I may have had enough nerve to put a canoe in it.

[Das Mel]

Splash ALL THE PEOPLE!

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Accordion

Oh sure, Das Mel, I would surely have enjoyed seeing you jump into that water. I may have had enough nerve to put a canoe in it.

Most of the creeks and "rivers" out here are empty. The Rio Grande isn't very "grande" at the parts we have seen. You have to understand, she comes from an area where water weeps out of most of the road cuts and runs down the rock walls. There is water everywhere in the Southern Appalachians. In the winter it ices over and looks beautiful...This Winding Stair Gap, 10 miles west of Franklin, NC (former home) on Hwy 64. It looks like this most of the winter. It's hard to show water but ice is something different.


We've come thru the Gap when the road between the cut was completely covered in ice at that point. Worse than in the picture. It's a 7%-8% grade for a few miles (3?) on the east side starting at the top of this Gap. No biggie. At some point you stop sliding, either when you hit dry pavement or when you slide into one of the rock walls. I always creeped thru in low gear and made sure I was going slow before I hit the ice. If I didn't touch my brakes, then I made it thru just fine.

Cullasaja Gorge - Hwy 28 between Franklin & Highlands NC.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/18193...lasaja%20Gorge

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/18193...lasaja%20Gorge
Its a 200 to 300 ft drop at this point.

Our goal is to get back to where it's more green and moist yet avoid the ice, snow and cold.

[Accordion]

Normally when the flowing of the stream is more sedate, There is a Great Blue Heron that likes to wade in the water.

I will capture a photo of it soon. Sometimes when I am walking the dogs (on a leash), the bird flies off. The wingspan is probably over four feet wide. It is magnificent.

So, there is a donkey here in the back field, as well as the Heron hanging around the stream. Pretty cool.

Soon, I will take many pics. There are lots of antique items here that are part of the history of this town.

Wait until you see.

[browncrown]

Looking forward to those pics

[gusbus]

I just joined the group and am enjoying your thread a lot.
I seen this AC unit in your bus and had to share that I looked
at an old IHC bus the other day that had an AC unit hanging
out of the window and it only stuck out about 6 or 8" well
maybe 10" but no further I bet. It was a carrier unit. 5,000 btu.
nice bus BTW.

gus

Originally Posted by Accordion

Here you can see one of the screens installed. There were two screens there, but now, I have a window air conditioner installed in one of the window openings.

[Accordion]

AND NOW!

Here are many pictures of where I am.

Let's begin.

One of the many flowery trees on the property.




An old saw blade leaning on one of the posts next to where my bus is parked.




Another flowery bush with the blackberry bushes behind it.



Some old kettles hanging out.

[Accordion]

More of the old kettles.




The rabbit that I wrote about on the "Time To Laugh" thread.




An old farming device among some peach trees.




The building was the railroad train station from a hundred years ago. The porches were added after the building was moved here.

[Accordion]

A big row of sweet potatoes.




Some pretty purple bushes.




Another view of the sweet potatoe patch.

[Accordion]

One of the many flower bushes here.




Peach trees along the driveway.




More flowers.

[Accordion]

Even more flowers.




Beauty abounds.




Just so much to love.

[Accordion]

There is a weeping willow tree here.




You may remember the pics that I posted a little while back. This is what the driveway looks like when it is not under a foot of water at the stream.




Another view of the driveway by the stream.

[Accordion]

Another large flower congregation.




And more.




What? More flowers?

[Accordion]

Hidden under those leaves is a horse powered grist mill.




One of the 50 peach trees on the property.




The last of the blackberries. I have already picked thousands of them from the 6 bushes that are here.

[ol trunt]

I love your new home site but I can't even imagine how many hours a week it would take riding on a lawn mower to keep that lawn trimmed. I sure hope that isn't your responsibility!

[Accordion]

A shed and my bus parked under two giant shade trees.




An old gas engine known as a one-lunger in the shed next to my bus.




The foot bridge over the stream.