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Old 01-22-2010, 09:28 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 58
Year: 1995
Chassis: Thomas Navistar
Engine: 7.3 turbo diesel
Rated Cap: 64
The Odd OX

Hello friends my name is Luke, I have had my bus for about a month now and its raining today so I'm finally getting around to playing on the computer and posting my skoolie project. My bus is pretty much unnamed aside from "home" but just came up with The Odd Ox and liked it. It is a 1995 Thomas Navistar that runs awesome!! This all started when I wanted to move in order to take a new job. For me its not as easy as just finding some random apartment to plop down in I train teams of oxen so they are a big part of where I can live they are well trained but not house broke. I also have the sweetest dog a lab mix and of corse when you say she is mixed with pitbull people crap their pants and have outrageous pet deposits. I had saved enough money to either pay a deposit and first months rent or buy a bus......so screw paying another persons mortgage and working for the man. The job I was taking is clearing land and logging with my oxen luckily just a couple miles for the land I found a pasture big enough to keep one of my teams sold my second team cleared a hole in the woods to fit a bus and thats that.

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Old 01-22-2010, 09:56 AM   #2
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 58
Year: 1995
Chassis: Thomas Navistar
Engine: 7.3 turbo diesel
Rated Cap: 64
Re: The Odd OX

I'm gonna start trying to post pictures we'll see how it goes not sure how big a file is too big
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Old 01-22-2010, 10:12 AM   #3
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 58
Year: 1995
Chassis: Thomas Navistar
Engine: 7.3 turbo diesel
Rated Cap: 64
Re: The Odd OX

My war cry usually goes TIMBER..........holy F*** RUN its falling the wrong way get the F*** out of the way.


Of course the first thing we did was played with the flashing lights on the bus but nobody told me if you do that you have to walk to the back and hit a button other wise when you turn it off the bus makes crazy alarm beeping noises and the horn goes off so that was entertaining for about 10 minutes till we figured it out. I was pumped and got all the seats out the first night. Me and my brother took one seat out using wrenches and sockets and i said screw this .... went and bought a hand full of cutting wheels and cut the bolt heads off learned that from geeking over this site for a couple weeks before i bought the bus
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Old 01-22-2010, 10:16 AM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Year: 1995
Chassis: Thomas Navistar
Engine: 7.3 turbo diesel
Rated Cap: 64
Re: The Odd OX

it is just an extra storage box there is one on both sides but also both are locked the guys at the bus garage didn't have a key for them and said they never used them maybe there will be treasure inside my plan is to have my toilet right above one of those i am just going to treat it like an out house you do number one outside and number two into a bucket then the bucket and be removed to be dumped using those compartment doors so you don't have to carry it through the bus
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Old 01-22-2010, 10:33 AM   #5
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1995
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Re: The Odd OX

I had only had the bus for a couple of days and we had a huge snow storm, i went to go work on it and there was condensation on the roof it was mainly at the seems but damp all over i was a little bummed to see it and was worried that it leaked and had been its whole life then i worried about the insulation in the ceiling if it had been. so i had the take a piece of it down just so i would know what was going on up there. we did have 14 in of snow and I didn't knock the snow off the roof so thats probably what caused the condensation right? once i thought that might have been the cause i climbed up there to knock it off then felt pretty silly when i almost slipped and fell off
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Old 01-22-2010, 10:42 AM   #6
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Engine: 7.3 turbo diesel
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Re: The Odd OX

when i got up on the roof the snow was melting strange it melted at all the seems first
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Old 01-23-2010, 08:04 AM   #7
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Year: 1995
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Re: The Odd OX

We actually had not even worked in the bus for a couple days cause the roads were so bad I could not get out to it. So maybe the inside of the bus got to be one temp and with all the snow around it not letting any sun in to keep it the same temp as the air thats what caused it? I probably won't have this problem though once i'm living in it right? I'll keep the snow knocked off of it anyways next time. also i have a little wood stove so that should help evaporate any moisture that even thinks of forming. In ya'lls experiance is there much rust inbetween the two layers of metal in the roof? I took one of the inner sheets of metal down in the back to check for insulation anyways. that one had just a little rust but nothing i found scared me enough to want to remove the whole inner layer at the moment. I am pretty tall and have been debating on weather or not to rais the roof at some point but thats not exactly a winter time project.... since i'm trying to be living in it right now.
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Old 01-23-2010, 07:16 PM   #8
Skoolie
 
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Re: The Odd OX

Hey Luke, Welcome to the nut house

How do you transport the oxen, It looked like you were towing a truck, didn't see any trailer?

Only being nosey because I am going to be pulling a horse trailer when I finally get a bus.

Keep up the pictures. I love your call out cry.

Jackie
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Old 01-25-2010, 08:40 AM   #9
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Year: 1995
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Re: The Odd OX

thanks smitty had a feeling you would have some good input. also had a bad feeling with your input i'll get excited and by this time next week have the roof jacked up and be slinging tarps i guess i'll resist till warmer weather. one thing that turns me off though is when the roof goes up all the windows have to be changed out or covered and i like the normal bus window.... has anybody raised the roof and still kept original windows? you guys have an estimated time and cost of taking the roof up? i guess that is so big question cause it depends on how much of scavenger you are for material and having helpers around.

and as for that first picture of the bus i was not towing that pickup behind it that was just parked there for ease of getting tools not jumping into the back of the bus a bunch. That pickup is actually my hauling truck for the oxen jackie. I saw a post the other day that had a picture of a bus converted with the gooseneck hitch pulling a camper and i think that is a great idea for a livestock trailer!!! I was in main for an ox pull and a few guys had buses to haul their teams. they built a wall about half to three quarters from the back to kept the animals, yokes and other equipment back there then had small area to hang out in the front. made a large hole for a door in the back and had a rigid ramp that would fold down for animal loading. I think this is a great idea. buses are so universal i now want one for just about everything i think when i get the extra cash i will buy one just to make my work shop in so every time i move i won't be picking all my junk up and loading it into a trailer. just did that on saturday actually i am a pack rat and and like to make things out of metal so i have a HUGE pile of scrap metal i drag around everywhere. anyways here are some more pictures of progress to the bus and my oxen.
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Old 01-25-2010, 08:42 AM   #10
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1995
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Engine: 7.3 turbo diesel
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Re: The Odd OX

these are my main boys Calvin and Hobbes
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Old 01-25-2010, 11:23 AM   #11
Skoolie
 
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Re: The Odd OX

I too saw the picture of the bus hauling the camper. I'm going to be doing something similar to my bus. I'll have a gooseneck hitch behind the axle instead of over it...I need the room to haul all the kids (not goats) around. My gooseneck hitch will be used for hauling a horse trailer and a hay trailer...Is there nothing that a Skoolie can't do?

Ben.
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Old 01-25-2010, 12:54 PM   #12
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Year: 1995
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Re: The Odd OX

yeah everything that i'm building inside the bus as far as shelves or bed or other frame work or whatever is not going to be tied into the roof in any way until i do get a little cozy and see how it feels. here are more pictures to catch ya'll up to speed as far as my current progress and how the bus is now. once I got the rubber off the floor which came up pretty easy there was slight surface rust in a couple of spots and just two small areas that were rusted through near the back I was very pleased but luckily I had just recently traded an old truck of mine for a welder so i was in good shape put a few patches down and was all set.
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Old 01-25-2010, 01:00 PM   #13
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1995
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Engine: 7.3 turbo diesel
Rated Cap: 64
Re: The Odd OX

removed the heater did quite a bit of sanding and yes it was very cold and i really wanted some apple juice all my water froze too
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Old 01-25-2010, 01:12 PM   #14
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Re: The Odd OX

did tons of cleaning to get all that dust off the floor got it primed. my plan was to just lay plywood right on top of the insulation to save on money and not put any kind of frame work underneath...... the only problem i had was putting screws right through the plywood through insulation and into metal was that the screws would suck down so much and compress the insulation but only right at the screw then between screws it would be original thickness so had to make sure to counter sink the holes in the wood and to be real careful not to over tighten or it would be real wavey. it worked out in the end the first piece or plywood i screwed looks a little funny but it is in the back and my bed will be over that so oh well i don't have pictures of the plywood down off my camera yet. you can see in the picture i also layed red rosin paper under the insulation. i'm always open to tips or suggestion about anything from ya'll
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Old 01-25-2010, 01:19 PM   #15
Skoolie
 
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Re: The Odd OX

Love the look of your team. years ago I played with the ideal of getting a couple of Scottish Highland cattle, just cos they are so cute. Thank God common sense prevailed and I didn't do it. Can barely pay the board on the mule.

Anyway bus is looking great,

Jackie
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Old 01-26-2010, 07:41 AM   #16
Skoolie
 
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Re: The Odd OX

Keeps the cards and letters coming! Your doing a great job!

Take care,
Den
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Old 01-29-2010, 08:05 AM   #17
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1995
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Rated Cap: 64
Re: The Odd OX

smitty the seems to not align i luckily was thinking the day i layed it all and thought it would be a good idea to stagger. it is half inch insulation and half inch plywood i figured that an inch was the most head room i was willing to loose. was going to go with no insulation but glad i did i'm sure it will pay off and the cost was not too much more. once i realized the wood would suck down i was careful and didn't over tighten it was not a problem.

i'm only going to leave the plywood floor think i'll just use small rugs that can be taken out and cleaned. so got all the plywood seems caulked and the first coat of polyurethane down the other day but its a little to cold today to do the second coat and its suppose to snow later today so guess the bus is on hold for a couple of days.

Yeah and the red rosin paper was an idea i got off of here. I was going to use plastic but once i started reading up on floors thought the paper would be a better option.
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Old 02-17-2010, 08:45 AM   #18
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1995
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Rated Cap: 64
Re: The Odd OX

well lots of snow and lack of money seem to slow progress a little bit. got a bunch of free 2x4s from a construction site so started doing a little frame work in the back. the framed out box provides a big shelf area near the bed that sits in front and it will be a storage area from the back door for unused things
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Old 02-17-2010, 09:19 AM   #19
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Re: The Odd OX

Are you planning to add any insulation to the walls?
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Old 02-17-2010, 09:41 AM   #20
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1995
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Rated Cap: 64
Re: The Odd OX

i think i'll be putting some sort of frame work on the walls just as a nailer to attach some plywood or nice paneling so i'll be putting insulation board in behind that if it fits i suppose. my walls do have the stock 2 in insulation. i will be putting a wood stove so if i'm tight on money when it comes time to insulat i won't add extra stuff like this. i think the wood stove will keep it pretty toasty either way.
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