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05-27-2012, 11:35 AM
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#1
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 20
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BUS QUESTION
Hi:
I would like to ask you professional schoolies a question please.
If you were to buy a school bus to take 6 month road trips that would consist of terrain like the Blue Ridge Mountains the Big Horn Mountains. Traversing the roads in Northern British Colombia over the Northern Rockies, light trail riding in the high desert, what school bus would you buy?
If you already drive a school bus and drive on these kind of terrains what school bus do you own?
I’m very interested in getting feedback on a long bus versus a short wheel base school bus and who do you think makes the best School bus for long drives, but not necessarily long highway driving.
I have done a few long adventure drives, but this time I have two children and a dog to take into consideration. I do not want to pull a camper. I do not have the money to buy an Earthroamer, but I have thought of buying a dual cab utility truck and putting a truck camper in the bed and making an adventure truck. I have thought hard about an extended 4X4 van but I doubt whether I will have the room and I keep coming back to a school bus, just not sure what size.
I would also appreciate what you think about the fuel - gas or diesel??
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05-27-2012, 12:50 PM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Whidbey Island, WA.
Posts: 1,109
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American
Engine: 3208 na boat anchor
Rated Cap: 2
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Re: BUS QUESTION
How about a dog nose bus 30 feet or less, turbo-charged diesel, lock-up auto transmission?
(...and some way of installing an "engine brake".)
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05-27-2012, 02:38 PM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ellijay ga
Posts: 560
Year: 94
Coachwork: b/b
Chassis: tc2000
Engine: 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: BUS QUESTION
get a northern bus 25 ft with 4 wheel drive they do make them, blue bird ships them to canda or alaska..
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05-27-2012, 03:25 PM
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#4
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,208
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: 3800 International
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: BUS QUESTION
one thing is the engine type, the 466 is whats every one wants , my thinking is if your in any tim buck two town how hard would it be to get any parts for it? i have t444e (7.3 powerstorke) these motors are in hundereds of different trucks easy to find parts for junk yard ford dealer, after market. not the best motor but pretty good all a round.
just my 2 cents
gbstewart
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05-27-2012, 03:36 PM
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#5
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 20
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Re: BUS QUESTION
Thanks. I appreciate the input.
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05-27-2012, 06:53 PM
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#6
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Whidbey Island, WA.
Posts: 1,109
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American
Engine: 3208 na boat anchor
Rated Cap: 2
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Re: BUS QUESTION
The bus I should of bought, and about 5 of them went to auction a couple of years ago, was a dog-nose 25-30 foot bus. They had dt360's and mt643's. They went for about $2200. That bus would of made a great boondocker.
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05-28-2012, 09:59 AM
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#7
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
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Re: BUS QUESTION
You only want FE ones. And like 30' or less. 4wd helps. Manual trans with low range... that's what i would want.
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
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05-28-2012, 10:02 AM
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#8
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
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Re: BUS QUESTION
n winch.
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
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05-28-2012, 11:46 AM
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#9
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 20
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Re: BUS QUESTION
Quote:
Originally Posted by keith
get a northern bus 25 ft with 4 wheel drive they do make them, blue bird ships them to canda or alaska..
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Great I will check into that, I was wondering if the was a 4X4 bus.
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05-28-2012, 11:48 AM
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#10
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 20
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Re: BUS QUESTION
Quote:
Originally Posted by chev49
You only want FE ones. And like 30' or less. 4wd helps. Manual trans with low range... that's what i would want.
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Sorry - what do you mean by FE?
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05-28-2012, 12:00 PM
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#11
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: BUS QUESTION
Check out http://www.ExpeditionPortal.com if you want some more "overland" rig ideas.
I was just at Overland Expo in Flagstaff, AZ a few weekends ago.... saw some awesome rigs. One that really stuck out with me is the 4x4 Isuzu NPR style trucks with either a cab over slide in camper or even just a bumper pull camper off it's frame and onto the truck frame. Totally home build able and really versatile. I'd say the only big draw back would be the standard cab and possibly not being able to access the camper while driving. But that could probably be over come.
For our overland travel we base camp the 36' bus in the forest and take our Land Rover into the bush for extended periods. (we've only done that twice now as we're still in the final stages of bus construction)Once the bus is finished we will be full timing in it. It works great for our lifestyle but kinda defeats the purpose of continued overland travel.
FE = Front Engine
We run a RE = Rear Engine. Not as much ground clearance overall but we keep it to the graded FS roads so it works fine for us.
Bottom line.... just get out there!!! Tons to see and so little time.
__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
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05-29-2012, 01:18 PM
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#12
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 20
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Re: BUS QUESTION
I just looked at some of those rig on the net, very cool. Gotta be expensive?
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05-29-2012, 01:54 PM
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#13
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
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Re: BUS QUESTION
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne
I just looked at some of those rig on the net, very cool. Gotta be expensive?
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Check out some of these http://globalxvehicles.com/vehicles/
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
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05-29-2012, 02:45 PM
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#14
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
Posts: 3,588
Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
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Re: BUS QUESTION
We have a 40 ft FE All American (BlueBird). It has a fairly high ground clearance. About the same or higher than my 4WD Jeep Grand Cherokee. Our bus came out of the Blue Ridge/Nantahala/Ocoee area (think Great Smoky Mountains... actually the area the map for the Moonshinner 28 covers). It was used to haul whitewater rafters prior to our purchase. We like to travel on the primary highway system (non-interstate roads). while I wouldn't try to put it into WildCat 1 & 2 or up War Woman (unless they have fixed the roads) or down roads that truckers have been banned from (like Tail of the Dragon or part of Moonshiner 28 between Franklin & Highlands NC), I can see no problem with pretty much any primary road. Pick up a Truckers Atlas in a bookstore or truck stop and look thru it (or buy one). You really don't want to put a bus or anything largish down a banned road. Use your towed for that.
We brought the bus "home" to Franklin from near Almond on Needmore Rd with ran on the west side the Little TN River...on the map below it was from Hillbilly Pop, MuleKick Korners, Catdaddy Cliffs. The road was a wide gravel road (much nicer than it used to be) but about as curvy as the corresponding section of Hwy 28. It's has a great deal of what type of roads you are used to driving on. They have signs here in NM on curves that wouldn't have a sign in the southern Appalachians.
Now a Scenic Byway like the Cherohala Skyway would be no problem.
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05-29-2012, 04:01 PM
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#15
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 784
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Genesis
Engine: Detroit
Rated Cap: 14
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Re: BUS QUESTION
Hmmm... now I'm gonna hafta find those roads and ride-em.
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05-29-2012, 07:14 PM
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#16
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
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Re: BUS QUESTION
try driving on some of the north east alabama roads in the hills...
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
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05-29-2012, 09:09 PM
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#17
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
Posts: 3,588
Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
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Re: BUS QUESTION
Quote:
Originally Posted by chev49
try driving on some of the north east alabama roads in the hills...
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I-59! It will rattle the fillings right out of your teeth!
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06-13-2012, 10:18 AM
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#18
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: NUNYA
Posts: 4,236
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 3800
Engine: DT408, AT545
Rated Cap: 23 500 gvw
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Re: BUS QUESTION
Quote:
Originally Posted by bansil
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You could always go used to save some money. This one is only $350,000.
http://globalxvehicles.com/wp-conten...-Preowned-.pdf
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06-13-2012, 11:15 AM
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#19
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,485
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Re: BUS QUESTION
need one of these
or these
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