Design contest for rear opening on my bus.

[crazycal]

I am having a design contest to help me find a way to have a full width and height opening on my bus. The winner will receive $25. I want the design to be clean. What I am saying is I don't want things held together with bubblegum and duct tape. No shadetree designs please. I'm not sure what the response will be so I figure I will run this for a month maybe two. Any suggestion will be welcomed.

[nat_ster]

At the back, or the side?

What kind of door?

Nat

[porkchopsandwiches]

Aren't the front / rear end caps of the bus (especially up top) like super structurally integral to the bus body? Do you have a picture (preferably plural) of your bus? I understand the appeal of doing such a thing, but I feel like it would be easier to make it so like 3/4 of it opens and leave the section by the roof intact. I am sure it is possible but I would take the easy way out personally, haha.

[family wagon]

I assume you already saw Elliott's Millicent tailgate?

[Hank's P-O-S]

Originally Posted by crazycal

What I am saying is I don't want things held together with bubblegum and duct tape. No shadetree designs please.

Come on man! Now I can't enter!
I was thinking 'bout breaking out the 'ol gas ax and makin' some half a** boards to frame in the rusty doors off this old step van I drive by.....

I'll have to think about this.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

At the back, or the side?

What kind of door?

Nat

I am open. I am think(loosely) about barn doors. Maybe one side smaller than the other for a man door. As far as height, it doesn't need to go to the top of the curve on the roof. The purpose of this is if I want to put something larger than the rear door, I don't want to struggle with shifting the object trying to get it through the opening. Oh yeah, it needs to be in the rear.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by porkchopsandwiches

Aren't the front / rear end caps of the bus (especially up top) like super structurally integral to the bus body? Do you have a picture (preferably plural) of your bus? I understand the appeal of doing such a thing, but I feel like it would be easier to make it so like 3/4 of it opens and leave the section by the roof intact. I am sure it is possible but I would take the easy way out personally, haha.

That works but I plan on reinforcing with square tubing. The only pancakes I like are the ones you eat.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by family wagon

I assume you already saw Elliott's Millicent tailgate?

I am familiar with Elliot's bus but I don't think I want a ramp. I'm thinking forklift loading. I had an enclosed trailer once with a ramp and it was a PITA to load with a forklift.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by Hank's P-O-S

Come on man! Now I can't enter!
I was thinking 'bout breaking out the 'ol gas ax and makin' some half a** boards to frame in the rusty doors off this old step van I drive by.....

I'll have to think about this.

LOL. I have plenty of duct tape. I don't need to pay someone to show me how to use it.

[The-Breeze]

Not having a ramp makes it easier.....my first thought was a ramp, since I assumed you wanted the back to open to bring in something BIG.

Personally, if I was to go thru the trouble of cutting into the back I would definitely have it so I could just open it up from the top, preferably with hydraulic "thingies" (sorry, I'm just a woman who doesn't know all them fancy names for things), so it doesn't just open and knock some sense into me and have me a nice back porch (with a canopy for rainy days).

Also, having a nice level spot where you can work on whatever it is you plan to bring on board, without having to kneel down and/or bend over. I picture having the "new door" sheet metaled for ease in cleaning and walking on and of course with rubber sealing all around for creating an air type opening and protection for myself while it's open.

Darn, sure wish we had the health and time to do something like that on our bus.

Sorry I don't have pictures to show you what I mean, but it seems pretty straightforward.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by The-Breeze

Not having a ramp makes it easier.....my first thought was a ramp, since I assumed you wanted the back to open to bring in something BIG.

Personally, if I was to go thru the trouble of cutting into the back I would definitely have it so I could just open it up from the top, preferably with hydraulic "thingies" (sorry, I'm just a woman who doesn't know all them fancy names for things), so it doesn't just open and knock some sense into me and have me a nice back porch (with a canopy for rainy days).

Also, having a nice level spot where you can work on whatever it is you plan to bring on board, without having to kneel down and/or bend over. I picture having the "new door" sheet metaled for ease in cleaning and walking on and of course with rubber sealing all around for creating an air type opening and protection for myself while it's open.

Darn, sure wish we had the health and time to do something like that on our bus.

Sorry I don't have pictures to show you what I mean, but it seems pretty straightforward.

Girls can play too but being a guy, I am a visual animal. You can't tell me, you have to show me.

[The-Breeze]

I'm way, way, way past the age of showing anything anymore. Either that or the fact I cut back on my alcohol consumption!

Too bad too, it use to be lots of fun. ( I )

[Hank's P-O-S]

Originally Posted by The-Breeze

... preferably with hydraulic "thingies" (sorry, I'm just a woman who doesn't know all them fancy names for things)...

Don't sell yourself short. I know LOTS of guys who don't know the name for them either
Am I correct in thinking that you mean "rams" ?

[PDBreske]

I will think on this. I may already have an idea, but I don't know if this will be beyond the level of your building skills or beyond the level of your desire to have something different.

[taskswap]

The best source for what I THINK you're describing is "trunk hinges" off eBay. I've used this exact unit in another project and it held a fairly heavy (80lbs) canopy upright in a stiff wind:



BMW E46 99 05 Steel Blue Trunk Hinges Mounts Shocks Joints Left Right Set | eBay

These trunk hinges use a hydraulic cylinder but don't search with that as the term - you're more likely to find bottle jacks and hydraulic equipment that way. In the auto industry they're referred to as "gas struts" and you'll find a million options with that as your search term.

Usually they're threaded at one or both ends, and you can get a variety of attachments. The standard setup has a ring end that bolts onto a mounting bracket, and the other end has a ball socket with a quick-release clip. That goes to another mounting bracket that has a ball to go into the socket. You can get these in all shapes and layouts, right angles, etc.

They're also available in a huge array of lengths and strengths.

Or did you want something else?

[The-Breeze]

I was thinking more on the lines of what is on vans & suvs that open & close the rear door. You know like when you lift open the door you only have to get it so far and then this hydraulic "lifter/thingie" takes over and vice/versa when closing. Or is something like that only good when the door is hinged at the top and not on the bottom?

[taskswap]

Do you mean the electrically-actuated ones? They're functionally identical to the brackets I posted above, they just add an electric actuator to "assist" with the process. Search for "power liftgate".

Power Liftgate Actuator Left Fits 10 15 Chevrolet Equinox | eBay
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe Power Lift Gate Motor | eBay

Note: these parts are expensive and not exactly plug-and-play. Most of them are designed to lift very heavy weights while still being a compact package themselves. The brackets they attach to can be under hundreds of pounds of stress. You need strong attach points and for the cylinders/struts to be in exactly the right spots. It's easy to do these wrong.

[crazycal]

You guys and gal aren't working hard enough. Don't make me give myself the prize money.

So far I have found this. Fast forward to 2:15.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSNRsc4mcNY

Found it here.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/ca...-bus-3422.html


Or this found here. new toy hauler - ATVConnection.com ATV Enthusiast Community

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...331Bus0003.jpg




.

[crazycal]

http://blogs.courant.com/autoracing/Short%20bus.jpg

[crazycal]

This is what I had in mind.

School Bus to RV - Yesterday's Tractors