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08-21-2013, 09:11 AM
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#1
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia
Posts: 21
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Eagle
Chassis: Model 10
Engine: 6v92 Detroit
Rated Cap: 44
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Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
I have been thinking on what to do with this bus................. I am wondering if I could buy an old travel trailer, get the stuff out of it I can use and then strip it to the frame, put the bus body on it and then build out the inside of the bus body. This would be weird looking I know but that might be kind of cool. I could get some cash for the remainder of the bus in scrap or parts. My biggest concern is how much a bus body weighs. The body is 32' long. I scrapped a 30' aluminum shipping container recently and I think it was around 2500 lbs. without the wood floor. The ends and doors were steel. I am thinking the bus body must be at least 300 lbs. The travel trailer I am towing now is around 4500 lbs. empty but my GMC HD 2500 will tow at least 10,000 lbs. Any thoughts on this idea?
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08-21-2013, 09:12 AM
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#2
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia
Posts: 21
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Eagle
Chassis: Model 10
Engine: 6v92 Detroit
Rated Cap: 44
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Oops I meant to say 3000 lbs.
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08-21-2013, 09:21 AM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: MN
Posts: 732
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Wayne
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Having worked on a couple older travel trailers, specifically the floors and the supporting structure underneath, I would not want to tear the top off one and put something as heavy as a bus body on. You start pulling the top and sides off, and all you have is a flimsy assortment of braces and plywood. That being said, that is only my experience. Maybe some brands/models have an actual frame capable of supporting that much weight. This does of course beg the question "why?" though, lol...
__________________
The journey is the destination...
Brutus
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08-21-2013, 09:50 AM
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#4
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
put a hitch on the bus, build it out and tow the GMC to camping spots
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
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08-21-2013, 10:14 AM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: West Lafayette, IN
Posts: 832
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Engine: 3126
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bansil
put a hitch on the bus, build it out and tow the GMC to camping spots
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Ditto!
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08-21-2013, 10:36 AM
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#6
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Skoolie
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 227
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 47
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
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08-21-2013, 11:02 AM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: MN
Posts: 732
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Wayne
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
^LOL!! Or you could do that! I see you changed directions a little, haha...
__________________
The journey is the destination...
Brutus
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08-21-2013, 11:16 AM
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#8
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,489
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/AT545
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Motobus had the same idea as me. Why remove the bus body from the chassis? If you want to convert a bus to a trailer, just chop off the front of the bus and make the whole thing into a trailer. Seems like that would be easier than removing the body from the frame and re-attaching it to another trailer. On of our skoolie members, Chadluc, did that to an old RV motorhome, AND pulled it behind his bus! That's the kind of crazy I like to see around here!
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08-21-2013, 11:49 AM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
interesting, and if you hauled it with HDT you could have air brakes that worked
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
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08-21-2013, 11:58 AM
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#10
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Skoolie
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 227
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 47
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeC
^LOL!! Or you could do that! I see you changed directions a little, haha...
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HAha, I haven't given up on the ole girl.
Not, mine but I can't say I haven't thought of it. It would make a really cheap, really heavy enclosed trailer. I imagine one could get a hydraulic brake controller to work.
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08-21-2013, 03:34 PM
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#11
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia
Posts: 21
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Eagle
Chassis: Model 10
Engine: 6v92 Detroit
Rated Cap: 44
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Motobus
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This looks cool but I don't think my truck would handle the tongue load. First thing I need is time to work on the bus It does run I know that much now.
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08-22-2013, 11:03 PM
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#12
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Skoolie
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 227
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 47
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
I bet the front axle of the bus and the rear of your 2500 pickup are rated pretty close, my money would be on the pickup being a little heavier. You would loose about 1000 lbs on the front of the bus and could locate the hitch forward of where the front axle of the bus would have been, further reducing tongue weight. I think it would be fine with a gooseneck, wouldn't want to do it with a bumper hitch.
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08-23-2013, 06:49 AM
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#13
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Moodus, Ct.
Posts: 1,062
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Champion
Chassis: Ford e-450
Engine: 7.3 Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 14
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
THEEE Kent Dorfman?
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08-23-2013, 11:52 AM
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#14
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdwarf36
THEEE Kent Dorfman?
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I thought the same thing....so your about 45 hugh?
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
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09-05-2013, 01:59 PM
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#15
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia
Posts: 21
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Eagle
Chassis: Model 10
Engine: 6v92 Detroit
Rated Cap: 44
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Yeah I got the nickname 'flounder' in college.
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09-05-2013, 02:00 PM
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#16
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia
Posts: 21
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Eagle
Chassis: Model 10
Engine: 6v92 Detroit
Rated Cap: 44
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Re: Has anyone ever turned a bus into a travel trailer?
Yeah and bansil I see you are from Mtn. City TN I went to Appalachian State. I drove through your town a bunch when I was there, dated a girl in Bristol.
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