Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-11-2016, 04:36 PM   #21
Bus Nut
 
Dapplecreek's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: near Christiansburg VA
Posts: 692
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 44 or 66? 11 rows
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
...I am also getting significant pushback from SWMBO...
Dear Mr. Fox,

I am writing this from my scars, as it were.

I have embarked on many courses of action in the past, in which my wife was neither not consulted or in which I went against her wishes. In nearly all of those instances, her advice would have saved me tremendous grief.

My policy now is (in the absence of a burning bush to the contrary) to involve her early and with full information, and to lead as a good husband... and stop in my tracks if she has reservations. Certainly I've lost a number of good deals in that process, but overall this has protected our family from a lot of trouble, and the quality of our relationship is better now than it ever has been.

Yes, this looks like abdication and being 'whipped. I prefer to think of it as making full use of the helper God gave me (kinda like He said I needed). Call it what you will: I've tried it both ways and choose this way.

I would hate to see you lose a good deal on a bus, but I would encourage you to be willing to walk away from it, to tell her so, lay out all the positives and negatives, and ask her for her counsel. If she says to bail on the idea, I would encourage you to do so. Sure, you'll pass up on a possibly good deal. But you'll reap benefits.

I won't think the worse of you if you don't follow my advice, of course - you're a big boy and I'm just an old guy trying to save you some grief. And not that you or anyone else would care what I thought, of course! But I'm giving you the best I've got to give here.

Wishing you and SWMBO the best...

-Tim

Dapplecreek is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 07:10 PM   #22
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Virginia
Posts: 548
Happy wife=Happy life!
dgorila1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 07:38 PM   #23
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
So: next steps?

It's 1800 miles and a $500 plane flight away, but it's damn near the perfect bus. Those prison bus portholes will force me to unskin-sketch in frames-reskin with new windows, which is sorta right where the fantasy was going anyway. Anybody want a porthole?

Is the 6CTA mechanical engine vs the ISC as desirable as the 444 vs the 444e? Do I get the same simplicity and ease of diagnosis as is rumored for other mech engines?

The only reference I can find about an out-of-town prepurchase inspection is "be prepared to spend a lot of money." Nothing about "Boy am I glad I went there!" Any idea how much is a lot? How to go about finding out which shop in Boise is honest and which one is run by the seller's brother-in-law?

My buddy says the tires are all mismatched and look "old and tired". (This is the same guy who thought 6 pictures was enough.) That's a bargaining chip.I have not started negotiating with the owner yet; it says $7500 in the window. 1589.x hours on the tach agrees well with the claimed 61K miles.

I spent 1/2 hour on the phone with a service rep at Thomas who completely gets and digs the idea of skoolies. I found out the rear is 5.29 and the gas tank is 100 gallons and has a heated pickup. Rear sounds high, but he said that his records indicate that 5th was unlocked on the Allison and 6th might be; he didn't understand the annotation in the record. If I can get to .75 on the Allison (a SWAG, I admit) I can get to 65 at 2K RPM which is all I'd ever want. And if I can get to or already have 6th, how sweet it is!

This looks like the proverbial unicorn from here, but the idea of letting go of that much money sight unseen has me a little deer-in-the-headlights. I'm looking for ideas as to how to move myself off the balance point of this dilemma. Work with me here.

I am also getting significant pushback from SWMBO, which is quite different than what she thought about the project when it was hypothetical. But that's on me to manage.
Isn't that the one that was on one of the auctions last year?
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2016, 09:26 PM   #24
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: SW New Hampshire
Posts: 1,334
Mr. Cowlitz, I'd be interested in any thoughts you had on the Cummins 6CTA.
dan-fox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2016, 10:01 PM   #25
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Snowflake, Arizona
Posts: 343
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American Rear Engine
Engine: C-8.3-300 Cummins MD3060
Rated Cap: 40 Prisoners
My converted prison bus has the 8.3 Cummins and Allison 6 spd trans
with 6th gear locked out so only 5 speeds available. It cruises at 65mph
at 2000 rpm with a 5.38 rear ratio. I also have a hydraulic retarder with
six positions and going over the continental divide with a 4000lb trailer on
back I never had to go any higher than number 3 on the retarder and never
had to use the brakes to hold me back on the down hills. Looks like this one
your looking at also has dual air conditioners as well. For longevity my bus
has 320,000 miles on the chassis and 9200 hours on the engine and will
do 85mph at 2400 rpm. The reason I bought Mine is that I figured the
vehicle that would get the best maintenance would be one that is hauling
prisoners. You don't want to break down on the road with a bus load of
bad guys on board. Besides my wife liked that it had two toilets installed.
Dragonpop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2016, 11:45 PM   #26
Bus Crazy
 
Stu & Filo. T's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Vacaville, Ca
Posts: 1,634
Year: 1988
Coachwork: Crown / Pusher
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Quote:
Originally Posted by dgorila1 View Post
Happy wife=Happy life!
Or you can give her two black eyes & say "Now I've told you twice not gonna tell you again"
:h ide:
Stu & Filo. T is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 08:28 AM   #27
Skoolie
 
karrlot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Manitou Springs, CO
Posts: 219
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Ward
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 65 passenger
Quote:
Originally Posted by TAOLIK View Post
Just going to throw out some hippie bullshit here. Something to consider is that a prison bus will not have the same good energy a school bus has from transporting a bunch of little brats every day. Some food for your thoughts.
That is ridiculous! (But exactly what I was thinking too!)
karrlot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 08:41 AM   #28
Bus Nut
 
GreyCoyote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Danglebury, Tejas
Posts: 310
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466E
Rated Cap: 72 passenger
I dont know what I believe, but I'll tell you this: I dont think you can drive a skoolie any great distance without believing its talking to you. You just get a vibe, a notional itch in the back of your brain, that tells you when its happy, or about to be expensively sad.

I'd drive that thing and listen to what its trying to tell you. It may be screaming "take me home!"'or "leave me alone!", but you'll never know until you drive it.

Your real job is to just listen.
__________________
"You can finally say you have enough horsepower when you leave two black streaks from corner to corner"
(Mark Donohue, famed TransAm driver)
GreyCoyote is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 11:30 AM   #29
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,751
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
wow 2 air conditioners!!!

I want that front heater!!! that would replace my nasty-ass one nicely!!!

this bus has the same power cutoff switch mine does.. I love that switch!! makes it nice to not worry about battery parasitic discharge

-Christopher
cadillackid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 11:33 AM   #30
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,751
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreyCoyote View Post
I dont know what I believe, but I'll tell you this: I dont think you can drive a skoolie any great distance without believing its talking to you. You just get a vibe, a notional itch in the back of your brain, that tells you when its happy, or about to be expensively sad.

I'd drive that thing and listen to what its trying to tell you. It may be screaming "take me home!"'or "leave me alone!", but you'll never know until you drive it.

Your real job is to just listen.

My skoolie talksto me every time I drive it... and whatever its saying I dont know in the form of words.. but I damn sure know I smile everytime I climb up in that Big boy seat and start up that Diesel engine!!! and an even bigger grin when I pull that big-boy knob out as i arrive somewhere and the bus makes that awesome Whoosh!!!

1800 miles in a skoolie is a dream come true!!! for me it was 1100 miles and a breakdown but still a dream..!!

Drive and enjoy!!

-Christopher
cadillackid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 12:23 PM   #31
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,751
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
Originally Posted by dgorila1 View Post
Happy wife=Happy life!

NO wife = HAPPIEST and RICHEST life!!!
-Christopher
cadillackid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 01:14 PM   #32
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 252
Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
NO wife = HAPPIEST and RICHEST life!!!
-Christopher
I wasn't going to be the one to say it...
jake_blue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 03:03 PM   #33
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Virginia
Posts: 548
Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
NO wife = HAPPIEST and RICHEST life!!!
-Christopher
Oh, I'm sure I would be MUCH richer......and less stressed........and saner......
dgorila1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 04:43 PM   #34
Bus Nut
 
GreyCoyote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Danglebury, Tejas
Posts: 310
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466E
Rated Cap: 72 passenger
Lets face it: if you are buying a skoolie, you've already got all of the essential makings of a professional-grade mid-life crisis. You earned it, you spent years suppressing it, and by Dog there ain't nuthin' thats gonna get in your way now!

Some guys get all twitterpaited about wimmin that are half their age with silly-coned mammaries, svelte figures, and perfect skin/hair/teeth. The poor creatures look like predatory greyhounds. But us guys "in the know" know the honest truth: getting greasy, busting knuckles doing a tranny swap, and putting a set of chrome nut covers on a Meritor hub is where its at!

And for the record, my name is Pan. Peter Pan. And I'm the freakin' POSTER CHILD for that configuration! And I live beside a river named De Nile....

Now where did I put my meds...?
__________________
"You can finally say you have enough horsepower when you leave two black streaks from corner to corner"
(Mark Donohue, famed TransAm driver)
GreyCoyote is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 05:44 PM   #35
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: SW New Hampshire
Posts: 1,334
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreyCoyote View Post
Lets face it: if you are buying a skoolie, you've already got all of the essential makings of a professional-grade mid-life crisis. You earned it, you spent years suppressing it, and by Dog there ain't nuthin' thats gonna get in your way now!

Some guys get all twitterpaited about wimmin that are half their age with silly-coned mammaries, svelte figures, and perfect skin/hair/teeth. The poor creatures look like predatory greyhounds. But us guys "in the know" know the honest truth: getting greasy, busting knuckles doing a tranny swap, and putting a set of chrome nut covers on a Meritor hub is where its at!

And for the record, my name is Pan. Peter Pan. And I'm the freakin' POSTER CHILD for that configuration! And I live beside a river named De Nile....

Now where did I put my meds...?
All of you make good points concerning the institution of marriage, in your own ways. I intend to stay married for the time being, myself. Besides, if I initiated a divorce, I would all of a sudden not be able to afford no damn bus.

I have arranged to get the bus to an indie truck mechanic in Caldwell ID; a guy who I liked over the phone, and that's all that counts. He had the one hour inspection, the 2 hour inspection, and the 3 hour inspection. I ordered the 3 hour job. We shall see what we shall see.
dan-fox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2016, 11:34 PM   #36
Skoolie
 
karrlot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Manitou Springs, CO
Posts: 219
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Ward
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 65 passenger
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
So: next steps?


I am also getting significant pushback from SWMBO, which is quite different than what she thought about the project when it was hypothetical. But that's on me to manage.
My 1/50 of a dollar - if she's not on board with it, then I would wait. My wife and I looked at a house that she gave me "significant push back". That was 10 years of hell. Knowing that I was going to be parking a 35' yellow beast 10 feet from the kitchen door, I waited until she gave me the 'okay'. This is my dream and I'm not about to have it ruined by my wife nagging me about it. I had to wait until she was okay with it, which required a lot of 'negotiations'.

I'm not messing around with an unhappy wife.
__________________
Please check out my blog-
Follow the (lack of) progress on the Karr Family Kamping Bus Blog
Here is my woefully inadequate build thread:
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/i-...bus-12296.html
karrlot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2016, 12:30 AM   #37
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Winlcok, WA
Posts: 2,233
The Cummins 6CT is the mechanical version of the 8.3L ISC. It is a very good engine.

Most of the time when it was put in buses it was rated at 250HP-325HP with 285 about the most common.
cowlitzcoach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2016, 07:07 AM   #38
Bus Nut
 
Dapplecreek's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: near Christiansburg VA
Posts: 692
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 44 or 66? 11 rows
Quote:
Originally Posted by karrlot View Post
...I'm not messing around with an unhappy wife.
And speaking as someone who is doing a better job now, the quality of relationship now that I'm involving and consulting her far, far outweighs any 'losses' I might have incurred. You know, losses like losing my shirt...

Seriously: I 'get' how a rotten marriage can be hell. I'll allow (right big of me, I realize) that certain marriages are in fact 'dissolved' already and making that part official might be quite reasonable. But I submit that there are great rewards for effort put into improving a mediocre marriage. It's working for me.
Dapplecreek is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2016, 11:52 AM   #39
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: SW New Hampshire
Posts: 1,334
Seriously, I get it about marriage, and I'm not risking mine on this issue.

This hinges on 2 points:
1) I told her that "used busses cost about $3500." This one may end up being significantly more. I think it's worth it, unless the prepurchase inspection turns up one or more red flags.
2) "This better not turn out to be like that old Mercedes" that I bought, then got tired of chasing bugs out of the vacuum system. Also, we were supposed to get our driveway paved; we didn't, and I got tired of crawling around underneath it while snuggling up to #2 crusher run bluestone. At any rate, I lost interest and it's a sore point. It's up to me to not lose interest in the bus.

Also, she's retired and I'm less than a year away, so she's understandably a little more protective of the nest egg now. But we have a line item in our retirement that says "buy RV and go around the country in it" which is more than enough to cover. I think I can get to yes on this.

Thanks for getting back to me, Cowlitzcoach! Anybody else have 6CTA stories to tell? It's curiously absent from discussions here. Maybe not a common engine. The military vehicle folks seem to have a good opinion of it, and they say that parts are easy.
dan-fox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2016, 12:08 PM   #40
Bus Nut
 
Dapplecreek's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: near Christiansburg VA
Posts: 692
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 44 or 66? 11 rows
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
..."This better not turn out to be like that old Mercedes"...
I had one of those, too: one of those 'bad decisions' I alluded to. I had a '65 200D parts car in the garage, a '65 200D that ran most of the time... well, under 65... and a '72 240D that was for my wife, which most of the time was parked because of a bad radiator, a bad alternator, a bad this, or a bad that. Bad move... next time I'll ask her what she wants instead of surprising her. And I'll try to keep it running, too.

On your side, Dan...
Dapplecreek is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:36 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.