towing with transit/tour type bus?

[The Wanderer]

i'm selling my current bus in favor of a diesel pusher RV or a converted coach bus, like an MCI, etc. i'm curious as to if these coach/transit/tour type buses are capable of towing well? i have the need to tow 14-15k lbs. on most trips. the motor i would probably go for is the 8v-71 or 8v-92.

[Steve]

Yes I see bands that come into town and people at the track with them pulling trailers all the time.

[KC10Chief]

Originally Posted by Steve

Yes I see bands that come into town and people at the track with them pulling trailers all the time.

So wait... people actually go to Iowa? On purpose?

[The Wanderer]

i've done some extensive searching over on busnuts and google in general today, but still haven't really gotten an answer for my question. i've read all the debates on mounting hitches to the engine cradle, seen people mention they tow larger open and enclosed trailers, etc. but i've found nothing as to how well they tow.

i'm looking for some specific things like "my bus equipped with X drivetrain does 70mph on the flats but drops to 50mph on grades..." things like that. anyone?

[KC10Chief]

Why are you dead set on a pusher? You can get front engine buses with a DT466 that are the same size. Then you could just mount your hitch on the back. I'm thinking that if you were to weld a hitch on a rear engine bus (You'd probably want it welded if you're towing 15K!), you could run into some serious problems should you ever need to drop the engine.

Anyways, my bus with the 7.3L and AT545 will go 65, but I like to cruise at 55mph to keep the RPM's down. Once up to speed, it maintains that speed up any of the hills around Oklahoma. Yes, we do have hills. But I'm guessing if I ever went to Colorado, I'd be going pretty slooooowwwwww......

[wmah]

Originally Posted by KC10Chief

So wait... people actually go to Iowa? On purpose?

I go to Iowa on purpose. I used to say there is nothing in Iowa but I have changed my thoughts on that once I looked to see what is there. I've gone to the Surf Ballroom 3 times now and I visited Dyersville which is where the movie "Field Of Dreams" was filmed. Next week I plan on going to Council Bluffs to see Collective Soul, and on the way there I'll make a stop at Freedom Rock to see the painted rock.

[The Wanderer]

Originally Posted by KC10Chief

Why are you dead set on a pusher? You can get front engine buses with a DT466 that are the same size. Then you could just mount your hitch on the back. I'm thinking that if you were to weld a hitch on a rear engine bus (You'd probably want it welded if you're towing 15K!), you could run into some serious problems should you ever need to drop the engine.

Anyways, my bus with the 7.3L and AT545 will go 65, but I like to cruise at 55mph to keep the RPM's down. Once up to speed, it maintains that speed up any of the hills around Oklahoma. Yes, we do have hills. But I'm guessing if I ever went to Colorado, I'd be going pretty slooooowwwwww......

i'm set on a pusher because of the drivetrains they offer, better OTR gearing usually, and many are air ride. i already have a bus (for sale) with a 5.9 cummins/allison at545. a skoolie type bus just isn't cutting it for me. i need a better ride, more refined interior, and a little more power. don't get me wrong, my bus does a great job for what it is... it's just that my travels/tastes are such that i need a little more.

[phillbus914]

Well you probably won't find a skoolie with much more power than a 5.9 in a TC2000... at least from what I've seen. Maybe there's something wrong with your engine, maybe a partly clogged fuel filter or something. My bus is no race car but it is compared to some other bus's.

As far as towing 15,000lbs with a hitch... (maybe this is a little off topic and you already have this part figured out) Aren't pull behind hitches rated at 10,000lbs max? I've never seen a hitch or a hitch ball rated for 15,000lbs unless you're talking about a pintle hitch. Like one of these...



Anyway if you're asking if anyone here has any experience towing a trailer that heavy with a transit/tour bus you might not ever get an answer. I think all but 1 or 2 of the bus owners on here have skoolies. Which as you already know have less power than a full size bus.

Jason did tow an overloaded trailer all the way to burning man last year from Michigan - about 5,000 miles total I think he said it weighed something like 12,000lbs - he may chime in but again that's a skoolie towing not a trasnit bus.

Good luck with your search.

[lapeer20m]

my trailer uses a ball.....but i'd like to say that i am a HUGE fan of the pintle hitch. The articulation that it allows between the trailer and the tow vehicle is incredible, and it's so much more beefy than a ball.

[the_experience03]

and louder In reality I don't think a pintle hitch clanking around back there would be the least bit noticeable in a bus. It's kind of that Princess and the Pea sort of thing.

[Steve]

You see RVs pulling large trailers behind them all the time, I would think any bus would at least be better than those at pulling.

[The Wanderer]

Well you probably won't find a skoolie with much more power than a 5.9 in a TC2000

exactly... that's why i need to upgrade. honestly, it does pretty well with what i tow, but the non lockup transmission kills it and grades really drag it down. i'm pretty demanding of my tow vehicles, with a frequent amount of mountain driving. it does great on the flats, but going through the hills is not fun.

which brings me to another thing, BRAKES. even with brand new functioning trailer brakes on both axles, it can still be a little scary coming down steeper grades. i'm in desperate need of an engine or exhaust brake. all that combined with the other things i don't really like (ride, noise, etc.) it makes more sense to me to put the money torwards a completed transit bus conversion or (yikes) a conventional pusher RV with a C series cummins or something.

Aren't pull behind hitches rated at 10,000lbs max?

no, you can get hitches and ball mounts rated for more. do a google search for titan. it's a 2.5" reciever, rated for 15-20k. even the 10k hitches are capable of handling much more than their rating.

Anyway if you're asking if anyone here has any experience towing a trailer that heavy with a transit/tour bus you might not ever get an answer.

that's exactly what i'm asking. i figured most people here were skoolie owners, thought it was worth a try though. i'm going to ask on busnuts also.

You'd do better asking over on busnut.com or busconversions.com forums. They will probably discourage something that heavy.

The big issue is not so much the trailer weight as the tongue weight.

yep, ive been searching there a lot. i've read all about the engine cradle issues. i feel like the people discouraging it don't really know what they're talking about though, several people in a few threads gave solid engineering specs on the bolts, design, etc. of the cradle which indicated tongue weight should be no more of an issue than overall trailer weight. so, my main concern at this point is power.

I have an MC9, btw.

cool. i have my eye on an mc8, with the dana 4 speed manual and 8v71.

[The Wanderer]

here's a picture of my current setup if anyone cares to see.

[the_experience03]

Huh...you have a stinger on the bus, but not on the Jeeps. Interesting.

Do you have air brakes or hydraulic? My properly adjusted air brakes almost have too much stopping power unloaded. They are the first thing I teach a new driver about in the bus...at 5 mph....in a parking lot....because otherwise everything wants to go through the windshield when they get on it like in a car. I would check the condition of the brakes first and foremost if stopping is really that much of an issue. An exhaust brake is going to be a fart in the wind on that bus. Without a lockup converter all you're going to do is make some noise and some heat with very little braking power. You could look into a retarder, but I believe the AT545's with the retarder option were slightly different. Someone else can probably clear that up.

[behappystupi]

I stil can;t get over that wheelbase..

[the_experience03]

Legal length is state dependent. The lowest I've seen is 60 feet with 75 feet being the max. I would probably try and stay at or below 65 total if I was going cross country to keep the eyebrows down.

[The Wanderer]

i have air brakes, and they're in great shape. they work AWESOME when empty, like you said they'll throw you through the winshield. they work great with the trailer too, the problem is fade. trying to maintain a speed on a grade just heats them up too fast, and they don't recover. steep downhill grades in the mountains i have to keep it to 30mph or less when i'm loaded.

i think legal overall length here in NC is 70ft. i'm not really concerned about it though, if i get a ticket i get a ticket. price to pay for having the setup i want.

i posted this over on busnuts, and so far the response i'm getting is not positive. seems they feel like the 8v71 has enough trouble dragging the coach around, much less a heavy trailer.

back on the hunt i guess... i've got two RV's on my radar also. one with an 8.3 cummins and the other with a 3208 turbo cat. both built on bus chassis.

[BassnTruck]

Wow I did not notice how short your WB was until I went back and looked. Well ya can bolt up an MT643 to your motor that has lock up and can get a retarder. I plan on getting an Jake break for mine. As for the power. You can crank that cummins to 1200HP if ya really want. But 350 will probably work just fine for you. But you will have to ditch your current trans since it is already being over taxed. I know some of you would have a hard time dumping a few grand into the motor since ya payed less for the bus in most cases but mild 5.9 will fetch a few buck on evil bay so ya can get most of your cash back out of it. Mine takes off from a stop and does pretty well down the highway but on the big hiss she is under powered. But I will crank up the 466 to about 350hp and I will be set.