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Old 02-15-2018, 03:20 PM   #1
Skoolie
 
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How to plan for the worst on the way home

I have yet to buy a bus, but as I have looked (online) as some nice prospects that are 500-1000 miles away.... I think that the drive home would be a fun adventure to start the bus ownership journey.

But of course you don't really know the condition of the bus, and if a reseller, they may not truly know either. So I was kind of curious if anyone had a plan if they had MAJOR problems out on the road before they ever got home. I think if you blew an engine or tranny and were several hundred miles from home, and 50-100 miles from a diesel mechanic.... Do you get it towed into a diesel mechanic or trans shop that you don't know? Or do you just find out where the nearest scrap yard is and have them tow it there and see if you can recoup a couple hundred of your purchase price? It would seem like a waste, but it sound's like you investment of a 2-3k in a bus would triple or quadruple if you need to rebuild an engine or replace a tranny, and I would guess that is if no one rips you off in the process, and actually knows what they are doing.

I don't want to sound all doom and gloom, but it seems like something you should think about before potentially being heart broken on the side of the road with your engine in shambles.

I would assume it would be a good idea to get either the triple A or Good sam's roadside to get you off the side of the road, since I doubt those tows are less than a grand by themselves if you are any distance away. but not sure if that gives you many options once they get you to a mechanic, I believe they are done at that point, and if the person is unqualified, or seems like he is trying to rip you off, I assume its on you if you want to get it towed somewhere else?

Anyway, food for thought, and I though I would get other people's opinions on what viable options are?

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Old 02-15-2018, 03:49 PM   #2
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Having owned a HD repair shop that did road service for over 20 years I can think of no good way to plan for the disaster of which you speak. Short of carefully planning your route,Checking for repair and tow facilities along the way checking their BBB ratings Yelp reviews(taking those with a grain of salt). I can tell you that for most repairs road service is generally less expensive than towing and repair and usually the tow company(not all) has a company that they recommend (exclusively).The best way to avoid all that would be if you don't have the knowledge or background for the task hire a mechanic to assay the bus for you. Most of the kinds of problems you are describing should be obvious to a person familiar with HD mechanicals and should be able to diagnose those problems for you pretrip. Gene
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Old 02-15-2018, 04:19 PM   #3
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Keep in mind that AAA has a waiting period when signing up before the tow option becomes available. I would suggest signing up now for it. I just got an offer in the mail for AAA for $59/yr, includes a second card for any family member and now covers you in whatever vehicle you happen to be in, even if you're the passenger. They once tried to deny me because my buddy was driving my van when it caught fire(drivers fault) and I wasn't the driver or on scene. I got out of it by saying my wife was driving and they finally towed it. Glad to see they've slackened up on their policy.
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Old 02-15-2018, 04:27 PM   #4
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I don't know if AAA will tow a bus for it's members.I would be checking that out before thinking about that option.
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Old 02-15-2018, 04:37 PM   #5
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I wasn't sure of the details for Good Sam Club, but recommend joining both.
Good Sam is quite a bit more money, but gets you motorized RV towing for $114/yr, to the nearest service center. I've found a tow for these Skoolie's is easily $800-$1000
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Old 02-15-2018, 04:59 PM   #6
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I've looked at AAA, they have 5 levels of membership, but only two of them (Plus RV and Premium RV) will cover you in an RV (or a motorcycle FYI).

Will the tow truck driver balk if he shows up and your school bus still looks like a school bus with all of its seats in it... not sure, because I believe they specifically don't cover commercial vehicles or rental trucks. I think it sort of depends on if the driver wants to mess with you, since they are just subcontractors of AAA.

One thing I did read is that they can cancel you if they want, and will if you have too many claims, especially early in your membership. SO if you need a service call for a jump start, and then one for a blown tire, you could get a cancellation from AAA. The interesting question I would have is do they have to mail you their intent to cancel you, or can they just tell you while you are requesting your tow that they are canceling.

Good sam has 3 levels of membership, and only Auto + RV Premium covers you in an RV.

They can cancel you as well if they aren't happy with you.

Both have short time limits before they cover you, one allows you to pay extra to get same day coverage.

Both have some picky limitations that you need to check if you are counting on them. I think at least one of them won't cover you if you are on a dirt road. They both have limits on how far they will tow you. Some of them will only take you to the nearest mechanic (Not sure how you object that they aren't qualified or don't have the equipment to work on your rig), and not sure if closest also means they could tow you back in the opposite direction of where you are going.

Also Lots of horror stories of people waiting so long for a tow that they finally end up calling for a tow themselves (usually people in cars that don't have the kind of costs associated with an RV tow).

So those roadside programs have a lot of holes in them, but it beats having nothing if something happens.
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Old 02-15-2018, 05:07 PM   #7
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On the RV and RV Premium policies at AAA you get 4-100 mile tows and 1-200 mile tow per year. Not necessarily to the "nearest service center" .
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Old 02-15-2018, 06:30 PM   #8
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AAA says they do not tow school buses. Take that for what you will because they don't otherwise mention skoolies or converted buses. Apparently it's up to the tow truck driver to decide if it's an RV or a school bus. I guess that tow truck driver gets a tip before the tow begins.

I went with Good Sam because they will actually, by name, tow a skookie or converted school bus or whatever you want to call it. No dirt row towing and tows are usually limited to 50 miles, but they won't balk at the bus when you need that tow.
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Old 02-15-2018, 08:31 PM   #9
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I blew an air compressor 450 miles into my 1100 mile maiden voyage in 2016.. I used a moibile repair service that was incompetent at best.. was down for 3 days... since i can work from anywhere. i stayed in a hotel with a nice old lady as a bartender(that when I asked fir a glass of crown royal neat.. didnt know what that was.. so i said 'just pour it in a glass and serve it'... yeah i got a GLASS of it...

the hotel GM offered me the keys to her brand new King-Ranch if I needed to get anything..

and the bus was parked in a gas station with great people. so it wasnt too traumatic..

I had no plan... my plan was to drive the bus from florida to ohio with no issues.. driving mainly at night because I had no Air-Conditioning yet.. I learned that I should ALWAYS carry tools!!! I also learned that you treat people nice, make friends(who may offer to help).. and that many people are fascinated by school busses...

-Christopher
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Old 02-15-2018, 08:56 PM   #10
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Oh contrair, I remember you being pretty stressed out at the time.

A tumbler full of liquor wild make things easier through.
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Old 02-15-2018, 09:05 PM   #11
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I have found 8oz of Crown makes almost everything better.
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Old 02-15-2018, 09:49 PM   #12
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Oh contrair, I remember you being pretty stressed out at the time.

A tumbler full of liquor wild make things easier through.
I was only stressed for a short time till I went into the mode of getting fixed up and rolling.. a few hours perhaps
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Old 02-15-2018, 10:36 PM   #13
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You handed it very well even when the roadservice guys couldn't.

I get just a bit on the edgy side when I get stuck on the road.
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Old 02-16-2018, 12:12 AM   #14
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When my M-I-L passed away very suddenly my wife (an only child) and I had to go to MI to take care of business.

In the process of closing down and getting the house ready for sale there was a concern about how to get all of the treasures from MI to WA state.

Our solution was to purchase a bus so that when we got to WA we could use the bus to store stuff until we got everything sorted out as to what was really treasure and what was junk (that was ten years ago and there is still some treasures in the bus!)

In the process of cleaning out the house we used the bus to schlep five loads of stuff we knew we didn't want but others could still use to the Salvation Army (the SA in Grand Rapids stayed open late and on weekends!). Part of the logic of using the bus to schlep stuff around was to make sure the bus was relatively reliable. In three weeks of running around town and up and down the highway I had no problems.

On the first leg of the trip from MI through Chicago I was doing great until I hit suburban Chicago just about in time for the afternoon drive time. I was seriously losing power and I ended up getting off the highway at an exit that appeared to have some stores. I found a NAPA to get another fuel filter (I had changed the oil and all of the filters as soon as I got the bus) because I figured the fuel filter had gotten plugged up. It also required me to purchase a filter wrench (I had some tools but not a filter wrench). I chose not to change the filter at the NAPA because I wanted to do that when I filled the tank so that I could fill the filter up as well.

When I got to the fuel station of course is wasn't a truck stop and it was drive time. As a consequence getting into a fuel island that had a diesel pump with a 35' bus was rather interesting.

When I went to fill the fuel tank I couldn't get the cap off. I really struggled to get the cap off it was on so tight. When it finally broke loose you could hear air moving really fast. Somewhere along the line the fuel tank breather had gotten clogged. It was never a problem running around town because I never let the tank get below half tank and most of the speeds were under 35 MPH. With the tank below half tank and trying to go highway speeds the lift pump couldn't suck fast enough against the vacuum that had been created in the tank.

I never did change that filter and I was able to drive the remaining 1800+ miles without any problems.

I suppose the moral of the story is you should never travel without a few hand tools, you should be prepared for issues and carry extra filters and belts, and you should never try crossing the country in the week between Christmas and New Years in a bus that you are not familiar loaded with treasures and with two cats.

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Old 02-16-2018, 02:41 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach View Post
When my M-I-L passed away very suddenly my wife (an only child) and I had to go to MI to take care of business.

In the process of closing down and getting the house ready for sale there was a concern about how to get all of the treasures from MI to WA state.

Our solution was to purchase a bus so that when we got to WA we could use the bus to store stuff until we got everything sorted out as to what was really treasure and what was junk (that was ten years ago and there is still some treasures in the bus!)

In the process of cleaning out the house we used the bus to schlep five loads of stuff we knew we didn't want but others could still use to the Salvation Army (the SA in Grand Rapids stayed open late and on weekends!). Part of the logic of using the bus to schlep stuff around was to make sure the bus was relatively reliable. In three weeks of running around town and up and down the highway I had no problems.

On the first leg of the trip from MI through Chicago I was doing great until I hit suburban Chicago just about in time for the afternoon drive time. I was seriously losing power and I ended up getting off the highway at an exit that appeared to have some stores. I found a NAPA to get another fuel filter (I had changed the oil and all of the filters as soon as I got the bus) because I figured the fuel filter had gotten plugged up. It also required me to purchase a filter wrench (I had some tools but not a filter wrench). I chose not to change the filter at the NAPA because I wanted to do that when I filled the tank so that I could fill the filter up as well.

When I got to the fuel station of course is wasn't a truck stop and it was drive time. As a consequence getting into a fuel island that had a diesel pump with a 35' bus was rather interesting.

When I went to fill the fuel tank I couldn't get the cap off. I really struggled to get the cap off it was on so tight. When it finally broke loose you could hear air moving really fast. Somewhere along the line the fuel tank breather had gotten clogged. It was never a problem running around town because I never let the tank get below half tank and most of the speeds were under 35 MPH. With the tank below half tank and trying to go highway speeds the lift pump couldn't suck fast enough against the vacuum that had been created in the tank.

I never did change that filter and I was able to drive the remaining 1800+ miles without any problems.

I suppose the moral of the story is you should never travel without a few hand tools, you should be prepared for issues and carry extra filters and belts, and you should never try crossing the country in the week between Christmas and New Years in a bus that you are not familiar loaded with treasures and with two cats.

Man! That sounds like it could have only gotten better if you'd had a couple kids...

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Old 02-16-2018, 02:46 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by Tigerman67 View Post
I have yet to buy a bus, but as I have looked (online) as some nice prospects that are 500-1000 miles away.... I think that the drive home would be a fun adventure to start the bus ownership journey.

But of course you don't really know the condition of the bus, and if a reseller, they may not truly know either. So I was kind of curious if anyone had a plan if they had MAJOR problems out on the road before they ever got home. I think if you blew an engine or tranny and were several hundred miles from home, and 50-100 miles from a diesel mechanic.... Do you get it towed into a diesel mechanic or trans shop that you don't know? Or do you just find out where the nearest scrap yard is and have them tow it there and see if you can recoup a couple hundred of your purchase price? It would seem like a waste, but it sound's like you investment of a 2-3k in a bus would triple or quadruple if you need to rebuild an engine or replace a tranny, and I would guess that is if no one rips you off in the process, and actually knows what they are doing.

I don't want to sound all doom and gloom, but it seems like something you should think about before potentially being heart broken on the side of the road with your engine in shambles.

I would assume it would be a good idea to get either the triple A or Good sam's roadside to get you off the side of the road, since I doubt those tows are less than a grand by themselves if you are any distance away. but not sure if that gives you many options once they get you to a mechanic, I believe they are done at that point, and if the person is unqualified, or seems like he is trying to rip you off, I assume its on you if you want to get it towed somewhere else?

Anyway, food for thought, and I though I would get other people's opinions on what viable options are?
Someday I hopefully will be driving my very own bus home...hopefully my cell phone works and I got a couple grand on plastic...and I do have some basic knowledge...but a dead drivetrain would really suck

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Old 02-16-2018, 09:48 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach View Post

When I went to fill the fuel tank I couldn't get the cap off. I really struggled to get the cap off it was on so tight. When it finally broke loose you could hear air moving really fast. Somewhere along the line the fuel tank breather had gotten clogged. It was never a problem running around town because I never let the tank get below half tank and most of the speeds were under 35 MPH. With the tank below half tank and trying to go highway speeds the lift pump couldn't suck fast enough against the vacuum that had been created in the tank.
Forty years riding motorcycles taught me at least two things:

1. If the bike won't start, check the engine run switch first

2. If you have fueling issues, check the gas cap first

My son learned the first one the hard way after he pushed his scooter a mile home because the engine wouldn't start
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Old 02-16-2018, 10:02 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by Twigg View Post
Forty years riding motorcycles taught me at least two things:

1. If the bike won't start, check the engine run switch first

2. If you have fueling issues, check the gas cap first

My son learned the first one the hard way after he pushed his scooter a mile home because the engine wouldn't start
[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

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Old 02-16-2018, 01:08 PM   #19
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coach net and CAA RV premier I have both, and as long the bus is self contained the said they would tow it. so far I have never had to use them for my bus .
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Old 02-16-2018, 02:42 PM   #20
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That's why I bought a tow package too. If you pay for towing insurance, nothing happens. If you don't have towing insurance you'll end up needing a tow. It's Murphy's Law.
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